Rapid  Transit  Implementation  Program  

 Interchange  Station    Passenger  Transfer    

Comparative  Examples  Published  25  February  2013  

 

ii

Authorization  

 

Prepared  by:    

  Robert  Keenan  

Owner  Representative,  Facilities  and  Stations    

   

   

Reviewed  by:    

  David  Ellis  

OE  Representative  

 

   

   

Approved  by:    

  Richard  Moore  

  CH2M  HILL  Project  Manager  

   

Approved  by:    

  [name]  

[RTI  title]  

 

Version   Purpose  of  Submittal   Date   Comments                                  

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Executive  Summary  Introduction  Metrolinx  Rapid  Transit  Implementation  (RTI)  Management  has  requested  international  examples  to  help  make  the  case  for  longer  passenger  transfers  for  the  Eglinton  Scarborough  Corridor  Light  Rail  Transit  (ESCLRT)  and  Toronto  Transit  

Commission  (TTC)  interchange  stations,  which  comprise  Eglinton  West  (Allen),  Eglinton-­‐Yonge  and  Kennedy  Stations.  Following  is  an  Executive  Summary  comparison  of  international  interchange  station  examples,  their  configuration,  how  they  

function,  and  their  passenger  transfer  modes  and  times.  

Interchange  Stations  USA:    

Washington  Metropolitan  Area  Transit  Authority  

• Gallery  Place  

• Metro  Center  

• L’Enfant  Plaza  

Massachusetts  Bay  Transportation  Authority  (Boston)  

• Back  Bay  Station  

Los  Angeles  County  Metro  Rail  

• 7th  Street  /  Metro  Center  

UK:    

London  Transport  

• Tottenham  Court  Road  Station  

• Bond  Street  Station  

• Woolwich  Arsenal  Station  

Athens  Greece:    

Attiko  Metro  /  Athens  to  Piraeus  Electric  Railway  (ISAP)  

• Omonia  Station  

Hong  Kong:    

Mass  Transit  Railway  

• Nam  Cheong  Station  

Singapore:    

Land  Transport  Authority  

• Raffles  Place  MRT  Station  

• City  Hall  MRT  Station  

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General  Comparisons  Of  the  stations  listed,  WMATA  Gallery  Place  is  the  most  like  Eglinton  West  and  Eglinton-­‐Yonge  on  the  ESCLRT.  Direct  comparisons  to  ESCLRT  Kennedy  Station  are  not  so  readily  made,  given  its  unique  character  not  to  mention  the  planned  

complexity  of  six  intermodal  transfers  at  that  site.  Perhaps  London  Woolwich  Arsenal,  with  two  underground  and  two  above  ground  platforms,  most  closely  resembles  the  existing  TTC  /  SRT  configuration  at  Kennedy,  but  the  comparison  ends  

there  once  ESCLRT,  TTC  Subway,  GO  Rail,  TTC  Bus  and  commuter  vehicle  parking  interchanges  are  added  into  consideration  on  site.  

Specific  Comparisons    For  specific  comparisons,  stations  closest  in  similarity  to  the  ESCLRT  interchange  stations  are  described  first.  Following  that,  since  configurations  vary  widely,  specific  stations  will  proceed  in  order  of  passenger  transfers  from  longest  to  

shortest  times.  

WMATA  Gallery  Place  

As  stated  above,  WMATA  Gallery  Place  is  the  closest  in  configuration  and  passenger  transfer  times  to  the  planned  ESCLRT  /  TTC  Eglinton  West  and  Eglinton-­‐Yonge  interchange  stations.  Unlike  the  other  WMATA  interchange  stations,  which  are  

symmetrical  cross-­‐shaped  two-­‐level  underground  stations,  Gallery  Place  is  an  asymmetrical  “T”-­‐shaped  two-­‐level  underground  station  very  similar  to  Eglinton  West  and  Eglinton-­‐Yonge.      

With  the  WMATA  Red  Line  above,  running  East-­‐West  between  7th  and  9th  Streets,  and  the  Green  and  Yellow  Lines  below,  running  North-­‐South  between  F  and  H  Streets,  passengers  at  the  East  (9th  Street)  end  of  Red  Line  trains  transferring  to  

Green  or  Yellow  Line  trains  must  walk  approximately  200m  and  down  one  level.  This  yields  a  transfer  time  of  approximately  two  minutes  using  100m  per  minute  as  the  general  rule  for  average  pedestrian  walking  time.  

It  must  be  realized  that  unlike  Eglinton  West  and  Eglinton-­‐Yonge,  which  are  adding  a  21st  Century  LRT  station  to  an  already  congested  mid-­‐20th  Century  TTC  Subway  station,  WMATA  Gallery  Place  was  planned,  designed  and  built  all  of  a  piece  

to  later  20th  Century  Metro  criteria  and  standards.  So  while  Gallery  Place  may  in  the  end  yield  more  efficient  passenger  transfer  times  than  Eglinton  West  and  Eglinton-­‐Yonge  may  be  able  to  achieve,  it  nonetheless  remains  the  closest  in  

comparison  to  them  with  regard  to  configuration  and  transfer  times.  

