How the Broadway Subway Will Transform Vancouver

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Hi, my name's Reece. I'm a passionate Creator, Transportation Planner, and Software Developer, interested in rapid transportation all around my home base of Toronto, Canada, as well as the whole world!

[haweater]

York University students pushed for an extension of the TTC subway, knowing full well they would be years out of enrollment before it ever opens.

[RoboJules]

I still remember when the broadway subway was going to start construction "any year now" back in like 2006. Then we got the Canada Line, and the Evergreen Line, and Rapid Bus, and 15 years later we're finally starting it. This project really has been a long time coming and it was needed probably 20 years ago.

[oldfern]

circumferential rapid transit is more necessary than ever. glad to see vancouver addressing this need :)

[SarahZ]

I'm unduly excited for this to be finished

[JustinLo]

Thank you for the amazing content as always!

I live in Coquitlam at the very far end of the millenium line, and I hate going into Richmond or anywhere in South Vancouver with a passion.

Driving to Richmond takes 40 minutes at the very least (thru the New West hell hole), and transiting is at least 1.5 hours including three very inconvenient transfers at Commercial Broadway and Waterfront (plus additional wasted time going into the downtown core). The M Line / C Line transfer at Broadway City Hall will cut at least 20-30 minute off that commute route.

This is by far the most anticipated transit project for me in all of Vancouver and I can't wait for it to open!

Keep up the great work Reece!

[billythorne]

wow, the first sponsor of the channel!

[gavinlee]

There are 6 transit developments in Vancouver I want to see over the next decade (2031): the Broadway extension, the broadway extension to UBC, the Surrey Langley extension, the Burnaby Mtn gondola, the downtown/false creek streetcar, and finally, the PoCo extension. If Port Moody has Skytrain, Poco deserve it too.

[jonathankleinow]

My wife and I went to Vancouver for our honeymoon in early 2006, and I remember how crowded it was taking the 98 B-Line from our hotel downtown down to Broadway and transferring to the 99 B-Line to go out to UBC and visit the botanical gardens. (We were planning to visit the Museum of Anthropology, but their CityPass machine wasn't working. And we did get yelled at by a guy checking tickets at a SkyTrain station at one point, because I'd bought student tickets, since we were still in college, but our student IDs from Webster University in St. Louis didn't cut the mustard with him.) At any rate, I hope one day we'll be back in Vancouver and I can take the Millennium Line out to UBC and actually visit the Museum of Anthropology!

[PolicyThwonk]

The Millennium Line will be a huge boost to the network, especially to the Canada Line when it is extended to UBC. Half of the busiest bus routes in the region go to UBC and a lot of that traffic will funnel onto the Millenium Line via the Canada Line once it is fully extended.

Also congrats on your sponsorship!

[flarex]

REECE GOT A SPONSOR! Congrats!

I'm extremely excited about this extension. Right now I live on the North Shore, work near Renfrew station on the M-line, and frequently have to travel out to UBC. The 99 is great but the new line will make things a lot easier. The transfer from the Canada line to the 99 westbound really sucks, having to cross the street twice. A dedicated bus loop at Arbutus will be great. And a huge improvement will be had with the new 5-car trains (not sure if this is officially confirmed by translink but I was talking to an engnineer who's working on minor system upgrades/platform extensions/etc to handle the new trains) on the M-line and the system as a whole.

Your comments about the R4 are basically already happening - I don't use the R4 myself but it is HEAVILY used by students, frequently looking as full as the 99 usually is, and has really opened up the 41st area for more students to live.

The only sad thing is that the 99's record as busiest bus in the US and Canada will be no more!

[christinecamley]

This is such a fabulously informed video! Thank you so much! I live in Vancouver and you have analyzed what is happening here better than many urban/transit planners who work here!! I just saw your joint video with Johnny on his YouTube channel. It was also terrific. I agree with your analysis about extension to UBC. I enjoyed this so much. I am a psychologist but I am a bit of an urban planning nerd! Cheers! Be well!

[vancouversworstdrivers]

I'm a part owner of a building near Arbutus and developers have approached and made offers even though it's not on the market. If developers have their eyes on that area it means there's going to be big changes!

[cliffwoodbury]

this system still needs to have an arch circumfranse line to connect all the ends of the line togther so you don't have to go downtown and than go back out.

[MTTWRD_]

very exciting it sounds like the R4 is replacing the 43 Express to UBC. I moved to 41st ave so I could take that bus to school because it was so much less busy then the 99. Loved the video!

[BusMaxx]

I was just in Vancouver for the first time, and as a resident of Ontario, and only recently in life exploring more of Canada, taking transit in Vancouver was a very easy and pleasant experience. I have to say the R4 rapidbus was an amazing ride. I completely see why you are so passionate about transit there

[poop]

Great summary of the new line, I'm excited about it, and it is a long time coming. I'm very glad they chose tunneling, as the "cut and cover" on the Canada line was tough on those neighborhoods, but Cambie street sure did bounce back once it was completed!
I do hope the line continues to UBC as the stretch of Broadway between Arbutus and Alma is kind of dying. Many of the great businesses picked up and moved to main street, and there were always a lot of vacant store fronts in the last few blocks to Alma.

[glenatkinson]

This is a great idea. I haven't been in Vancouver since this Expo Line was opened, bit will take the trip out on next couple of years.

[johanneslundie]

Reese, your programs are great, as is this one. Broadway, once the new subway is built, is going to boom and bloom as never
before, and South Granville will be our equivalent of, say, Bloor and Avenue Road in midtown Toronto. If nothing else, we can
say that Vancouver is a city that is doing transit right. (With a few minor glitches, as you pointed out). But it has a transit system
to be proud of, and be an example to other North American cities as well.

[MarcSherwood]

I don't recall how I came across your content, but I sure am glad that I did. I've become so interested in the details of different transit systems due to your content. I am just looking forward to when the new line is done here so people can find something new to complain about in Vancouver :-) I used to travel quite a bit for work (~50 flights/year) and was often disappointed with the transit options in many cities. That said, Paris, London, Budapest (just for some really cool stations) and Berlin had fantastic options.

[lightplane]

Re: double crossover on skytrain. They do exist on the Canada line. One just north of 41st Ave, one just north of Broadway and one just before waterfront.

I wonder though if the reason there are no double crossovers on expo and millennium lines is a limitation of the linear induction technology. I would imagine the magnetic plates cannot cross each other as the polarity of the magnets would be at 90 degrees causing all sorts of control problems for the train, so there would likely need to be a gap and that could cause the train to fail.

Notice too that at flat junctions the rails don't cross over each other either. At lougheed and Coquitlam they are both ladder crossovers. Which I think is for the same reason, the induction plats cannot cross each other.
What do you think?