Transit Blogs
Well, if you are stuck inside due to our heavy rain, here are some interesting transit blogs to peruse.
You may not have come across some of these before:
http://www.andrewgrantham.co.uk/
Ai??Ai??http://www.cahsrblog.com/
Ai??Ai??http://capntransit.blogspot.com/2009/03/feds-relax-restrictions-for-light-rail.html
Ai??Ai??http://www.friendsoftheotrain.org/
Ai??Ai??http://urbanmilwaukee.com/2008/07/14/milwaukee-transit-the-technologies/
Ai??Ai??http://www.pdxtransit.com/index.php/2009/08/14/the-o-train-ottawas-light-rail/
Ai??Ai??http://theoverheadwire.blogspot.com/
Ai??Ai??http://melbpt.wordpress.com/tram-construction-costs/
Ai??Ai??http://stevemunro.ca/
Ai??Ai??http://transport514.wordpress.com/
As Predicted – "Mayors consider raising taxes to pay for TransLink"
Ai??Ai??As predicted yesterday:
TransLink is in a conundrum; there is no money for new metro expansion and the bureaucracy refuses to plan for much cheaper light rail. There is no way out, either taxes must increase to pay for metro constructionAi??Ai??or the transit system stagnates and becomes even more unattractive product for customers.
It seems Langley City Mayor and the rest of the regional mayors are going to take the cowards way out, by raising everyones municipalAi??Ai??taxes to build the Tri_Cities Millennium Line. Instead of questioning the need to build, yet again, another hugely expensive metro line on a route that doesn’t have the ridership to justify the investment, regional mayor should look at cheaper options. Instead of saying “NO” to TransLink and their dated andAi??Ai??cumbersome metro planning, they are going again to attack the taxpayer to fund political and bureaucratic metroAi??Ai??dreams.
Next week, Rail for the Valley will be releasing a document that shows that we can build ‘rail‘ transit cheaper, far cheaper than the planning mandarins, in their ivory towers, on Kingsway can plan for. Here is an example: for the cost of the $1.4 billion plus Evergreen Line, we can build 140 km. of TramTrain in the region plus a Vancouver to Maple Ridge TramTrain service!
Does Mayor Fassbender want a political reaction like the HST, by raising taxes for a transit mega project that in the past has failed to induce a modal shift from car to transit? Are regional mayors so insensitive to the effects of another tax hike to build something that can be achieved for a fraction of its price.
It is time regional mayors hire an independent transportation consultant to give an alternative opinion for transit solutionsAi??Ai??in the region than what the well heeled bureaucrats at TransLink want forced on the public. Rail For The Valley certainly canAi??Ai??suggestAi??Ai??one!
Mayors consider raising taxes to pay for TransLink
Funds needed to build Evergreen Line
By KELLY SINOSKI, Vancouver Sun – September 15, 2010Metro Vancouver mayors will likely consider a separate financial supplement to pay for TransLinkA?ai??i??ai???s $400-million share of the Evergreen Line by the end of the year.
Peter Fassbender, chairman of the mayorsA?ai??i??ai??? council on regional transportation, said Wednesday the mayors hope to fund their commitment for the rapid transit line, or the provincial government will come up with another way to make them pay for it.
A funding supplement would have to be approved by regional mayors, and could involve raising fuel or property taxes to bring in extra money for TransLink. The province has already said the Evergreen Line, the regionA?ai??i??ai???s top priority, will be built to connect Coquitlam to Vancouver via Port Moody. The provincial and federal governments have committed their share of the project.
A?ai??i??Ai??We have a window of time to either come up with our commitment or the government will have to do something else,A?ai??i??A? Fassbender said. A?ai??i??Ai??[A financial supplement] is the only way we can come up with our share. What it looks like I donA?ai??i??ai???t know yet because it hasnA?ai??i??ai???t been developed.A?ai??i??A?
Fassbender will meet Premier Gordon Campbell and Transportation Minister Shirley Bond next week to examine long-term issues of TransLinkA?ai??i??ai???s financial woes.
