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CTrain Station Renovations


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On 4/15/2019 at 8:25 PM, armorand said:

Just out of curiosity - is Heritage being renovated soon? I've just noticed since I moved here, Heritage is getting to feel a little run down, inside. Particularly when I walked by a bunch of people sleeping in between the ticket booths and the windows, a potentially stolen TV being "tested" on an outlet next to the West stairs/escalators, and the wide empty spaces, among other things... 

I actually had an idea that I wanted to see everyones opinions on: it's been said on here and Edmontons section before: station retail doesn't work, it fails and goes out of business in no time. But what if it was all automated vending machines? ATM's are at the stations, and I swore Chinook had a Pepsi machine back in 2009 when I was visiting Calgary at the time (before the building got torn down). But theoretically, what are the possibilities of automated vending machines, selling everything from food to groceries, etc, to help fill some of the spaces at stations with shuttered stalls and empty spaces?

I have wondered this myself, It clearly has not received any major refurbishment since 1981 (other than a few lighting upgrades) and it is definitely becoming quite a dump.

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10 minutes ago, chills_on_the_train said:

Nooo! We must preserve the HERITAGE of the site! :lol:

The classic broken stairs I trip on every. Single. Time.

The continuous smell of urine.

The dicks drawn on all of the ads (literally every single one).

It's beautiful.

1 hour ago, nsCEO said:

I have wondered this myself, It clearly has not received any major refurbishment since 1981 (other than a few lighting upgrades) and it is definitely becoming quite a dump.

Well, they did do something when they extended the platforms. Plus, they built that overpass a few years back.

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10 hours ago, nsCEO said:

I have wondered this myself, It clearly has not received any major refurbishment since 1981 (other than a few lighting upgrades) and it is definitely becoming quite a dump.

Where do i even begin... lol

Stairs, homeless, drug addicts, wide open spaces, stolen things all over the station and around it, shopping carts, garbage... even the Turner Storage parking space has nothing but carts in it, now. It's ridiculous. 

8 hours ago, Imgursdownvote4love said:

The classic broken stairs I trip on every. Single. Time.

The continuous smell of urine.

The dicks drawn on all of the ads (literally every single one).

It's beautiful.

Well, they did do something when they extended the platforms. Plus, they built that overpass a few years back.

I don't tend to smell that, but there's always half a dozen of them floating around at the building entrance, some behind the ticket machines sleeping, others acting out, and thats just during the DAY!

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  • 4 weeks later...

Looks like Victoria Park / Stampede is next to get the same treatment as Chinook:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/stampede-station-revamp-1.5141417

Quote

The current station, which has 111,300 passengers weekly, will be knocked down and rebuilt entirely. It'll be closed for months as a result — an indeterminate amount of time but Mayor Naheed Nenshi says it'll be less than a year.

Renderings:

artist-renderings.JPG

new-lrt-station.JPG

Hurrah for improved access and a more open-air station without escalators, nay for increased pedestrian/train interaction I guess.

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2 hours ago, chills_on_the_train said:

artist-renderings.JPG

new-lrt-station.JPG

Hurrah for improved access and a more open-air station without escalators, nay for increased pedestrian/train interaction I guess.

I would see how beneficial this new station design would be during Stampede and/or Flames games as you no longer have to plow through crowds of people to get up the stairs/escalators.

25 minutes ago, Imgursdownvote4love said:

Wonder how long Heritage, Southland, and Anderson have left...

I hope they don't knock down the station buildings at Heritage & Southland stations...

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3 hours ago, chills_on_the_train said:

Looks like Victoria Park / Stampede is next to get the same treatment as Chinook:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/stampede-station-revamp-1.5141417

Renderings:

artist-renderings.JPG

new-lrt-station.JPG

Hurrah for improved access and a more open-air station without escalators, nay for increased pedestrian/train interaction I guess.

So instead of getting pedestrians to avoid MacLeod Trail after the game (who usually tend to be wasted), they're making it at-grade and about to throw the area into all sorts of pedestrian chaos after the games and the events... this should be fun...

If they're going to do this, the ABSOLUTE LEAST they should do, is have a Beltline bus route, from at least 14 St W, to Victoria Park/Stampede, so at least they're going to drive up ridership and maybe prevent the drunkest of them all, from causing havoc with CTrain ops and general traffic going in/out of Downtown. Bonus if its a late-night service that isn't cut off at midnight, like every other route in the city. Is Victoria Park going to have a bus loop, then? Or maybe actual feeders and bus routes, to ease this up? Or is it just a social experiment to see what happens when you open up an area for tens of thousands of people to crowd, with virtually no managable flow, no buses in and out of the area, and especially without a way to keep it from interfering with traffic. It seems like a good idea, what they're planning, but seems they're not taking in any grand picture of how to REALLY make something like this, work... because they did it to Chinook, and yes its more accessible and yes, looks nicer - but the riffraff never exactly disappeared, if anything its gotten worse, and without using it as an opportunity to boost ridership within the immediate 1-2km radius of the station (anything shorter, ie Chinook is unnecessary, but any futher than 2km is unnecessary too, its that sweet spot range) - then whats the point of even doing it?

 

 

1 hour ago, Imgursdownvote4love said:

Wonder how long Heritage, Southland, and Anderson have left...

Heritage has too many kids and people, they might keep theirs - but Southland, totally agree. Unless they make a pedestrian bridge from the Southland Drive bridge itself, out to the station directly through what was the ticket stand (and also spare people from falling a nasty fall down the stairs in the winter...), theres no way to keep the station building in any future renos, if they decide to do that. Honestly though, I wouldn't mind seeing the station building gone - would encourage the riffraff to move along, if it disappeared and if they maybe utilized the space under the bridge. Art installation? 7-11? Literally anything built around the station at this point, would clean it up very much compared to irs current state.

