Toronto again! Ford & Gilbert sound-off & more irrelevant comparisons

Toronto owes mayor a thank you on transit Toronto Star.com February 24th http://www.thestar.com/opinion/article/943888–toronto-owes-mayor-a-thank-you-on-transit#article Toronto owes Mayor Rob Ford a big thank you for three things. [Most definitely not] The first is for raising timely doubts about the wisdom of proceeding with Transit City. This was the previous council’s expensive one-size-fits-all plan to replace buses on […]

Around the US & Canada- Light Rail, Tram, Streetcar, LRT & Transit news

Late February has brought a mixed bag of news on Light Rail, Tram, Streetcar, LRT & Transit projects in North America, some positive & some negative. The Cardinal posts a selection of national, local press and on-line Blog reports. 1) Gray: Streetcars are a ‘Very Wise Decision’ Mayor Vincent Gray’s mixed track record with streetcars […]

More Porkies – The Port Mann Bridge

It has been said that a picture is worth a thousands words……………………….. ……………..but this picture of a cross section of the new ten lane Port Mann Bridge says it all – there is no rail transit being planned for the bridge! Even Zweisystem, with his rudimentary knowledge of engineering knows if that a bridge is […]

Staffing on light rail systems

From a previous post http://www.railforthevalley.com/latest-news/zweisystem/now-we-know-why-skytrain-is-so-expensive-to-operate/ we find that there are 600 or more employees (530 in the CUPE Union) that work on the SkyTrain Expo and Millennium Lines. The Canada Line is a conventional metro and employs over 200 people (with 180 in the CUPE union) and both metro systems are quite separate. The Canada Line, a […]

Light Rail Transit, LRT or Tram-Train

Tram and train used to be two entirely different public transport systems. Tram served shorter (read: urban) distances. Train served longer (read: regional) distances. But the difference between city and region has disappeared in much of Europe. The difference between tram and regional rail is blurring as well. A new generation of light rail transit […]

Tales of Buffoonery – Rob FordA?ai??i??ai???s anti streetcar/light rail saga continues!

Mr. Ford's utter stupidity is breathtaking and the financial roller coaster ride he is taking the Toronto taxpayer on is beyond belief. This is the sort of simpleton anti tram, anti light rail planning which seems to be the rigour of right-wing politicians in North America and Europe – to hide their real agendas of increasing car use, […]

Rail group: Provincial report biased – News1130

Rail group: Provincial report biased Sheila Scott Feb 22, 2011 05:20:09 AM FRASER VALLEY (NEWS1130) – The group Rail For the Valley says an independent firm has taken a look at a provincially commissioned transit study into light rail released in December, and found the government report was biased. The study commissioned by the Ministry […]

False assumptions worry rail expert

False assumptions worry rail expert BY PAUL J. HENDERSON, THE TIMES FEBRUARY 22, 2011 The provincial government’s lack of interest in interurban light rail from Chilliwack to Surrey is biased and based on a number of false assumptions, according to a British light rail consultant. At the request of the Rail for the Valley advocacy […]

First tram-train arrives in Lyon

France: Lyon Tram-Train Railway Gazette 22 February 2011 http://www.railwaygazette.com/nc/news/single-view/view/first-tram-train-arrives-in-lyon.html The first of 24 Citadis Dualis tram-trains for the TER network west of Lyon arrived at the L’Arbresle maintenance centre on February 18, having left Alstomai??i??s assembly plant in Valenciennes two days earlier. Two more vehicles will be delivered to SNCF in Lyon during the next […]

LIGHT RAIL FIRM RELEASES INDEPENDENT ANALYSIS OF KEVIN FALCON TRANSIT STUDY

UPDATE: Media so far News1130Ai??http://www.news1130.com/news/local/article/187220–rail-group-provincial-report-biased Chilliwack TimesAi??http://www.chilliwacktimes.com/news/False+assumptions+worry+rail+expert/4325083/story.html Laila Yuile (2nd item in the post) Ai??http://lailayuile.com/2011/02/22/government-is-as-government-does/     LIGHT RAIL FIRM RELEASES INDEPENDENT ANALYSIS OF KEVIN FALCON TRANSIT STUDY   At the request of Rail For the Valley, the rail firmAi??Leewood Projects LtdAi??hasAi??provided an analysisAi??of the recent MoTI Transit Study commissioned by former Transportation MinisterAi??Kevin Falcon, […]