He said he canA?ai??i??ai???t A?ai??i??Ai??pre-supposeA?ai??i??A? what decisions will be made at the meeting but hopes A?ai??i??Ai??weA?ai??i??ai???ll be moving forward in a positive way.
A?ai??i??Ai??The purpose is to talk about working together to deal with sustainable funding and issues in transportation. ItA?ai??i??ai???s not going to be easy.A?ai??i??A?
A report this week by transportation commissioner Martin Crilly suggested TransLink is still struggling to pay for transit services and will have to look at other methods if itA?ai??i??ai???s to meet the ambitious goals in its 2040 plan.
A?ai??i??Ai??To gain ground on the background growth of the region, a greater portion of the regionA?ai??i??ai???s wealth will need somehow to be devoted to providing that capacity,A?ai??i??A? he said in the report. A?ai??i??Ai??TransLink has yet to solve the conundrum of funding for capacity expansion, and cannot do so alone.A?ai??i??A?
Crilly said Wednesday TransLink will have to move in the direction of a A?ai??i??Ai??user-payA?ai??i??A? system to continue to build transit infrastructure and operate it. Road pricing is just one example, he said, to get more people out of single vehicles and using transit or carpooling.
A?ai??i??Ai??That really is a more efficient use of space,A?ai??i??A? he said. A?ai??i??Ai??But in order to increase capacity itA?ai??i??ai???s going to mean people will end up spending less on private travel and more on collective travel.A?ai??i??A?
Mayors, Premier and Transportation Minister to meet next week – The Blind Leading the Blind
Talk about the blind leading the blind.
BC Transportation Minister, Shirley Bond (who knows little or nothing about transit), the besieged premier (who knows that building glitzy metro lines buys votes), and regional mayors (who are equally unread on transit) are going to have a private meeting regarding TransLink’s ongoing financial crisis. The first hing that must be done is to invite the public, simply because the public is public transit’s customers and politicians should value their input.Ai??Ai?? Secondly, TransLink and the Premier must understand that TransLink’s perennial financial malaise is due mainly to the SkyTrain light-metro system and our perverse penchant to build very expensive to build and operateAi??Ai??light-metro lines instead of modern light rail!
To date the taxpayer has unknowingly spent over $8 billion for our metro system, yet forAi??Ai??less than one Ai??Ai??half the cost, by building with modern LRT we could have had almost double the route mileage – more trams, serving more destinations providing more incentive for people to use transit! Now there is a clever thought!
Added to TransLink’s woes, is the singular fact that the SkyTrain light-metro systemAi??Ai??has failed toAi??Ai??attract the motorist from the car and it is just far too expensive to extend in lighter populated areasAi??Ai??and has not proven to beAi??Ai??a credible transit alternative for the car. TheAi??Ai??current hype and hoopla about the Canada LineAi??Ai??is merely self servingAi??Ai??window dressing to sell the public on building more metro, but in real terms, for about $2.8 billion costs to date, the new metro has attracted only about 4,000 to 5,000 new riders (which is about normal for a new ‘rail’ line) and the new riders are mainly the elderly going to the River Rock Casino or Asian shopsAi??Ai??in RichmondAi??Ai??most usingAi??Ai??discountedAi??Ai??concession faresAi??Ai?? and students using $1.00 a day U-Passes! The RAV/Canada line has yet to show that it has attracted the motorist from the car.
Yes, the airport is also garnering new ridership, but do not forget the 15 minute serviceAi??Ai??Airporter bus the Canada Line metro replaced.
TransLink is in a conundrum; there is no money for new metro expansion and the bureaucracy refuses to plan for much cheaper light rail. There is no way out, either taxes must increase to pay for metro constructionAi??Ai??or the transit system stagnates and becomes even more unattractive product for customers.
Next week, Rail for the Valley will present an affordable alternative to TransLink’s present grandiose metro and subway plans, the problem is: Will the premier, Ms. Bond and regional mayors listen!
In BC Rubber on Asphalt Rules!
