Last Weeks Snowfall Stalls The Canada Line Again!
Not reported in the mainstream media is that a Canada Line Train stalled again during last weeks snow storm!
The timed out explanation, given by officials doesn't make sense, as we have a near new metro systems, operating on a totally segregated rights-of-way – what could possibly go wrong?
I'm sorry, but there seems to be a lot of gremlins affecting the Canada Line and one wonders, like the rest of the Canada Line which design was greatly truncated to reduce costs, that smaller motors were installed on the trains to again reduce costs?
Small motors + heavy traffic loads due to lengthy headways + snow = taking too long to respond to propulsion!
Snow crews focus on flood
Canada Line's late-night stall not weather related
By Alan Campbell, Richmond News – Jan. 14, 2011
The City of Richmond didn't wait until it was too late to react to Tuesday night's heavy snowfall.
Around 15 centimetres of snow fell over Tuesday into Wednesday, quickly turning into heavy slush as the mercury rose and drizzle kicked in.
But in a measured proactive effort, city teams were out in force early on Tuesday evening to prepare roads and access points for the expected conditions come the Wednesday morning commute.
The city declared a "stage 3" snow response at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, with more than five centimetres of snow forecast at the time.
City crews were out on Tuesday afternoon pre-treating first priority routes, community centres, fire halls and city hall. The pre-treatment was complete by 3 p.m. that day.
The city's snow removal fleet of 11 trucks, four backhoes, two bobcats and a holder (which is used to attend to pathways) was then prepared and on standby.
And the entire fleet was on the roads by 8 p.m. and worked throughout the evening, plowing first and second priority routes using 200-250 tonnes of salt.
By Wednesday morning, snow removal trucks were cleaning up some remaining areas and starting on third priority routes. At that point, the city turned its attention to preparing for the rain, melting snow and the potential for flooding.
At 7 a.m. Wednesday, the transition from snow removal to flood prevention began as 15 to 18 crews started clearing catch basins, gutters and storm inlets at pump stations.
A city press release said, "All efforts will be continued throughout the day and the situation will be reassessed this afternoon."
Unlike during the last heavy snowfall in November, the Canada Line experienced only one minor service interruption Wednesday morning, unrelated to the weather.
However, around midnight on Tuesday, passengers en route from Waterfront to Richmond had to be bussed over the river from Marine Drive station after a train stalled just before getting onto the Fraser River bridge.
Jason Chan, spokesman for the line's operators Protrans BC, said a train had "timed out" just before it entered the bridge.
"When a train takes too long to respond to propulsion, it times out and is unable to move," said Chan.
"There were a few people on board for a period of time." Chan added that the "timing out" was a rare occurrence.
The wife of a passenger trying to get home from work, said her husband was forced to get off the train at Marine Drive with no explanation of what was going on.
"There was no staff directing people, nothing," said Lisa Forrster.
Chan said that passengers on the stalled train were stranded for half an hour before a crew pulled the train back to a station.
I used to visit this website and read this blog daily, now I barley have any interest in reading it. Is it because I have lost my interest in getting the interurban revived? No, I am tired of reading a bunch of hate mail about Translink and Skytrain.
Whether “Rail for the valley” likes it or not, the reality is metro Vancouver has two automated rail systems, hundreds of thousands of people use these systems daily and Translink likes automated rail. The last few years should have demonstrated to “Rail for the Valley” that name calling and criticism and a small grass roots movement is not going to cut it.
I am in full agreement with you that in the Fraser Valley an LRT line like the interurban makes the most sense, especially one where the right of way is already built. The Leewood study was a good first step, now please do more education, build more alliances and talk to more people in the industry. You guys should get in touch with operators and manufactuers. I know that you hate Bombardier by default but look what they did for the Olympic line along False Creek. If you want to change minds (Translink) then you need to prove the feasibility of the Interurban, ie Demonstration line. Convince someone to run a couple trains back and forth and watch the people come. Untill then try to be a little more constructive, Please!
How many people in the Fraser Valley other than those who visit this website have even heard of the Leewood study? Much less understand the positive implications within it. In my opinion “Rail for the Valley” needs to spend less energy criticizing and more time uniting and teaching. You might have trouble convincing Translink on the merits of LRT when you are always calling them fools.
Lastly I know you also hate P3’s by default as well but consider it might be the fastest way to get a system built and operating.
I will be looking forward to seeing “Rail for the Valley” spending more time in the community, educating, building alliances and working proactively towards our goal of getting the interurban running again.
You make many statements that are plainly untrue. The questions about our $2.5 billion Canada line are valid. Here we have a generic metro, with standard kit, stalling on the line and by all accounts, happens on a weekly basis. don’t you think someone should ask questions?
As for name calling and alike, I call it as I see it and if Trans Link decided to tell the truth for a change I would welcome it. In fact my stand on turnstiles mirrored the stand by Translink, that is until a Mr. Dobel lobbied for Cubbit Systems, that is. It is the Provincial government that is actually running transit.
I do not hate P-3’s, but the RAV/Canada line was not a true P-3, because the operating authority did not assume risk. The P-3 was merely a ruse to hide the true costs of the metro.
Educating the public takes money and resources and if you want more public education, are you willing to ante up some money to make it happen?
@MG, to be fair to you and Zweis I would agree in principal with both your views, but regrettably TransLink, BC Transit & the Provincial Government do not want to or will not be part of a province wide consensus on transit, public transport & travel strategy for the millennium.
The recently published Strategic Review of Transit in the Fraser Valley (FVTS), is a point in case; BC transit & public transport policy has for decades & will be for the forceable future, the Vancouver city & metro area concentric and the rest of the Province or the boonies can go to hell in and hand cart – a bus in the case of the Fraser Valley.
TransLink and their apparatchiks, whom you will find typing away on the blogosphere, do not hide their dislike of surface running LRT. The FVTS report was a missed opportunity to engage with the Fraser Valley communities but it instead patronised them with a unsound argument using costs & evidence taken from a four year old heavy rail metro study and then put the boot in with a flawed conclusion – let the proletariat take the bus.
The annual operating costs of TransLink & particularly the Canada Line are massively inflated in comparison to Light Rail, Tramways, LRT, ART, MRT and subways elsewhere in the world, then the author has the gall to state that modernising, reopening and operating the Chilliwack to Surrey Interurban will be as expensive or more than the WCE.
No MG, if and when TransLink agrees to constructively meet with the advocates & communities in the Fraser Valley & Lower Mainland, then is the time for a meeting of the waters.