Regarding the recent news about "Surrey's King George SkyTrain station to close for 6 weeks - Station will close for maintenance April 27 and is scheduled to reopen in mid-June" (e.g., CBC link here), CityHallWatch obtained a copy of this letter from Malcom Johnston (www.railforthevalley.com), an advocate for user-friendly, cost-effective transit for the past 40 years, especially in the Metro Vancouver region. An expert himself, he also obtains input from industry experts around the world. What he writes and shares is worth a careful read, as he is covering matters relating to transportation megaprojects that affect the quality of life and financial wellbeing of everyone, young and old. Individuals of current and future generations. And all levels of government. We know from current examples that our elected officials and public servants do make mistakes. Big mistakes. (See for example "Sewage scandal: Shocking new price tag for delayed North Vancouver treatment plant is $3.86 billion" - project ten years and $3 billion over budget) But who ultimately pays when mistakes are made? Its the individuals of society. The Metro Vancouver region has already gone far down the path with SkyTrain technology based on decisions made decades ago. Leaders today need to show some humility and do a reality check.
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About the King George SkyTrain Station six week closure (Malcolm Johnston)
TransLink is closing King George SkyTrain station for six weeks to replace the switches, with larger radius high speed switches, needed to obtain the large capacities that Translink claims are needed.
The Rail for the Valley group, after consulting with professionals and Transport Canada, predicted this several years ago, all the current switches or turnouts on the Expo Line would need to be replaced with larger radius high speed switches, if capacity on the Expo Line was increased from 15,000 persons per hour per direction to 17,500 pphpd.
This would be an expensive process because the guideway itself would have to be altered to accommodate the new switches.
Six questions:
- How much will this cost?
- Is this needed for the Expo Line extension to Langley?
- Is this cost separate or part of the Expo Line extension costs?
- Do all the switches on the Expo line need replacing?
- What is the total cost to replace all the switches on the Expo Line?
- Is this the real reason TransLink wants more tax monies?
The following reply is from a Canadian transportation engineer who has good knowledge of our proprietary light-metro system which operates on the Expo and Millennium Lines.
Six weeks to do one turnout, wow, I think there's more than one being done. The issue really is what they are replacing these turnouts with. The same size or a higher speed turnout (larger radius curve). If it's 6 weeks its more than likely a multiple unit replacement. If they are talking about cable replacement as well, that's a big clue that the track geometry is changing. In simple terms, they are ripping everything out and starting over.
Step 1. Rip everything out and I mean everything!
Step 2. The simple fact that they don't know when the work will be completed means at some point an assessment of most likely, the concrete base or cap, the final layer of structural concrete on the right of way structure is probably taking place. (the above grade Skytrain right of way isn't a single piece of concrete, in many places it can be up to 3 individual reinforced concrete sections bolted together). They obviously have no idea of the caps' actual physical or structural condition and aren't making any assumptions. So inspect said concrete cap. Then repair, upgrade or outright replace said cap.
Step 3. Hopefully this has already been done!
3(a) Design new turnout geometry or geometries for multiple turnout replacement. The actual frog location and angles including where everything will actually be located (the frog is a piece of track that determines the angle of the turnout, the lower the angle the longer the turnout or switch, actually is).
3 (b) Locate where your concrete plinths will be. These are essentially, closely spaced raised concrete boxes that the track sits on. This effectively raises the track, giving space underneath to locate cables and hardware. This type of track arrangement is common in LRT construction now and is generally easier in the long run than just bolting the track to the base (cap) itself. However, that is up to Translink, I don't know what they're feeling about this will be. Their general lack of experience in anything regarding modern LRT may mean no plinths will be used at all. This design step will also include where the 3rd rail's new power system connections and cabling mounts will be.
3(c) Locate where the new sections of the third rail will actually be plus its connection to the power system and the signaling/control system. All this must match where the previously located power and signal/control connector mountings are. The mounting of the hardware for the new signaling/control system hardware must actually fit and or space must be left there for it and have enough room to be replaced with the existing modules if you haven't got the new system yet. This isn't a simple process!