Mayors, Premier and Transportation Minister to meet next week
A closed-door meeting between Metro Vancouver mayors, Premier Gordon Campbell and Transportation Minister Shirley Bond next week is expected to go a long way toward settling TransLinkA?ai??i??ai???s financial woes.Langley City Mayor Peter Fassbender, chairman of the Metro mayorsA?ai??i??ai??? council on transportation, canA?ai??i??ai???t presume to say exactly what will come out of the meeting.
But he and TransLink CEO Ian Jarvis will both speak at the Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce luncheon that follows the meeting. Cambell and Bond will also be in attendance.
When asked if there will finally be some news about TransLinkA?ai??i??ai???s long-standing cash crunch, Fassbender replied: A?ai??i??Ai??We will at least be demonstrating where we need to go and how weA?ai??i??ai???re going to get there together.
A?ai??i??Ai??My hope is that Thursday will be a major step forward in finding the answer specifically to the question people have of A?ai??i??E?How are you going to do this?A?ai??i??ai???A?ai??i??A? said Fassbender
A?ai??i??Ai??TheyA?ai??i??ai???re not easy answers,A?ai??i??A? he said. A?ai??i??Ai??There isnA?ai??i??ai???t a quick fix here.A?ai??i??A?
The situation has come to a crossroads.
A?ai??i??Ai??WeA?ai??i??ai???re either going to move ahead or itA?ai??i??ai???s clear we canA?ai??i??ai???t work together,A?ai??i??A? said Fassbender. A?ai??i??Ai??But you know what? I believe we can.A?ai??i??A?
The problem of TransLink funding was highlighted again Monday night when transportation commissioner Martin Crilly gave his seal of approval to the transportation authorityA?ai??i??ai???s 2011 plans.
Crilly pointed out that TransLink doesnA?ai??i??ai???t have the money to do what its own long-range plans to 2040 call for or what the region needs according to Metro Vancouver.
A?ai??i??Ai??To gain ground on the background growth of the region, a greater portion of the regionA?ai??i??ai???s wealth will need somehow to be devoted to providing that [transportation] capacity,A?ai??i??A? said Crilly in a release.
A?ai??i??Ai??TransLink has yet to solve the conundrum of funding for capacity expansion, and cannot do so alone,A?ai??i??A? said Crilly.
European News
Dublin Citadis Tram
ALSTOM ORDER FOR RATP LINE T3
Alstom has received zamA?A?wnienie for 25 tramsAi??Ai??for Paris.Ai??Ai??Twenty-fiveAi??Ai??Citadis trams ordered a French Alstom RATP – the operator of public transport in Paris. Warehouses to be delivered in 2012.Ai??Ai?? The Alstom order was announced today an option agreement signed in December 2003 . Its value is EUR 77 million, along with tools and spare parts – 85 million.
Commissioned by the Paris tramway will be 44 meters in length and capacity of over 300 passengers, including 78 on the seats. T3 .
Alstom has confirmed the receipt of ordersfor tramsAi??Ai??from 34 cities including Citadis 1431 -s. The RATPAi??Ai??tramsAi??Ai??comes in two widths – 2.4 meters and 2.65 meters.
Nottingham
Nottingham named England’s least car-dependent city
Nottingham’s investment in cycle tracks, a tram network and buses made it the top ranking city for green transport
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/sep/14/nottingham-named-least-car-dependent
TW6000 tram
Budapest transport company to buy second-hand German trams
http://www.bbj.hu/?col=1000&id=54186
Ai??Ai??The Budapest transport company BKV will buy 16 second-hand TW6000 trams
http://img17.imageshack.us/my.php?image=20050925170456.jpg
for about HUF 160 million as a result of a public procurement tender, = CAD$740,960.00 or about CAD$46,300 per unit BKV told MTI on Thursday. The trams will replace some of the old Ganz trams from early next year.
Angers: first video from inside new tram
Shaw Cable Documentary
An excellent Shaw documentary focussedAi??Ai??entirelyAi??Ai??on the potential of the old BC Electric rail line running through the Fraser Valley will be shown over the next few weeks. The times are shown below. Among other things the documentary features a helicopter ride along the Fraser Valley and interviews with Township of Langley Mayor Rick Green and Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts. Don’t miss it.
