2015-06-09 -- Systemwide SkyTrain failure from Royal Oak to Waterfront stations

[JesseBlue]

You guys know that the voting was already over right? This is their way of preparing to say fffuuuuuuuuuuuu....

[corollagtSr5]

Inside the SkyTrain control room
"At the heart of Vancouver’s Expo and Millennium SkyTrain Lines is an aging Pentium computer with 1992 software contained on floppy discs.

TransLink relies on these backup floppies to provide the last stream of data when there is a major glitch with the system, like a pair of massive shutdowns last month that led stranded passengers to force open the doors on SkyTrain cars and escape along the tracks. SkyTrain is an automated system without drivers, although the trains can be operated manually in an emergency."

This was back in 2014. Vancouver heat and 23 year old computers.

[CRS]

Twitter

[iEatClams]

Originally Posted by $_$

Having used Uber in other cities and countries, I love the system. If there were more drivers, then the prices wouldn't be gauged unless there was a HUGE spike in demand. Yeah sure, if public transit goes down that'd be a reason. But that's supply and demand for you. The rest of the time it's a great deal and way cheaper than cabs in my experience. Friendlier service and sometimes nicer cars. And that's on top of how stupidly hard it is to get a cab in vancouver/richmond (you almost always have to call in advance).

amen, as a person that has used it, having it as an option is better than not having it as an option. No one is telling you you have to use it.

But if you had a flight to catch or important event to go to, it's an alternative, especially if you don't have a car and have to rely on public transportation.

Plus during non-surge times they work better than taxi drivers.

[Euro7r]

My coworkers asked me if I take skytrain home after work when they heard of another system malfunction. I said, what the heck is public transit .

[TOPEC]

i recently started working in DT so im starting to rely on translink more, id say 80% of the time. for the past 4 months that i started using the transit, i was unimpressed with the service. bus would either be early at least once a week, or not come at all. skytrain outage once a month or so, and newb bus drivers scaring the fuck out of me. once i was in a bus driven by a trainee, who fking turned into the on comming lane, and had to hop over the median to get back into the correct lane. yes the bus driver was driving on the wrong side of the road. lucky it was early in the wee hours so theres no traffic but boy was it scary.

so fuck u translink, improve ur shitty ass services before u dare asking me for more of my money

[6o4__boi]

this ain't even news anymore
there's gonna be like 10 more by the end of summer, i guarantee it.

[ancient_510]

Without knowing exactly how the trains communicate with Skytrain control, and acknowledging that automated trains were first deployed in 1986 using 1986 technology; why does Translink feel they need to invent brand new things for themselves?

Train communications are too valuable to be left to a one-off Translink special system.

If I was king of Translink, every train would have one of these, running this magic protocol, connecting to a pair of these at Skytrain control.
Then calling up Telus to add in some small antennas inside the mail tunnels like they have on the Canada Line

Communication "timeout" problem solved. Peplink's VPN tech really is that good. They have single handedly saved my business at our remote and rural locations that are served by flaky DSL and poor cell signal only.

[Liquid_o2]

Originally Posted by Hehe

Bahahaha... Skytrain outage is news? Isn't this like a Holiday? You'd have one at least every month?

Seriously though, Skytrain's outage happens way too often for an infrastructure of this scale. I can't remember the last time Taipei's subway system was out of service and I take it everyday. In contrast, when I used to work downtown, I would take skytrain every so often when I don't feel like battling through the morning traffic and I lived right next to the station. Even it was a rare occurrence that I take Skytrain, I was stuck at least 5 times during the 3yrs I worked there. I either have a shitty luck or Skytrain just hate me.

What are you comparing?
A transit system that cost multiple billions of dollars to build and has nearly 2 million passengers per day in a highly dense urban area, to an older system that sees about 250,000 riders per day across a much lower density area. Ok then

These outages are ridiculous and shouldn't be happening this often, but if you want to compare Vancouver to a similar city, compare to it to Portland's transit infrastructure.

[Jmac]

blames problems on 23-year-old computers, spends millions of dollars on Compass Card system and artwork instead of replacing critical infrastructure, demands more money

[vitaminG]

Originally Posted by Liquid_o2

What are you comparing?
A transit system that cost multiple billions of dollars to build and has nearly 2 million passengers per day in a highly dense urban area, to an older system that sees about 250,000 riders per day across a much lower density area. Ok then

These outages are ridiculous and shouldn't be happening this often, but if you want to compare Vancouver to a similar city, compare to it to Portland's transit infrastructure.

its the same idiots complaining they have cheaper cell phones there too

[pastarocket]

Imagine the chaos during the Celebration of Light fireworks if the Expo Line goes down next month.

