Why Not Battery Powered EMU’s For A Vancouver To Chilliwack Rail Service?

As technology advances, the benefits of a “green” electric rail service will greatly increase. The long distance battery powered train is now upon us. A FLRT Akku battery powered train could be the answer for a regional passenger service in the Fraser Valley as Battery powered trains could be recharged from strategically placed sections of [...]

Valley Rail: Why Do We Not Do What Is Right?

Here we have another try in doing what is the right thing to do, reinstate the Vancouver to Chilliwack rail service, using the former and intact BC Electric rail line. Using existing tracks greatly reduces the cost of a transit project. TransLink is going to build a 5.7 km subway under Broadway for a cost [...]

More Comments On TransLink’s Anti Valley Rail Screed

This reply by our friend, Mr. Haveacow is very much worth reading. There are big problems extending SkyTrain; big problems equals lots of ta money, which equals more taxes and user fees. Like high gas prices, just continue building with SkyTrain. I will add to the professors point, the Hydrogen powered I Lint54, is a [...]

A Reply to TransLink’s Anti Valley Rail Screed

Zwei will comment on this and Translink’s rebuttal in the next blog post. Translink has released a report dated June 6 to the Joint Regional Transportation Planning Committee later share with the Mayors Council on Regional Transportation. https://www.peacearchnews.com/news/service-on-interurban-rail-would-be-expensive-miss-key-destinations-translink/?fbclid=IwAR2DqlC_P9oF_JLVhqovE2w9G-BiyITd6xt097Hto5FfPAvy8TA9q6qVpcI It contains a number of misunderstandings and factual errors, some of which are addressed below. * Preamble: [...]

Nonsense From The Langley Times

Such an ill informed column in the Langley Advance Times, that one would think it is a plant, by those who want to spend billions on SkyTrain, which is well past its “Best Before” date. Just who builds with ART Movia Metro (Expo and Millennium Lines) any more? Not one of the proprietary mini-metros sold [...]

TransLink Doesn’t Want Affordable Transit

TransLink, one of the most dishonest and unaccountable bureaucracies in the province, doesn’t want to reinstate the former interurban service. So powerful is TransLink, so totalitarian in operation, the regional mayors, the Minister of Transportation and the the Premier Horgan are deathly afraid of the bureacracy and cower in the shadows. Such power, so abused! [...]

South Fraser Community RAIL

South Fraser Community Rail South Fraser Community Rail is the latest group joining the struggle to get rail passenger service operating in the Fraser Valley. Instead of TramTrain and its variants, they opted for the hydrogen powered electric train in the guise of an electric multiple unit (EMU) passenger trains.        

Chilliwack Is On Board

Finally! It seems the good burghers of Chilliwack see the benefits of a rail servcie connecting Vancouver to Chilliwack. A basic Vancouver to Chilliwack DMU servcie can be had for as little as $750 million and a more elaborate service using hydrogen powered trains or electric servcie, with several trips per direction each hour would [...]

The McElhanney Study is a political document masquerading as a technical one

“It is interesting how TransLink has used this cunning method of manipulating analysis to justify SkyTrain in corridor after corridor, and has thus succeeded in keeping its proprietary rail system expanding.” Gerald Fox, 2008 Malcolm Johnston, 2019 Please deliver to Mayor and Council. My name is Malcolm Johnston and I have been involved in Metro [...]

Dated Thinking From A Dated Mayor

Dated transit thinking comes from SkyTrain, because light-metro is a dated transit system. There is no backbone for transit, except for a network of transit lines and only if it is designed properly, designed for the needs of its customers and not the electoral needs of politicians. One $2.95 billion SkyTrain does not a backbone [...]