1604

New signs, new station name.....but why the old wayfinding design?

Some more pics! The new platforms have been built, the station canopies are going up, and the new ground level crossing at the south end is taking shape. Looking at the new canopy for the new southbound platform. It partially overhangs the current temporary northbound platform. Current south end ground level crossing with the new, red concrete one further down. The BMO Centre expansion is huge and visible from a long way down 17th Ave. Looking south and north from the new crossing. Other shots of the new platforms and canopies. New track segments at the north end.

Some other info from the Fare Innovations report I found interesting: Airport boarding pass for route 300 at the airport is recommended to be discontinued "This pass was implemented when the Route 300 – Airport BRT was inaugurated on 2011 June 27. Initially, the airport boarding pass was introduced as the Route 300 was seen as an enhanced service targeted at air travellers. [...] Today, the improved route using 96 Avenue NE can better serve local trips and airport workers. . . Calgary Transit has also heard from airport workers the airport boarding pass is an extra expense to them based on the location of their work. Because the airport boarding pass is only required at the two transit stops at the airport terminal, some workers are walking to the next closest transit stop on Barlow Trail NE. Because the initial reasons for implementing the airport boarding pass (routing on Deerfoot Trail, enhanced service targeted at air travelers) have changed, the boarding pass no longer meets our guiding principles for our fare structure, use of the pass causes confusion for customers and exasperation for Calgary Transit operators, and to support mobility in the workforce (airport workers travelling to/from their jobs) Calgary Transit recommends discontinuing the airport boarding pass and accepting regular fares at all stops on Route 300." Usage info on the new weekend group day pass "On the first weekend, 112 passes were sold, on the weekend of April 22/23, 190 passes were sold, and on the weekend of April 29/30, 314 passes were sold. A marketing campaign is being developed by Calgary Transit to further promote the pass to customers and non-customers." The report also discusses the idea of extending the free fare zone by 1-2 stations in each direction, coming to the conclusion it's not worth exploring further.

Lots of interesting info about MyFare in the 'Calgary Transit Fare Innovations' report (also attached for posterity) going to the Infrastructure and Planning committee this week. Some stats: "Adoption of the My Fare app by Calgary Transit’s customers has been rapid with approximately 40 per cent of fare revenue collected using the My Fare app in 2022. Even with adoption of the My Fare app and tap payments enabled at ticket vending machines (TVMs), cash payments continue to be an important option for customers. [...] Eight percent of customers use cash when paying on the transit system [...]. This figure does not count transactions at customer service centres, vendors, or City Hall Cashiers that have also been made with cash." "The data shows rapid adoption of the My Fare mobile fare payment app since 2020, and the Transit trip planning and fare payment app since 2022. However, this shift to mobile app fare payments does not appear to be at the expense of ticket vending machine market share. [...] This trend indicates the rapid adoption of the My Fare and Transit mobile apps reduced the market share of ‘Convenience/grocery stores’ fare product sales. The mobile apps provided customers with a more convenient method of purchasing their fares directly on their phones, reducing the need to make a trip to an outlet at the end of each month." Future plans: TVM replacement: "Calgary Transit [is] in the midst of this evolution as. . . . the years-long procurement process for new ticket vending machines beginning." Ticket validators at CTrain stations: "Additional onboard validators for Calgary Transit Access vehicles and validators on platforms at CTrain stations are items that should be funded as part of the technology roadmap to ensure customers can scan their tickets/passes when boarding all aspects of Calgary Transit’s service." Potential new features: -Account based ticketing, with mention of linking the account to a contactless credit card or smartphone as well as the MyFare app -Account based ticketing with stored value to support other fares like low-incomes passes and UPass, and allow customers without credit cards or bank accounts to load cash onto their account -Fare caps -Open loop payments to allow customers to pay with contactless credit cards or smartphones without having an account (this is listed as "2027+" on the roadmap) -Paper barcode tickets for single ride tickets - ridership data can be collected -Period passes, e.g. weekly passes or monthly passes that work for 31 days, not a calendar month Lots more info in the report - it's definitely worth checking out if you're interested! Attach 2-Calgary transit Far Innovations-IP2023-0369.pdf

Glad to see new decals going up on CTrains and buses prominently advertising the 74100 text line. The real time sign at North Pointe is working(?) again. This afternoon it was displaying arrival times for the 738 and 739.

Nice window stickers at Brentwood. Paint has been stripped off some upper parts of the canopy.

I used the new weekend group pass in the MyFare app today. Awesome idea and it certainly saved a few bucks. Using it onboard buses could be better though. It scans as a completely "Regular" fare, so I kept having to explain and show the operator it was in fact the new group day pass and not actually a "regular" single ticket. Note the expiry is even shorter than the regular mobile tickets - you can only activate the pass the day you buy it. I bought it today (Saturday) and the unactivated expiration date was at the end of service tonight (01:59 Sunday). Great idea though and I look forward to using it again. On a different but related note, the bottom portion of the doors at Brentwood have ads for MyFare. Probably other stations too?

https://www.calgary.ca/planning/projects/transit-north-central-brt.html There are some preliminary drawings of the reconfigured streets/intersections/MAX stations. Looks to be a really nice upgrade for transit!

Over three hours into this disruption and the platform displays don't have any information shown about it. Haven't heard any PAs either. Where is the communication?

https://www.calgarytransit.com/content/transit/en/home/news/looking-good-brentwood-.html Looks nice!

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/as-calgary-prepares-to-name-green-line-builder-lessons-from-ottawa-factored-in-1.6810168 As Calgary prepares to name Green Line builder, lessons from Ottawa factored in - CBC Calgary

https://newsroom.calgary.ca/calgarys-light-rail-transit-system-past-present-and-future/

https://newsroom.calgary.ca/calgary-transit-introduces-new-weekend-group-day-pass/

https://www.calgarytransit.com/content/transit/en/home/news/7th-avenue-lighting-upgrades-.html

7th Avenue LED lighting upgrade looks complete - I think all station lighting has now been swapped as well as the streetlights and sidewalk lighting in between stations. No TD free fare zone signage yet.