[Tapioca]

Originally Posted by Jmac

blames problems on 23-year-old computers, spends millions of dollars on Compass Card system and artwork instead of replacing critical infrastructure, demands more money

The Compass Card was imposed on Translink by the provincial government. People have been calling for faregates for years, despite the evidence of fare evasion being relatively insignificant.

Sure, you can point to the infamous dog statue which cost a hundred thousand or so. On the other hand, public art is a drop in the bucket when it comes to the cost of maintaining and upgrading infrastructure.

People just bring examples up mis-spending when they really have nothing to do with the overall issues facing Translink because it's convenient to a pre-conceived narrative that Translink sucks. The problem is that people want it all - they want cheap transit that functions at 100% 24/7.

I'll go off on a tangent, but you know what the problem is in Vancouver? Housing prices which has made the cost of living here expensive relative to salaries. That's why people bitch and complain about everything - from politicians, to the unions, to teachers, to nurses, to faceless organizations like BC Ferries and Translink, Starbucks baristas, trust fund hipsters, cyclists, marathon runners, the weather, the gridlock, and to immigrants - whether or not the criticism is warranted.

[Akinari]

Originally Posted by Tapioca

People just bring examples up mis-spending when they really have nothing to do with the overall issues facing Translink because it's convenient to a pre-conceived narrative that Translink sucks. The problem is that people want it all - they want cheap transit that functions at 100% 24/7.

So what are the overall issues facing Translink?

[Tapioca]

Originally Posted by Akinari

So what are the overall issues facing Translink?

- A governance model that limits the sources of revenue they can draw upon and a provincial government that intervenes in decisions when it's politically expedient.
- 22 municipalities who each have different needs and can't agree on service and expansions
- Responsibility for transit, bridges, and roads which are sometimes at odds with each other
- Few valuable capital assets, such as land holdings, that they could use to fund expansions

To name a few.

[Galactic_Phantom]

Originally Posted by Euro7r

My coworkers asked me if I take skytrain home after work when they heard of another system malfunction. I said, what the heck is public transit .

It's great you drive and all but some others may not have that luxury so you could've said it without being pretentious as fuck

[Aria]

deleted

[Liquid_o2]

Originally Posted by Tapioca

- A governance model that limits the sources of revenue they can draw upon and a provincial government that intervenes in decisions when it's politically expedient.
- 22 municipalities who each have different needs and can't agree on service and expansions
- Responsibility for transit, bridges, and roads which are sometimes at odds with each other
- Few valuable capital assets, such as land holdings, that they could use to fund expansions

To name a few.

Well that's it folks, close up the thread.

[Noir]

Originally Posted by Liquid_o2

What are you comparing?
A transit system that cost multiple billions of dollars to build and has nearly 2 million passengers per day in a highly dense urban area, to an older system that sees about 250,000 riders per day across a much lower density area. Ok then

These outages are ridiculous and shouldn't be happening this often, but if you want to compare Vancouver to a similar city, compare to it to Portland's transit infrastructure.

But Vancouver is World Class tho.

[carisear]

Originally Posted by Tapioca

I'll go off on a tangent, but you know what the problem is in Vancouver? Housing prices which has made the cost of living here expensive relative to salaries. That's why people bitch and complain about everything - from politicians, to the unions, to teachers, to nurses, to faceless organizations like BC Ferries and Translink, Starbucks baristas, trust fund hipsters, cyclists, marathon runners, the weather, the gridlock, and to immigrants - whether or not the criticism is warranted.

I'd say the problem in Vancouver isn't housing prices, but because everyone is ENTITLED.

[Spoon]

Originally Posted by Aria

You already have less issues taking the Canada Line.

Imagine taking the legacy lines, they are generally packed during rush hour, smell like piss... and are NEVER on time.

Only days I don't enjoy being on the train. Rainy season on the expo line.

[Hehe]

Originally Posted by Liquid_o2

What are you comparing?
A transit system that cost multiple billions of dollars to build and has nearly 2 million passengers per day in a highly dense urban area, to an older system that sees about 250,000 riders per day across a much lower density area. Ok then

These outages are ridiculous and shouldn't be happening this often, but if you want to compare Vancouver to a similar city, compare to it to Portland's transit infrastructure.

I'm not sure what you mean. I was referring the exact point. If anything, the Taipei's system are prone to more problems as it is far more complex and higher load level.

I was simply pointed out how fucking incompetent Translink is. If they can't get a small scale system right, what makes them think they would be able to handle a large scale system?

[SoNaRWaVe]

what is this small scale system you refer to and large scale system you speak of?

[Hehe]

Originally Posted by SoNaRWaVe

what is this small scale system you refer to and large scale system you speak of?

Small scale=Current skytrain system.

Large scale=Whatever the trolls at Translink were dreaming

[urrh]

Originally Posted by Spoon

Only days I don't enjoy being on the train. Rainy season on the expo line.

hot summer days going home during rush hour aren't fun either. whole train can smell like BO