Correspondence: Vancouver Island Rail Transit Report
A proposal from Gwyer Webber regarding the development of regional and commuter rail transit connecting Victoria to Duncan and beyond.
-----Original Message----- From: Gwyer Sent: Wednesday, May 13, 2020 12:35 PM To: Mayor And Council Email mayorandcouncil@viewroyal.ca Subject: Vancouver Island Rail Transit
Dear Mayor and Council,
The attached is a revised document based on the recent report. The entire line would be upgraded to the Intermediate Level with section 1 and 2 upgraded to the Ultimate Level.
This would allow Inter City and a Commuter from Victoria to Duncan. The total cost is less than 3km of underground rail rapid transit.
The number of boarding's projected in Scenario 2 is 664,000 per year. The Inter City alone would have 443,560 boarding's per year. The Via train had 44,000 passengers per year.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely, Gwyer Webber 4867 Salmon Berry Way, Nanaimo, BC V9V 1T4
Vancouver Island Rail Transit
Mar 2020 Written by Gwyer Webber 2018-2020
This rail transit option would connect most of the communities on Vancouver Island with Regional Rail and a future Rail Rapid Transit within the CRD.
E&N Line: Regional Rail
The entire line would be upgraded to the Intermediate Level with Section 1 and Section 2 upgraded to the Ultimate Level per the Island Rail Corridor Condition Assessment Summary. This would allow for Freight, Inter City Rail, and Commuter Rail from Duncan.
Edmonton LRT, Waterloo LRT, Finch West LRT, and Eglinton LRT all have 115lb RE rail with welded joints so the E&N should have the same as well.
Stations are at Victoria, Esquimalt (Admirals), View Royal (Six Mile), Langford (Exchange), Shawnigan Lake, Duncan, Chemainus, Ladysmith, Nanaimo, Parksville, Qualicum Beach, Courtenay. A possible addition of a Park and Ride station across from the Bowser Esso gas station. The maintenance yard would be placed in Duncan.
Cost
The costs of the upgrade for the E&N are summarized below based on the Island Rail Corridor Assessment Summary with the addition of Commuter Rail to Duncan.
| Phases | Sections | Cost | Contingency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Phase | Total Island Corridor | $326,448,391 | $82,854,922 |
| Intermediate Phase | Total Island Corridor | $225,575,541 | $57,252,675 |
| Ultimate Phase | Section 1 and 2 | $40,721,800 | $10,335,482 |
| Commuter Service | $595,029,867 | $255,489,814 | |
| Total | $1,187,775,599 | $405,932,893 |
Commuter Rail
The commuter rail vehicles would be a DEMU or a DMU. Ottawa has purchased the Stadler Flirt DEMU for their Trillium Line (pictured below) which are FRA compliant and are allowed to run with freight. Texrail has four car Stadler Flirt with 225 seats plus standing room, and a 5 car Staler Flirt would have 285 seats plus standing room.
The only other FRA compliant DEMU or DMU that can run with freight is the Nippon Sharyo DMU used on the Toronto UP Express. In Waterloo and Ottawa freight runs outside the hours of the LRT.
Inter City Rail
The Inter City rail could use the DEMU but If the ridership is higher than the capacity, then a second Inter City train could be added and help split the boarding's to two trains. Having the second train start in Port Alberni would provide that city with a train service and split the boarding's from Parksville south.
Schedule
Based on Scenario 2 Peak Service from the Island Rail Corridor Assessment Summary with the commuter rail extended to Duncan and an additional overflow run to Port Alberni.