Toronto’s Transit Follies – It Must Be Election Time!
Vancouver is not the only Canadian City to suffer political silliness before election time, asAi??Ai??regional councilAi??Ai??candidates are all tabling their transportation plans, if elected. The subway lobby is preaching their gospel of underground railways to everywhere, but come up short on how to pay for such extravagance. It seems like TransLink’s grand SkyTrain plansAi??Ai??most of the candidates subway plans are mere ‘Pixie Dust’. The mostAi??Ai??daft of the political promises doing the roundsAi??Ai??is that ofAi??Ai??Ai??Ai??front-running Etobicoke councilor, Rob Ford, plansAi??Ai??to abandon Toronto’s iconic streetcars andAi??Ai??newly approved light rail lines. In an age where LRT streetcar is making a revival in Canada with new lines announced in Winnipeg and Montreal, Mr. Ford’s anti LRT stance is more thanAi??Ai??troublesome.
If Mr. Ford had read anything about transit at all, he would have found that one Toronto non-articulated streetcar is as efficient as three buses, thus replacing one streetcar (one driver) with three buses (3 bus drivers) would greatly increase the cost of public transit in Toronto! Ridding Toronto of its streetcars would create massive traffic gridlock and chaos with three times as many buses trundling along city streets.
The pro metro/subway plans sounds great, but funding newAi??Ai??metro construction at about $250 million/km. will be hugely problematic. To extend Toronto’s subway lines will be expensive and unlike London and other cities with large metro networks, Toronto’s subway is ‘broad gauge’ (4 ftAi??Ai??10Ai??Ai??7A?A?ai??z8Ai??Ai??inAi??Ai?? or 1,495 mm) and track-sharing with regular railways is impossible, with allAi??Ai??construction therefore must be ‘greenfields‘. Subways may sound nice to the naive, but the financial burdens placed on taxpayers is very large.
As the electoral ‘silly-season’ commences, voters in the Toronto region had better weigh their electoral options as political wannabees may dramatically increase resident’sAi??Ai??tax burdens by their less than well thought out transit plans, including replacing trams with buses.
Marcus Gee – Globe and Mail – Friday, September 10, 2010
Given the seriousness of TorontoA?ai??i??ai???s transportation mess, you might expect some serious proposals from the candidates for mayor. Vain hope.
Consider Rob FordA?ai??i??ai???s plan. Released this week in a YouTube
video by the front-running Etobicoke councillor, it would scrap the Transit City network of light-rapid transit lines scheduled to roll out over the coming years. In its place, he would build new subways, extending the Sheppard subway from Downsview station in the west to Scarborough Town Centre in the east and replacing the aging Scarborough rapid-transit line with a full-fledged subway.
That will appeal to those who think subways, not LRT, are the way to go, but subways are far more expensive. How would this self-proclaimed paragon of fiscal prudence pay for his scheme? Simple, says Mr. Ford. He would get most of the $4-billion cost by taking $3.7-billion already dedicated to Transit City.
The trouble is that, having spent years negotiating, approving and funding Transit City, QueenA?ai??i??ai???s Park is hardly likely just to hand Mr. Ford a cheque. Even if it did, $790-million of the $3.7-billion Mr. Ford has his hungry eyes on is already being used to expand the Viva transit system in York region, not build Transit City.
Mr. Ford says he would raise a further $1-billion for subways and road upgrades by selling developers the right to build around subway stations, but the figure seems wildly optimistic. It often takes years for development around subway lines to arrive. Many stations on the Bloor-Danforth line are still surrounded by old low-rise buildings decades after the line was built.
The really eye-popping part of his scheme is the plan to replace downtown streetcar lines with buses. This, he says, would save drivers from the trauma of getting stuck behind trundling streetcars. But hang on a bit. Streetcars carry more passengers than buses A?ai??i??ai??? many more, once the big new cars ordered by the TTC arrive A?ai??i??ai??? so to carry the same number of passengers you would need a lot more buses. Imagine all those buses trying to pull in and out of traffic on a crowded artery such as Queen Street, spewing exhaust all the way.