Anderson, they did renos recently, plus Southwood connection, so that ones safe for another few decades haha

1 hour ago, TechSpotlight said:

I would see how beneficial this new station design would be during Stampede and/or Flames games as you no longer have to plow through crowds of people to get up the stairs/escalators.

The thing is though - it might be opened up, yes, but seems they're not taking in the wider picture to improve service in and around Victoria Park, and not just immediately for Stampede grounds... it would be a great time to throw in a bus loop or bus lanes into Stampede grounds, and add some new routes to thoroughly connect it with the Beltline, upper MacLeod Trail (58 Ave SW, north to the station), East Village, Inglewood, etc etc. It would boost ridership and also provide people with no excuses to drink and drive, along with related alcohol issues that might affect traffic and such... if CT really is going through with this, not establishing those routes and just leaving it to be "just a train station" would seem like a massive wasted opportunity, to boost ridership, ease up the Beltline traffic/pedestrian issues and get the City of Calgary ultimate bang for its buck.

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I will agree that converting the station to an at-grade access could create some issues in the long run, particularly with the southbound platform. I like the design of the northbound platform and its open and easy access to/from BMOC and Stampede Park. The southbound platform will force massive crowds to wait for trains travelling in both directions to clear before they can leave or enter that platform, which depending on the time of day and level of crowds might take more time than it already does and create potential safety hazards. I’d like to see large ramps and a bridge connecting the southbound platform area with the plaza around the BMO Centre entrance.

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7 hours ago, Nick B said:

I will agree that converting the station to an at-grade access could create some issues in the long run, particularly with the southbound platform. I like the design of the northbound platform and its open and easy access to/from BMOC and Stampede Park. The southbound platform will force massive crowds to wait for trains travelling in both directions to clear before they can leave or enter that platform, which depending on the time of day and level of crowds might take more time than it already does and create potential safety hazards. I’d like to see large ramps and a bridge connecting the southbound platform area with the plaza around the BMO Centre entrance.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1k8n_Fx3_Oap1h37SFO5FlodNT23jwmeL&usp=sharing

Created this the past 30 minutes - if something like this were to be implemented with this new station reno, it might take off a considerable edge of issues for: 

- Beltline service: serving the busiest parts of 17th Ave, it could also help support higher ridership/passenger levels on Routes 2, 6 and 7 as well, with a train connection that doesn't have to go through Downtown, which might be good for anyone going west through Sunalta, or south to employment areas through VP/S station

- Sunalta feeder: would allow Sunalta more direct Beltline service, although train itself negates need for VP connection later on, I'm sure that boosting access up 14th and moving people along might be welcomed by any businesses in the area. 

- Late Night ridership: prevents drunk driving for one, but secondly, I've walked through 17th Ave late at night, there is always people around, and alot of them walking because theres no transit service after midnight! Time buses to make it for the last trains going NE and South, so that CT can keep the buses packed right up until the end of service, and at the end of the night, VP garage is not even 5 minutes away - max - so very easy run, for anyone driving it. 

- Stampede Special: because obviously, millions descending upon Calgary Stampede crams the sidewalks around Stampede to begin with, and the trains, and it will be absolute pedestrian hell around the new station, without any measures to offset it... so why not a ton of extra bus service up and down 17th? Keeps the sidewalks orderly, moves people around, Sunalta residents can even use it to bypass the Stampede trains to get to Stampede itself, and anyone taking the bus from VP there, can skip the crunch time at VP and just go to Sunalta, to catch a train home there, instead. 

Overall: route would be profitable (citing the 22-27 pph, passengers per hour number I heard on here a few years back), well-used, does a ton of benefits, and helps take the edge off the train (or boost ridership late at night), along with removing any chance of drunk driving, boosting business confidence and potential customers after the past few years of 17th Avenue being closed off & eating their bottom lines, I can't see any problems with this route at all. Plus I'm kind of hopeful someone from CT actually sees this and gets the lightbulb in their head, considering the massive boost of engagement they've been doing lately. It's a very good idea, hope to see it one day!

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12 minutes ago, chills_on_the_train said:

The news about a potential Saddledome replacement and the impending demolition and rebuild of Victoria Park station has me wondering when the last time the East platform of Victoria Park saw use?

I'm wondering if they will still use the East platform, with the station rebuild? Or is it all being demolished, even though the East platform fits right in with their plans to rebuild VP, and maybe even keep some level of service to the station (even if its northbound only).

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2 minutes ago, armorand said:

I'm wondering if they will still use the East platform, with the station rebuild? Or is it all being demolished, even though the East platform fits right in with their plans to rebuild VP, and maybe even keep some level of service to the station (even if its northbound only).

The east platform (known as C Track) is only 3-cars long - which is even more of a reason not to use it now than before.  It's pretty much useless, and I'm sure will just be toasted.

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1 hour ago, CTrainDude said:

The east platform (known as C Track) is only 3-cars long - which is even more of a reason not to use it now than before.  It's pretty much useless, and I'm sure will just be toasted.

Wait, so it was used just last week, but only for 3-car trains?

Were 3-car trains the only ones running at the time?

Or did 4-car trains get diverted to the main platform?

I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS ?

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They are proposing removing C Track to make room for the reconfigured station. My understanding is they will build a replacement storage track further south.

Quote

A new CTrain bridge over the Elbow River to relocate the track siding which is currently located at Victoria Park / Stampede Station

 

Stampede.jpg

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