King-Victoria Transit Hub

[ijmorlan]

I would also hate for the resulting train station be jammed underneath some hulking building which would end up with a platform area that was as hospitable as the Penn Station platforms.

I would rather that than for the platforms to be uncovered!

But I agree that the train station should feel open and comfortable, a landmark, not like something jammed into the corner of something else.

[danbrotherston]

I'm not necessarily suggesting that we should be having a private developer develop this station. I am suggesting that we are not getting good value for our money, it should not be costing 100 million to build what is being proposed. 

In fact, like other countries, I think it is our transit service which should be owning and operating the built realestate above our transit station so that *WE* capture that value rather than private developers. But we have to get construction costs under control first.

[Coke6pk]

Do we have a breakdown of the actual costings? Gov't do like to include all costs in there... is the cost of the land acquisition included in the price tag?

Coke

(BTW - Love the roof map in the Delft station! Maybe Charlie West should of taken notes....)

[westwardloo]

Unlike what seems like a majority of the posters on this forum, I like the design. I do agree on a few things though, It is ridiculous that we are building a new transit hub in Canada without covered platforms. I am sure the reasoning has been mentioned multiple times, but I can't remember, must be some transport Canada thing. Building a transit hub with out retail seems like a huge oversite. 100+million for what is proposed seems like a bit of a gouging. I think the city and region need to give up on the Rumpel Felt building. No part of that building is worth saving. It is probably one of the reasons the private transit hub plan fell through. Demolish the factory, subdivide the land, up zone it to allow 50+ stories and sell the parking lot and factory land separately to help fund the transit station.

[danbrotherston]

Unlike what seems like a majority of the posters on this forum, I like the design. I do agree on a few things though, It is ridiculous that we are building a new transit hub in Canada without covered platforms. I am sure the reasoning has been mentioned multiple times, but I can't remember, must be some transport Canada thing. Building a transit hub with out retail seems like a huge oversite. 100+million for what is proposed seems like a bit of a gouging. I think the city and region need to give up on the Rumpel Felt building. No part of that building is worth saving. It is probably one of the reasons the private transit hub plan fell through. Demolish the factory, subdivide the land, up zone it to allow 50+ stories and sell the parking lot and factory land separately to help fund the transit station.

I dunno, I agree with basically everything you said.

It's not the design I find bad (honestly, from renders, it's hard to know exactly what it would look like), but all the features you mention, uncovered platforms, no retail, high cost etc. are my main issues.

Out of curiosity, is it known that there is no contamination on the site?

[tomh009]

Do we have a breakdown of the actual costings?  Gov't do like to include all costs in there... is the cost of the land acquisition included in the price tag?

This. I would also like to know why it costs $100M. I don't think the region would want to spend more money just because it's fun to do, so I would think there are some things included in the price tag that cost a lot. What are they?

[taylortbb]

It is ridiculous that we are building a new transit hub in Canada without covered platforms.

I don't know why there's widespread belief the platforms will be uncovered. The platforms will be in the rail corridor, which means they're in the part of the project that will be designed and built by Metrolinx. The region doesn't have any control over this, which is what they're saying in the consultation, and we need to look to Metrolinx.

The Metrolinx tender for building the in-corridor components is https://www.metrolinx.merx.com/public/so...t?origin=0 . Metrolinx wouldn't share the details with non-bidders, so I paid the Merx fee to get the full set of drawings and documents. Those documents say the platforms must be built to follow the GO Design Requirements Manual, which is online at http://www.gosite.ca/engineering_public/DRM_Manual.pdf .

The GO Design Requirements Manual states, on page D-6:

Canopies on all rail platforms with integrated shelters and accesses such as elevator and stair enclosures and related amenities shall be provided.

The canopy shall be continuous and should extend to provide maximum coverage (at least 85% of platform length) over the rail platforms.

So, absent some unexpected issue, we should be getting canopies over the platforms.

[ijmorlan]

So, absent some unexpected issue, we should be getting canopies over the platforms.

In this context, I expect to see a single roof that covers the entire space from one side of the tracks to the other. The only large openings should be at the ends, and possibly narrow openings directly over the tracks (narrower than the tracks) to help with exhaust. No matter the precipitation conditions there should be none falling on the platforms themselves, except possibly right at the ends. This is the level of shelter provided by the train shed at Union Station.

Shelters only over the platforms is better than the nothing we have now, but not really what I expect from a modern train station in a city.

[danbrotherston]

So, absent some unexpected issue, we should be getting canopies over the platforms.

In this context, I expect to see a single roof that covers the entire space from one side of the tracks to the other. The only large openings should be at the ends, and possibly narrow openings directly over the tracks (narrower than the tracks) to help with exhaust. No matter the precipitation conditions there should be none falling on the platforms themselves, except possibly right at the ends. This is the level of shelter provided by the train shed at Union Station.

Shelters only over the platforms is better than the nothing we have now, but not really what I expect from a modern train station in a city.

Yeah, if the recently constructed GO stations are anything to go by, that is not what GO platform standards are.

[Acitta]

In this context, I expect to see a single roof that covers the entire space from one side of the tracks to the other. The only large openings should be at the ends, and possibly narrow openings directly over the tracks (narrower than the tracks) to help with exhaust. No matter the precipitation conditions there should be none falling on the platforms themselves, except possibly right at the ends. This is the level of shelter provided by the train shed at Union Station.

Shelters only over the platforms is better than the nothing we have now, but not really what I expect from a modern train station in a city.

Yeah, if the recently constructed GO stations are anything to go by, that is not what GO platform standards are.

It is up to Metrolinks to build canopies over the tracks if they want to, not the Region. They have certainly done so at other stations recently. Maybe they decided that Kitchener is not busy enough to do it right now.

[danbrotherston]

Yeah, if the recently constructed GO stations are anything to go by, that is not what GO platform standards are.

It is up to Metrolinks to build canopies over the tracks if they want to, not the Region. They have certainly done so at other stations recently. Maybe they decided that Kitchener is not busy enough to do it right now.

Curious, which stations has metrolinx built canopies over the tracks?

[westwardloo]

It is up to Metrolinks to build canopies over the tracks if they want to, not the Region. They have certainly done so at other stations recently. Maybe they decided that Kitchener is not busy enough to do it right now.

Curious, which stations has metrolinx built canopies over the tracks?

The answer to that question is none. They will building little platform canopies (as is the standard) that will provide little to no shelter for driving rain or snow.

[Acitta]

Curious, which stations has metrolinx built canopies over the tracks?

The answer to that question is none. They will building little platform canopies (as is the standard) that will provide little to no shelter for driving rain or snow.

Yes, I was not accurate. They have rebuilt station platforms with canopies over them. Bramalea is the one I am familiar with. It has been under reconstruction for some time with a new parking garage and station building. Even now, you don't have to stand on the platform to wait, there are shelters and the station building.

[danbrotherston]

The transit hub isn't even big enough to house this?

https://www.therecord.com/news/waterloo-...pture.html

And yet costs 100 million.

This just keeps getting better.

I mean, this would be the second time declaring failure, so I doubt it would happen, but it is increasingly insane what we are doing here. I'm a huge supporter of transit and I thing it's a big waste of money...what does that say about the plan!

[tomh009]

The transit hub isn't even big enough to house this?

https://www.therecord.com/news/waterloo-...pture.html

How big is the sculpture? The article didn't say.