Welcome To The World Of Congestion Folks!

This should not be news but it is, congestion has returned to the Port Mann Bridge With tolls, traffic and gridlock was just moved to the Patullo and Alex Fraser Bridges and the Massey Tunnel, but with the tolls eliminated, traffic pasterns are getting back to usual. Welcome to the commuting world brought to you [...]

La renaissance du tramway en France

Tours The French (Tram) Renaissance is amazing! 17 brand-new systems opened since 2000. A single line in Montpellier, line T1, carriess over 130,000 weekday riders! And that’s with no tunnels, mostly street running. Systems in Nantes, Bordeaux and Montpellier have ridership at or near 260,000 riders a day! That exceeds Boston. The French do it [...]

Now That’s Advertising!

A new Toronto tram and its advertising for Sapporo beer. Photo courtesy Mr Cow.

From Pole to Pan in Toronto

NO, we are not talking ‘pole dancing’ but another kind of ‘pole’ dance happening in Toronto. The use of panto-graphs or “pans” for the collection of electrical power has been around a long time and now it is Toronto’s turn to switch from the old trolley pole to a modern pan. Sadly, some of our [...]

Seeing Is Believing – Why Doesn’t Translink Understand The Simple Facts Of LRT?

Courtesy of Mr. Haveacow from Ottawa. Zwei, I am sending you a very telling photograph. Its near Blair Station and the Ottawa LRV is undergoing testing. Notice the complete lack of paint effects and graphics as well as the fact that, many of its portals and access panels are in the down position, so equipment [...]

Dieting Is Mandatory On Some Of Lisbon’s Tram Routes

Who says trams can not operate in narrow confines? One of the regular complaints by various city engineering departments is that; “There isn’t the road space for LRT”. Really? For every LRT complaint, there is always an answer to the contrary. Zwei is not advocating, that trams should operate in exactly the same tight places, [...]

Let’s Take A Trip On The Mulhouse TramTrain

Real TramTrain in action in Mulhouse France. Let’s go for a ride. https://youtu.be/46Fo7qCcyW0  

TramTrain For Halifax?

As LRT planning spreads across Canada, transportation planners are beginning to understand the flexibility of the mode. Commuter rail, using unwieldy commuter passenger cars are yesterdays transit solution, while TramTrain is a 21st century transit solution. Just to think, if Metro Vancouver had built the Leewood/Rail for the Valley, Vancouver to Chilliwack TramTrain, we could [...]

Is The Car Winning The Commuter War?

Another news story which tends to confirm Zweis observation that; “despite a now over $11 billion investment in rapid transit, congestion is getting worse.” The article doesn’t touch on the real problem, which is the user-unfriendly SkyTrain light-metro system. It also continues the myth that the Canada line is successful, despite the fact its station [...]

Mayor Lois Flies With Sparkle Ponies

Delta Mayor Lois Jackson is a strong supporter of former BC Liberal Premier Christi Clark and sees the proposed ten lane bridge to replace the Massey Tunnel as her personal legacy project when she retires from politics next year. Hijacking the Leewood/Rail for the Valley TramTrain plan for her own personal politics only shows how [...]