Southbound
| Station | Commuter DEMU | Commuter DEMU | Commuter DEMU | Inter City DEMU | Inter City DEMU |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Port Alberni | * | 5:46:00 | |||
| Courtenay | 05:16:00 | * | |||
| Qualicum Beach | 05:58:00 | * | |||
| Parksville | 06:05:00 | 06:35:00 | |||
| Nanaimo | 06:30:00 | 07:00:00 | |||
| Ladysmith | 06:46:00 | 07:16:00 | |||
| Chemainus | 06:54:00 | 07:24:00 | |||
| Duncan (Arrive) | 07:07:00 | 07:37:00 | |||
| Duncan (Depart) | 05:52:00 | 06:22:00 | 06:52:00 | 07:22:00 | 07:52:00 |
| Shawnigan Lake | 06:05:00 | 06:35:00 | 07:05:00 | 07:35:00 | 08:05:00 |
| Langford | 06:34:00 | 07:04:00 | 07:34:00 | 08:04:00 | 08:34:00 |
| View Royal (Six Mile) | 06:40:00 | 07:10:00 | 07:40:00 | 08:10:00 | 08:40:00 |
| Esquimalt (Admirals) | 06:47:00 | 07:17:00 | 07:47:00 | 08:17:00 | 08:47:00 |
| Victoria | 06:58:00 | 07:28:00 | 07:58:00 | 08:28:00 | 08:58:00 |
North Bound
| Station | Inter City DEMU | Inter City DEMU | Commuter DEMU | Commuter DEMU | Commuter DEMU |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victoria | 16:00:00 | 16:30:00 | 17:00:00 | 17:30:00 | 18:00:00 |
| Esquimalt (Admirals) | 16:11:00 | 16:41:00 | 17:11:00 | 17:41:00 | 18:11:00 |
| View Royal (Six Mile) | 16:18:00 | 16:48:00 | 17:18:00 | 17:48:00 | 18:18:00 |
| Langford | 16:24:00 | 16:54:00 | 17:24:00 | 17:54:00 | 18:24:00 |
| Shawnigan Lake | 16:52:00 | 17:22:00 | 17:52:00 | 18:22:00 | 18:52:00 |
| Duncan (Arrive) | 17:06:00 | 17:36:00 | 18:06:00 | 18:36:00 | 19:06:00 |
| Duncan (Depart) | 18:21:00 | 18:41:00 | |||
| Chemainus | 18:34:00 | 19:04:00 | |||
| Ladysmith | 18:42:00 | 19:12:00 | |||
| Nanaimo | 18:58:00 | 19:28:00 | |||
| Parksville | 19:23:00 | 19:53:00 | |||
| Qualicum Beach | 19:31:00 | * | |||
| Courtenay | 20:15:00 | * | |||
| Port Alberni | * | 20:45:00 |
Future CRD Rail Rapid Transit
Victoria & Langford Line (Automated Metro)
The line would start at Sooke Rd and run along the Galloping Goose, Jacklin Rd, Station Ave, Goldstream Ave, Island Hwy, Hwy 1, Douglas St, Humboldt St, Blanshard St, Superior St, and end at Ogden Point.
Stations at Sooke Rd, Terlane Ave, Langford Exchange, Grainger Rd, Colwood Exchange, Six Mile Rd, Helmcken Rd, Interurban Rd, Uptown, Mayfair, Hillside, Discovery St, View St, Superior St, and Ogden Point.
The travel time from Sooke Rd/Glen Lake Rd to Downtown Victoria would be approximately 25 minutes where as surface LRT would be 50 minutes. When the line is eventually extended to Sooke the travel time would be approximately 50 minutes where as surface LRT would be 80-90 minutes. The travel time from Langford Exchange would be 22 minutes.
Victoria & Sidney Line (Automated Metro)
The line would run from Beacon Ave in Sidney along the Pat Bay Hwy (mainly on the surface) and merge with the line from Langford at Uptown.
Stations at Beacon Ave, McTavish Rd, Mt Newton Cross Rd, Island View Rd, Sayward Rd, Royal Oak Dr, and McKenzie Ave. The travel time from Sidney to Ogden Point is approximately 35 minutes where as the bus takes over an hour.
Average Speed
The table below shows the average speed of some rail transit systems being built or are in service.
| City | Toronto Streetcar | Toronto LRT | Cancelled Surry LRT | Mississauga LRT | Vancouver Skytrain | Vancouver Skytrain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Line | Tram 501 | Finch West | SNG | Hurontario | Canada Line | Expo Line |
| Average Speed | 14.5km/hr | 17.4km/hr | 23.3km/hr | 27km/hr | 36km/hr | 45km/hr |
Note: The average speed is calculated using the distance of the line and the time it takes to travel that distance including the station stops.
Disclaimer
The author is not a professional planner or affiliated with any transportation body, consulting group, lobby group, or committee. The document is written to show possible rail transit options. The calculations are as accurate as possible based on information available on the internet.