Vancouver considers higher-density housing plans for Cambie Street corridor – Have we given land developers a $2.5 billion subsidy?

From the 'Well I told you so department'. In Vancouver, expensive subways are built not to move people, but to subsidize land development. Readers of the Rail for the Valley blog know that this announcement was predicted and why there much hype and hoopla in the mainstream media with the recently opened Canada line metro; the [...]

The Sunday Supplement Essay

The fall out from Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts State of the City report Tuesday, has raged far & wide in the BC papers and on the blogosphere, not unexpectedly much of the debate has centered on the link between transport or transit, development or land use and city planning, residential unit design or population density. [...]

1st Alstom Citadis LRV’s for UK

Tramlink Nottingham http://www.tramlinknottingham.co.uk/index.php  NET Phase Two Preferred Bidder Named Nottingham City Council has selected Tramlink Nottingham as its preferred bidder to build two new tram lines to Clifton and Chilwell (NET Phase Two) and operate the extended tram network. http://www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/netphase2/index.aspx?articleid=7522 One of the proposed routes will see a line from Nottingham City Centre to Toton [...]

Light Rail, Tram-Train & Tram news from Britain

Four further Light Rail/Tram announcements this week from Britain; First UK tram-train plan on track for Sheffield BBC 24th March http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-12844983 Plans  to make Sheffield the first city in the UK to get a state-of-the-art   "tram-train" service are on track after £150,000 was granted to the  project. The continental-style carriages, which operate on both tram  tracks and existing railways, [...]

Nottingham Tram – Councils Negotiate NET Settlement

Nottingham NET Phase 2 Nottingham City Council and Nottinghamshire County Council have negotiated a settlement which will allow the City Council to take the project forward as sole promoter. http://www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/netphase2/index.aspx?articleid=7487

Light Rail & Tram systems do not stop for snow!

From Thursday 17 December 2009 to Friday 15 January 2010 the United Kingdom experienced a spell of very low temperatures and significant snowfalls which affected almost the whole country. This was the most widespread and prolonged spell of this type across the UK since December 1981/January 1982. Large areas of England, Wales and Northern Ireland [...]