and Now…….Here is The Real Story

The reason the TransLink is making the change may prove rather interesting. The story starts with the old Broadway-Lougheed rapid transit project which was planned for light rail operating from Arbutus and Broadway to Lougheed Mall and the Tri-Cities. This is the transit line that the NDP (under the leadership of Glen Clark and Joy [...]

Calgary’s C-Train Development & Operating Costs

First published in 2009 A note from Zwei: These costs were taken directly from Calgary Transit, which once had a fine web page giving accurate statistics about the C-Train, unlike TransLink and BC Transit, which hid the real costs in a baffle-gab of nonsense and phony news releases. One did not need a F.O.I. to [...]

Over to You Mr. Cow – The Vancouver Sun’s Recent “Puff” SkyTrain Story

This comment from Mr. Cow deserves a post of its own as there is so much information here, it deserves a wider audience. As Mr. Cow is a Canadian Transit Engineer, his comments are well worth reading. When SkyTrain ‘crapped-out’ in the Summer of 2014 there were no drivers or attendants to oversee the evacuation [...]

Compass Card Hack – Another Fine Mess TransLink Has Gotten Into

Not well reported in the mainstream media is the fact that the $200 million Compass Card/Fare gate system  is now next to useless because not so honest people can hack through the system. The Compass Card is old tech, sold to TransLink after an orchestrated campaign by the mainstream media that fare evasion was rampant [...]

Medical Emergancy – TransLink Speak For Another Death

On Monday last, another suicide another death on SkyTrain, yet the media and TransLink hides the fact, with the utility phrase; “medical emergancy”. The hypocrisy of the mainstream media makes me upchuck, as if they treated suicides on SkyTrain, like the fare evasion issue, maybe TransLink would ‘lift a finger’ and do something. One of [...]

Aging Expo Line goes ka-put – again

Last summer’s shutdowns had passengers abandoning SkyTrain in droves. As Zwei has predicted, the Expo Line is aging and problems are arising all to often. What this continuing problem does illustrate is Translink’s bankrupt policy of trying to put all east-west transit customers on one line, instead of several east – west line if LRT [...]

Will TransLink Overly Invest In Subways In Vancouver?

Interesting article from Toronto. In Germany in the 1960′s and 70′s many cities started building subways and replacing their surface tramways. The first noticeable change was that ridership dropped and for many, journey times increased. This was due to many more km. of tramway being abandoned compared to the very few km. of new subway [...]

Again, Switch Problems Stall SkyTrain! Come On TransLink, Enough Is Enough

Really, Translink can do much better. The claim that the switch is used 500 times a day excuse doesn’t hold water as there are literally hundred of transit systems around the world that have switches that are used 500 times a day or more, yet do not have the problems that are plaguing our aging [...]

Another suicide on SkyTrain

A touchy subject but it must be addressed. A medical emergency is TransLink speak for someone killed by a Skytrain, either by accident or suicide. In most cases some poor soul has decided to end their days by throwing themselves in front of a driverless SkyTrain. For those contemplating suicide, their twisted thinking is that [...]

Challenge Richard

SkyTrain’s Expo Line was built in 1985 and opened in time for Expo 86 with 20 stations connecting Waterfront Station in Vancouver and King George Station in Surrey. Between 1985 & 2012; One Hundred & Fifty One full service tramways have been built & opened worldwide, with another 56 under construction or approval. The full [...]