3(d) Locate extra space for future cabling or extra cabling needs, including extra track devices like angel plates, track monitoring systems or emergency braking systems like Ottawa's Indusi, control system.
3(e) Locate space for the 4th rail (Induction Rail) its power system and signal/control connectors, monitor systems control modules and its associated mounting and bases as well as its power and signal/control connectors (absolutely critical for the Skytrain)
WHAT IS AMAZING IS A LARGE PROPORTIONS OF STEP 3 ISN'T NECESSARY WITH LRT SYSTEMS, THIS WHY THEY ARE MUCH CHEAPER TO BUILD AND MAINTAIN!
Step 4. Start to build everything you designed and planned to do in Step 3.
4(a) Lay, mount and secure rails, making sure the track gauge remains constant.
4(b) Lay, mount and secure frogs, turnout points plus diverging rails. Connect turnouts to other track sections or to other turnouts as needed. Test track gauge.
4(c) Drill holes into the base for all equipment bases as well as mounts for 3rd and 4th rails, track power, control/signaling system hardware bases and connector mounts. A slow and arduous process, that you don't want to screw up.
4(d) Install equipment mounts and bases, again check track gauge and equipment clearances, very carefully. Mount turnout motors. Install 4th rail control system modules, again check clearances.
4(e) Install power and signal/control system cabling and connectors. Test turnout motors.
4(f) Install 3rd rail.
4(g) Install 4th rail (induction rail) and connect to power and monitor control systems. Install final control system hardware.
4(h) Test everything! This step can take weeks!
AGAIN, A LARGE PROPORTIONS OF STEP 4 ISN'T NECESSARY WITH LRT SYSTEMS, THIS WHY THEY ARE MUCH CHEAPER TO BUILD AND MAINTAIN!
Step 5. First test trains, check physical clearances. Assess hardware and software integration. Higher speed tests are next and after a certain amount of testing is complete, whatever Transport Canada and the B.C. The Ministry of Transportation has historically required regular operations begin but monitoring must continue.
THIS ISN'T A SIMPLE PROCESS, I REALLY WISH IT WAS!
As costs mount, keeping the venerable SkyTrain Light metro in operation, plus the estimated $11 billion needed to complete the present 21.7 km expansions of the Expo and Millennium Lines, the 130 km Rail for the Valley/Leewood regional railway connecting Marpole to Chilliwack via the old BC Electric Interurban route, seems to be a bargain at a cost under $2 billion!
End
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Previous content from Malcolm Johnston, Rail for the Valley
Transit advocate outlines problems with Skytrains just as B.C. government readies to go all-in by imposing Skytrain and towers model across Metro Vancouver (Bill 47). https://cityhallwatch.wordpress.com/2023/11/12/problems-with-skytrains-in-context-bill-47-rfv-johnston/
Opinion: TransLink SkyTrain Business Case Hoax – letter sent to PM & Premier on SkyTrain to UBC proposal. https://cityhallwatch.wordpress.com/2020/02/08/opinion-translink-skytrain-business-case-hoax-letter-sent-to-pm-premier/
A reality check for the Broadway Subway. Excerpt- The huge cost of the Broadway subway to UBC, about $8 billion, could fund the following: * A completely rebuilt E&N Railway from Victoria to Courtney as a modern, 230 km regional railway providing a maximum three trains per hour per direction ($3 billion)
A modern 130 km regional railway connecting Vancouver to Chilliwack, using the former BC Electric interurban route ($1.5 billion). * A modern European-style 25 km tramway connecting BCIT to UBC and Stanley Park ($1.5 billion). * A stand-alone 25 km European-style tramway in Surrey ($1.5 billion).
Instead, we are building [the proposal is] a very short $8 billion subway to UBC to cater to a bus route which presently carries a peak-hour passenger load of just over 2,000 pphpd, with future taxpayers left to pay the huge costs associated with subways! Sad to say, the Broadway Subway to UBC [if built] will be a financial fiasco for future generations, not just in Metro Vancouver but the entire province, paying the cost of Vancouver's politically-prestigious subway megaproject. Link - https://cityhallwatch.wordpress.com/2023/03/08/reality-check-broadway-subway/
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