VT, tall buildings coming to LRT lines and Vancouver

Otis Providing Hundreds of Units to LRT Projects

Otis is providing hundreds of elevators and escalators to light rail transit (LRT) projects in Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa, the OEM announced in February. In Toronto, Otis is providing 111 heavy-duty, commercial-grade NPETM escalators for the Eglinton Crosstown line, part of the largest transit expansion in the city’s history. Slated for completion in December 2022, the project includes 25 stops and connections with bus and subway lines. Otis is also providing five Gen2® elevators and four NPE escalators to Toronto’s Line 6 Finch West LRT, an 11-km, 18-stop line that will include 16 surface stops, one below-grade stop and an underground interchange station at Finch West. Metrolinx and Infrastructure Ontario awarded the contract to Mosaic Transit Group in May 2018, and construction has been underway since 2019. Elevator and escalator installation had been set to begin earlier this year.

In Montreal, Otis was in the process of installing 79 units across 26 stations for the REM light rail network. This project includes 45 Gen2 elevators, 22 NPE escalators and 12 additional elevators. Construction is expected to be complete in 2023. In Ottawa, Otis recently completed work on stage one of the Ottawa O-Train Line 1, providing 58 elevators, including 46 Gen2 units and 10 hydraulic and gearless elevators, and modernization of two units. Otis was also awarded stage two of the project, which encompasses 69 additional units at 15 stations. Stage two is scheduled for completion in July 2023. Otis will provide an additional 28 Gen2 units to Ottawa’s O-Train south extension. That contract was awarded in late 2020 and continues to progress.

Vancouver

GVRF Fueling VT Improvements at Six SkyTrain Stations

The Greater Vancouver Regional Fund (GVRF), which comes from the federal gas tax, is fueling vertical-transportation (VT) upgrades at six Vancouver SkyTrain stations, The Georgia Straight reported in January. TransLink, metropolitan Vancouver’s transportation network, is handling the project: two elevators each installed at the Edmond and Columbia stations, and one each at the 29th Avenue, Patterson and Waterfront stations. Three new escalators are coming to the Commercial-Broadway station. Part of a CAD18.4-million (US$14.4-million) project, the VT equipment is set to be operational in 2023. 

A Dozen Tall Buildings Planned by Squamish Nation

The Squamish Nation is working on the Senákw development along False Creek in Vancouver that includes a dozen 18-56-story buildings, along with publicly accessible outdoor space and underground stores, restaurants and a bicycle garage reached via ramps, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat reported in February. Squamish Councilor Khelsilem is leading the project with developer Westbank, which aims to break ground this year. Designed by Venelin Koklov of Revery Architecture, the energy-efficient plan features towers encased in screens decorated with Squamish symbols such as the fish. The 4 million ft2 plan will be able to house approximately 9,000 people, and numerous links to public transit are included.