The TTC has spent tens of millions of dollars rebuilding and upgrading downtown streetcar tracks in recent years. If Mr. Ford got his way, that time and money would go to waste. So would the $1.22-billion the TTC has spent to order 204 new cars for 11 city streetcar lines. (Disregard Mr. FordA?ai??i??ai???s claim that he would simply sell the cars, specially designed for Toronto, to some other city. It isnA?ai??i??ai???t that easy.)
Though Mr. FordA?ai??i??ai???s plan is typically the worst thought-out of the bunch, many of the other candidatesA?ai??i??ai??? plans are faulty, too. George SmithermanA?ai??i??ai???s ambitious plan for new LRT and subway lines looks great until you ask him how he is going to pay for it. Simply put, he would borrow the money A?ai??i??ai??? about $5-billion in all. How can someone who promises to make A?ai??i??Ai??fiscal credibility job oneA?ai??i??A? at city hall propose saddling an already-indebted city with such a burden?
Rocco RossiA?ai??i??ai???s $4.5-billion plan to build two kilometres of new subway lines a year for the next decade is affordable only if he goes through with his plan to sell Toronto Hydro, and even then itA?ai??i??ai???s not clear the proceeds would cover such a massive expenditure. Similarly, Sarah ThomsonA?ai??i??ai???s plan to pay for 58 kilometres of new subway lines partly by levying tolls on city highways underestimates both the take from tolls and the cost of the lines.
With the exception of Joe Pantalone, who simply proposes to press on with Transit City, all of the candidates seem to have sketched their fantasy transit schemes on the back of a napkin. Anyone can draw lines A?ai??i??ai??? this subway here, this LRT there. The question A?ai??i??ai??? the only question A?ai??i??ai??? is how to pay for it all. As transit advocate Steve Munro points out, none of the candidates has even tackled how to find the extra $70-million it will take to keep the current TTC system operating in 2011.
For a local view of Mr. Ford’s hasty plans –
http://lrt.daxack.ca/blog/?p=147
Off The Rails – From the Abby Times
An interesting tome in the Abbotsford Times.
Anyone wanting to put ‘rail’ transit down the median of the number 1 highway forgets that it would be hugely expensive and the curvature and gradients along the route would mean very expensive engineering would have to be done. Going ‘greenfields’ construction is always an expensive propositionAi??Ai??which knowledgeable transit planners try to avoid.
The problem with ‘rapid bus’ or BRT is that those who propose it do not ride it. The Achilles heel of any bus bases transit system is that it doesn’t attract ridership and BRT is no exception. Despite the hue and cry from the bus lobby, the singular fact remains that many people perceive buses as ‘looser cruisers’ and take the car instead.
The one workable option of course is reinstating the Vancouver to Chilliwack interurban but using the 21st century Tram Train instead. It makes sense in our financially challenging times to use existing railway infrastructure to improve regional transit, as our region badly needs affordable transit solutions for our endemic transportation woes.
The SkyTrain Lobby must grow up and realize there is precious little money for their grand metro solutions and SkyTrain here or there, sometime in the next fifty years is just not good enough!
Off The Rails
We’re all at the mercy of Highway 1.” – David D. Hull, Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce
By Rafe Arnott, The Times – September 7, 2010A commuter train running between Chilliwack and Vancouver along Highway 1 is not feasible, say area rail proponents and infrastructure experts, but one running through higher-density urban areas could be a possibility.Rail for the Valley spokesman John Vissers said a commuter train running down the centre of the Trans-Canada Highway through the Fraser Valley would help traffic volume, but is financially impossible.
Calling it a “pie in the sky” idea, Vissers said the government simply doesn’t have the money to finance such an ambitious transit project.
“Putting something down the middle of the freeway is hugely expensive,” he said.
“Where would the tax money come from to build something like that? That money doesn’t exist anywhere. The costs are staggering.”