London  Woolwich  Arsenal  

Located  in  Woolwich  in  the  Greater  London  Royal  Borough  of  Greenwich,  Woolwich  Arsenal  dates  back  to  1849  serving  the  National  Rail  North  Kent  Line  with  two  platforms  underground  and  was  expanded  in  2009  to  accommodate  the  

London  City  Airport  Docklands  Light  Railway  with  two  platforms  above  ground.  Current  plans  in  progress  are  to  include  a  transfer  to  the  ongoing  Crossrail  Project  with  a  passenger  connection  approximately  200m  north  of  the  station.  That  

would  put  the  passenger  transfer  time  at  around  two  minutes,  and  the  complexity  of  the  interchange  makes  it  roughly,  but  by  no  means  directly,  comparable  to  ESCLRT  Kennedy  Station.  Woolwich  Arsenal  currently  serves  some  9.5  million  

passengers  per  year.  

Athens  Greece  Omonoia  Station  

Omonoia  Station  brings  together  the  Athens  to  Piraeus  Electric  Railway  (ISAP)  built  in  1895  and  the  Athens  Metro  opened  in  2000.  With  two  side  and  two  island  underground  ISAP  platforms  below  and  two  side  Metro  platforms  above  in  a  

symmetrical  cross-­‐shaped  configuration,  passenger  transfers  of  approximately  75m  and  45  seconds  are  longer  than  some  other  underground  crossing  stations  owing  to  the  complexities  and  inefficiencies  of  accommodating  an  old  and  

antiquated  station  below  with  a  new  and  modern  station  above.  

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Hong  Kong  Kowloon  Nam  Cheong  Station  

Nam  Cheong  Station  joins  Mass  Transit  Railway  Tung  Chung  and  West  Rail  Lines  in  an  underground  station  with  one  island  and  two  side  platforms  in  parallel  in  addition  to  two  Airport  Express  tracks  without  a  station  stop  at  this  location  

running  in  parallel  between  them  and  a  “Grand  Concourse”  the  full  width  of  the  station  below  them.  Because  of  the  complexity  and  scale  of  this  station,  passenger  transfers  are  longer  than  usual  in  some  other  underground  interchange  

stations,  but  thanks  to  the  “Grand  Concourse”  are  also  relatively  efficient  and  limited  to  about  75m  or  45  seconds.  

Boston  Back  Bay  Station  

Originally  opened  in  1899,  Back  Bay  Station  was  rebuilt  in  1987  to  accommodate  AMTRAK,  MBTA  Orange  and  Commuter  Rail  Lines  in  a  symmetrical  stacked  station  with  one  side  and  three  island  below-­‐grade  platforms  and  a  “Grand  

Concourse”  at  grade  above  yielding  efficient  passenger  transfers  in  the  50m/30  second  range.  

WMATA  Metro  Center  and  L’Enfant  Plaza  Stations  

Similar  in  configuration  and  passenger  transfer  characteristics,  Metro  Center  and  L’Enfant  Plaza  are  both  underground  symmetrical  cross-­‐shaped  stations  with  side  platforms  above  and  an  island  platform  below  providing  efficient  passenger  

transfers  between  lines  in  the  50m/30  second  range.  

Los  Angeles  7th  Street  /  Metro  Center  Station  

Also  similar  in  configuration  to  the  typical  WMATA  interchange  stations,  7th  Street/Metro  Center  is  an  underground  symmetrical  cross-­‐shaped  station  with  LRT  side  platforms  above  and  a  Metro  island  platform  below  for  efficient  passenger  

transfers  in  the  50m/30  second  range.  

London  Tottenham  Court  Road  Station  

Opened  in  1900  serving  Central  London  and  modified  extensively  over  the  years  to  add  new  lines  and  relieve  congestion,  Tottenham  Road  is  an  interchange  station  between  the  Central  and  Charing  Cross  Northern  Lines  with  connections  to  

Crossrail  Lines  1  and  2  in  progress.  Actual  transfer  times  to  the  Crossrail  connection  are  not  known,  but  between  the  four  underground  multi-­‐level  platforms  they  can  be  expected  to  be  in  the  usual  50m/30  second  range.  Tottenham  Court  is  a  

high  volume  station  serving  approximately  35  million  passengers  per  year.  

London  Bond  Street  Station  

Also  opened  in  1900  serving  Central  London,  Jubilee  Line  service  was  added  to  Bond  Street  Station  in  1979  and  Crossrail  Line  1  service  is  due  to  commence  in  2018.  Currently  with  four  underground  multi-­‐level  platforms,  passenger  transfers  

can  be  expected  to  be  in  the  50m/30  second  range  although  transfer  times  to  the  new  Crossrail  connection  are  not  known.  Bond  Street  is  also  a  high  volume  station  serving  approximately  37  million  passengers  per  year.  

Singapore  Raffles  Place  and  City  Hall  Stations  

These  two  adjacent  underground  stacked  stations  at  the  heart  of  the  Singapore  downtown  business  core  are  unique  in  that  they  are  connected  by  interwoven  or  “braided”  four-­‐bore  tunnels  that  provide  extremely  efficient  interchanges  

between  the  two  lines  in  any  direction,  north  south  east  or  west,  allowing  direct  cross-­‐platform  passenger  transfers  of  under  10m/10  seconds,  with  automatic  train  control  synchronization  reducing  transfer  times  even  further  to  about  five  

seconds.  It  should  be  noted,  however,  that  this  configuration  could  only  be  achieved  by  the  simultaneous  development  of  two  adjacent  underground  stacked  stations  connecting  two  crossing  lines.  

Conclusions  There  are  many  good  examples  of  passenger  transfer  stations  to  use  as  a  comparison  basis  for  the  ESCLRT  interchange  stations,  some  of  which  have  been  explored  above.  Attached  is  a  summary  table  of  the  stations  included  in  this  report.