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Hello everyone, and welcome back to Glenvale! After the Aldmeri attacks, everyone thought the next majoral election would trigger debates on terrorism or immigration, and that the current major would be fired from City Hall. This was not the case, however, and one major advantage going for the ruling PCC party is something just as basic : its economy. Unemployment is finally falling city-wide (from 12% to 7%), thanks to an influx of young, educated people, and most importantly, the Major greatly overhauled the city's basic transportation network. Never were the streets of Glenvale so quiet. Well, maybe because this particular street is but a backroad, but even five years ago, every rush hour it would actually be full of traffic. In 5E126, construction began for a fully automated light metro. In effect, many of the city's bus lines were congested, and the nearby city of Rochdale got swallowed in Glenvale's growth. Improving Glenvale-Rochdale commutes became a priority : together, the two cities are home to over 400.000 inhabitants. However, the first project to be completed was the complete refurbishment of the South Glenvale Bridge (also called the Burbank Bridge). This road connects north and south Glenvale and is also important as it carries the A45, which connects the suburban Seahaven coast to the city. The bridge is a major landmark, too, as it is actually elevated through the whole neighbourhood of Burbank, and is one of two road bridges crossing the Haaler river. Critics point out that the bridge has no median, though, which in turn requires lower speed limits. Many other avenues in the city are separated, though, which improves traffic flow. An increasing number of avenues are lined with trees, which supporters say reduces noise and embellishes the city. Well, it kind of does! The most prestigious gateway into the city is the train station (here seen behind the building). Its brick tower is known the country over. At one point it was the town's highest building, though obviously it has been some time since its height was surpassed. The train station has six tracks, and serves as a terminus of the SARC community network which serves south Kingscote. The three left tracks tend to be reserved for longer distance trains, such as those to the capital. There is also a bus station nearby, which is the terminus for most bus services across Glenvale. Here's an older long-distance train to Wellsborough. Glenvale is the terminus of the East Coast Main Line that runs from the capital through Cramption, Amesbury, Wesmoor and Albany. Another such long distance train (on the left), along with a newer panoramic express train to Ashford via Wellsborough. The train tracks run through eastern Glenvale at ground level. Not all level crossings are separated too, and with one train every 20 minutes on average the matter becomes pressing. One of the first causes of death on the railways occurs on railway crossings after all. Then you have the idiots who rush to cheat the signals and barriers, too.. Another (protected) level crossing... Buses from the station cross short and long distances alike. This is a city bus on line 20 to Lichfield via Rochdale. Most buses tend to serve Glenvale only though. Many different buses can be seen on this picture! The canopy of the bus station is remarkably huge too, and painted in the former colours of the Board of Transportation buses - white and red. Older buses are still painted white and red, newer buses though are painted the colour of the usual lines, a process made easier thanks to each color group of lines having its own depot. Cargo trains do not operate from Union Station; they have a purpose-built cargo facility in the south reaches of the town, in the Industrial Wards. The new subway connects Glenvale with Rochdale. It starts at Union Station then goes roughly westwards (which is why some of the tunnel had to be rebuilt after sinking in during the Aldmeri attacks). Most of the stations have modern, but low-key entrances, powered by Dwemer inspired solar panels on top. A branch also serves the airport, which is finally properly connected to the CBD and train station. A plane taxis to the terminal after landing... Some stations have different designs though. Willow Glen station, built by the nearby business park, is the largest of them. Its design was later used for the main subway station in Amesbury. The station at Trillby is the only overground station of the whole metro line. It connects with lines 14, 20 and 21, and is a major hub in the suburban Western part of the city. The line ends in Rochdale, just a few blocks away from the beach. Rochdale is now ever closer to Glenvale. The CBD can be seen in the horizon. Roads are just as important to the city, however. This is the northern part of the A45 as it weaves through the suburbs of Devonia and Brook Hills. And this is a road that connects northern Glenvale with Rochdale. It's a 1x1 rural highway, though that is more than enough. We've already seen the major M1 motorway that crosses through town, but the last big project we're covering today is the upgrade of a road to freeway status to connect Rochdale. The new motorway uses sound-proof barriers as a test prject. if successful, the barriers will be deployed to most freeways in Glenvale. Here is the train station at Falsbourne/Trillby next to the new motorway. There has been very little demolition in that it was only the upgrade of an existing road, which is probably why it was approved by the city council in the first place. Towards Rochdale, the metro line stays at surface level for about two kilometers between the two parts of the expressway before sinking into the ground to serve its final stations in Rochdale itself. Falsbourne Hospital did need to be rebuilt, though, and is now the largest hospital in the city, and has its own freeway connection. In Trillby, the highway dives underground under Market Street. All these roadworks, though, have increased car ownership throughout the city. This is a parking in north Willow Glen, within a brand new high-rise housing projects, Fairbranch Meadows. Some of the destruction brought about by the terrorist attacks can still be seen, however. The dam is not yet repaired, which floods the entire valley, including some streets down of that cliff. Meanwhile, the City Board of Transportation has moved into this building in downtown Glenvale, where it can oversee all of the network's operations. They all said Glenvale will never become prosperous again, but thanks to all this money invested in road and rail infrastructure, as well as all the incentives to grow industry in the area, maybe Glenvale is on the road to recovery. It did halve unemployment in three years and managed to gain about 20.000 inhabitants too, after all. Sunnier says ahead as the city switches to the lane of newfound prosperity, or is the economy just driven by a speculative bubble waiting to explode? Only the coming years will tell, but it's a much welcomed breather regardless. Here's the updated bus map. Since the last entries, there have been some obvious changes, the most notable of which is probably the new subway line (in green and yellow). Lines 9 and 12X have vanished (as they have been made redundant) while line 3b and 19 were extended to Willow Glen. Line 11 is now run together with line 16. Line 13 no longer serves Union Station and instead serves the suburbs under the Burbank Bridge, too. Lines 20 and 21 were created to finally serve Trillby and Falsworth/Falsbourne (Falsworth is the correct name for the town itself, but the string of villages south of the town were commonly grouped together as "Falsbourne" and are now growing into the old city, hence the subway station name. As for line 14, which serves Rochdale exclusively, it finally appears on the map after being extended to Falsbourne/Trillby station. Also, parks and other wilderness areas are now marked on the map. This is mostly obvious on this map. The white areas are mostly built-up, while the green ones aren't. Many of them are nature reserves, though, which will surely hamper further build-up. This map also features the subway line along with the major roads and the city freeway network, which might not be so free soon anymore, as the Council wants to put turnpikes on them. It is obvious that Rochdale has not yet grown into Glenvale's outer suburbs, though. Finally, here is a schematic map of the new subway line (here called S), with all the bus connections. Most stations have at least one bus interchange, except Clark Street. That's it for today, hope you liked this update :3 Not sure what I'm doing next, but oh well, adventure! Do leave feedback, it's most welcomed as usual