B.C. Ministry of Transportation spokesman Dave Crebo said a study to examine transit options and commuter demand in the valley is underway.
“[We’re waiting] on the results of that, so no one would be committing to putting trains out there right now,” he said.
Port Mann Bridge/Highway 1 Improvement Project spokeswoman Pamela Ryan said the new bridge is designed to accommodate a grade rail line.
She said while running a train down the middle of the TransCanada Highway isn’t the best option, exploring other public transit routes through more densely populated areas in the Fraser Valley that could accommodate passenger stations is viable.
“If we’re looking at providing rapid rail along the south side of the Fraser River, the Highway 1 corridor is probably not the best location for it,” Ryan said.
“Whether that be Fraser Highway right-of-way, or whatever, rail systems are more effective when you have them located near high-density areas,” she said.
Vissers thinks the existing rail line in the hands of FVLR would be a good starting point, rather than punching through another line.
“We already own the track, and it’s underused. Why not put a few [rail] cars on it and see what happens?”
Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce Executive Director David D. Hull said long-term planning is key to infrastructure growth, but British Columbia is 15 years behind dealing with traffic issues in the Fraser Valley.
“We’ve neglected the capital infrastructure of the province for far too long,” he said.
According to Hull, delays stemming from traffic issues with Highway 1 cost Lower Mainland businesses.
“It’s in the hundreds of millions of dollars. The B.C. Trucking Association has estimated in their industry alone its in the tens of millions of dollars.
“We’re all at the mercy of Highway 1,” Hull said.
Taking into the consideration the current traffic volumes, Ryan said the new highway and bridge improvements would allow for a rapid bus line in designated HOV lanes to serve commuters, including a new park and ride transit exchange near 202 Street in Langley.
“This Highway 1 rapid bus service will be able to take passengers between [Lougheed Station in] Burnaby and Langley in about 23 minutes,” Ryan said.
“Which provides access not only to the Millennium Line, but the Expo Line as well.”
Describing North America as a “rubber-tire society,” Hull said dedicated lanes for busses on the newly expanded Highway 1 might better serve current commuter demands.
“That’s good enough to get you somewhere, I mean, you don’t have to be on a train.”
Vissers said more roads only means more cars, and whenever capacity in increased, traffic follows, and that’s not a solution.
“A solution is to develop alternatives.
“Building freeway capacity is a 1970’s solution for the 21st Century… it doesn’t work.”
Read more: http://www.abbotsfordtimes.com/news/Rails/3489498/story.html#ixzz0zK9NHh8q
TransLink in the news! SkyTrain Fizzles and the Head Amateur resigns!
Debris on the guideway evidently caused the Expo Line to come to grief during the morning commute. Once again, the automatic (driverless) metro shows its vulnerability when surprises happen along the line.
SkyTrain’s Expo Line problems caused by debris hitting track
ReBy Rhiannon Coppin, Vancouver Sun – September 10, 2010 11:10 AM
METRO VANCOUVER – The SkyTrain system came to a halt this morning at 7:15 a.m. after some of the electrified portions of the Expo Line track were ripped out by debris lodged under some trains.
A?ai??i??Ai??The whole system shut down,A?ai??i??A? TransLink spokesperson Drew Snider later confirmed in e-mail.
A?ai??i??Ai??We segregated the Millennium Line from the Expo Line, so we had trains running between VCC and Columbia Stations. By about 7:50, we had some service restored along the Expo Line, involving single-track trips between certain stations; customers then had to change trains at those stations,A?ai??i??A? Snider said.
Though Expo Line trains were moving again, service was slow.
Trains were arriving at Waterfront Station but were not making the trip eastbound out of downtown Vancouver, a SkyTrain attendant confirmed at 9:15 a.m.
Outside Waterfront Station, a Coast Mountain Bus Transit Supervisor was directing buses over his cell phone to come in and pick up riders going back down the line.
A?ai??i??Ai??I believe the SkyTrain is down, thatA?ai??i??ai???s all I know, and we are trying to set up a bus bridge to get people from here to Joyce Station,A?ai??i??A? said the supervisor, Michael, who would not provide his last name.
He was on his cellphone with the driver of bus 8143 as it came down Seymour Street and got into position outside Waterfront Station. It was not the first in the bridge he said, and certainly not the last.
Snider later confirmed that 18 buses were diverted for the bridge between Metrotown and Waterfront.
A?ai??i??Ai??Since this was at the height of rush hour, CMBC didn’t have many buses (or bus drivers) to pull from regular service and put onto the bus bridge,A?ai??i??A? Snider said.
As a dozen passengers boarded bus 8143, Michael instructed the bus driver to head first to Granville Station: A?ai??i??Ai??Then make a left on Georgia Street. Take the viaduct, and right on Main. Pick up at the Main Station. From Main, youA?ai??i??ai???re going to go up Broadway. At the Broadway Station, dropoff and pickup and then from there, go to Nanaimo Station, then 29th and Joyce, however you can get there.A?ai??i??A?
A?ai??i??Ai??It only stops at the SkyTrain stations?A?ai??i??A? the driver asked.
A?ai??i??Ai??SkyTrain station, SkyTrain stations, this is a SkyTrain bus,A?ai??i??A? the supervisor replied.
A sign posted at the east entrance to the SkyTrain platform at Waterfront told passengers to A?ai??i??Ai??expect lengthy delays.A?ai??i??A?
Phil Goddard, a musical instrument salesman at Long and McQuade near the Main Street station, waited a few minutes on the platform before being told to go back up and get the “bus bridge.”
A?ai??i??Ai??IA?ai??i??ai???m actually in a real rush to get to work,A?ai??i??A? he told a reporter who tried to speak with him.
A?ai??i??Ai??I just got off the SeaBus from North Vancouver,A?ai??i??A? he said.
A?ai??i??Ai??IA?ai??i??ai???m not late for work yet,A?ai??i??A? he said, running for the bus. A?ai??i??Ai??I will be though.A?ai??i??A?
Joe Thomas works at Universal Printing in North Vancouver. His commute was the opposite of GoddardA?ai??i??ai???s: He left from Broadway Station and at about 9:30 a.m. was now running at a good clip from the SkyTrain platform to catch a SeaBus.
A?ai??i??Ai??How long were you delayed?A?ai??i??A? a reporter asked.
A?ai??i??Ai??An hour,A?ai??i??A? Thomas said.
A?ai??i??Ai??Wait a long time.. stuck on the train… wait a long time,A?ai??i??A? he added between breaths as he ran.
TransLink issued a service alert stating that the Expo Line westbound was operating from King George to Joyce only. From there, passengers have to get off and take a single line train between Joyce and Main Street, where they must switch trains again to get into the downtown core.
For the duration of the morning commute, Millenium Line trains would be turning back at Columbia Station.
The electrical problem involved dragged debris reportedly occurred in the downtown area between Broadway and Main Street stations.
Snider couldnA?ai??i??ai???t say when the electrical track infrastructure would be repaired and operational, but said that A?ai??i??Ai??as of right now, our techs are making progress on fixing the situation.A?ai??i??A?
A?ai??i??Ai??TheyA?ai??i??ai???re aware that [afternoon] rush hour is approaching.A?ai??i??A?
The TransLink board of Amateurs says adiA?A?s to Dale Parker, a Campbell favourite selected to steer the bureaucracy the way the premier wanted it steered. As it stands, TransLink is rudderless and wallowing in a sea of debt, without a safe haven in sight. Could it be the start of the ‘rats’ leaving a sinking ship?
TransLink chairman stepping down
By Don Cayo, Vancouver Sun – September 10, 2010
VANCOUVER — TransLink will lose the first chair of its board of appointed professionals that was set up three years ago to replace its former board composed of municipal council members.
Dale Parker, a long-time businessman and a member of many corporate and charitable boards, announced in an exclusive interview with the Vancouver Sun on Friday that he won’t seek a renewed appointment when his term ends Dec. 31. His decision was influenced, he said, by his age A?ai??i??ai??? he’s nearing 75 A?ai??i??ai??? and his view that he’s able to leave TransLink’s governance in relatively good shape.
The appointment of the nine-member board was controversial at the time A?ai??i??ai??? Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan called its members “Liberal flunkies” A?ai??i??ai??? and its work has been criticized for taking place largely behind closed doors.
But Parker said he and his colleagues have been able to bring a professional approach to what had long been a highly politicized governance structure, and it has both reigned in operating costs and set the stage for orderly development.
Ai??Ai??Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/TransLink+chairman+stepping+down/3507301/story.html#ixzz0z9k22jWi
The SkyTrain Lobby – Just The Usual Suspects!
"It used to be something called public transit ... then for reasons you're too young to understand, they did away with the public."
Transit again is making front page news in the dailies and regional newspapers, with TransLink claiming that the next big rapid transit (read SkyTrain) line will be in Surrey, not Broadway. A few international transit blogs have picked up the storyAi??Ai??with the usual suspects singing hosannas about SkyTrain, while in the same breathe libeling anyone who supports light rail, including long time advocates of the worlds most built transit system! What is perverse about the SkyTrain lobby is that they moan on and on about how facts about LRT being distorted or untrue, yet all they have to offer in turn is TransLink’s dubious claims about SkyTrain and the Canada Line, which is a conventional metro and not ART.
What is even more sad is that the old saw, “SkyTrain is cheaper to operate than light rail because it has no drivers” is trundled out ad naseum by the usual suspects and by bloggists who should know better. Automatic or driverless railways were the flavour of the month back in the 70’s and 80’s but have been found expensive to operate. Sure the system has no drivers, but in their stead an automatic metro system must hire a small army of attendants to keep trains and stations safe for the paying public. Not mentioned too, is a rather large squad of signaling experts must be on shift at all times to deal with problems with train operation becauseAi??Ai??with an automatic metro, operating conditions must be at 100% or the system grinds to a halt.
What has been found is that automatic metros are only cost effective if average hourly ridership is above about 15,000 persons per hour per direction, below that threshold, LRT is cheaper to operate and at 15,000 to 20,000 pphpd operating costs of both modes are about the same. Yet, one never hears this from the usual suspects.
We have had now thirty years of SkyTrain only planning in the region and it has left us with a massive transit deficit. Sure, the SkyTrain metro system carries a lot of passengers, but 80% of those passengers have been forced to transfer from bus to metro. Transfers, especially forced transfers not only increase travel time, it deters about 70%of potential customers. There is no evidence that the SkyTrain metro system has caused a modal shift from car to transit and with the multi-billion Gateway highways and bridge project shows that the SkyTrain system is actually fueling new highway construction!
SkyTrain is too expensive to extend and even finding funds to complete the Evergreen Line (Nevergreen Line) are almost impossible to come by, yet the SkyTrain Lobby persists that the proprietary metro is just ‘peachy‘.
To date, SkyTrain has yet to prove in revenue service that it is cheaper to operate than light rail; to date SkyTrain has yet to prove in revenue service that it can carry more passengers than light rail! These twoAi??Ai??factsAi??Ai??accounts for ICTS/ALRT/ALM/ART dismal sales record when compared to light rail andAi??Ai??the once mighty Skytrain has now been relegated as a niche transit system for airports and theme parks. The usual suspects again remain silent about this.
Yet we knew this already. From the 1983 TTC ART Study:
“ICTS costs anything up to ten times as much as a conventional light-rail line to install, for about the same capacity; or put another way, ICTS costs more than a heavy-rail subway, with four timesAi??Ai??ICTS’s capacity.”
Or if one had read Gerald Fox’s A Comparison Between Light Rail And Automated TransitAi??Ai??Systems. (1991), which concluded:
Requiring fully grade separated R-O-W and stations and higher car and equipment costs, total construction costs is higher for AGT than LRT. A city selecting AGT will tend to have a smaller rapid transit network than a city selecting LRT. There is no evidence that automatic operation saves operatingAi??Ai??and maintenance costs compared to modern LRT operating on a comparable quality of alignment. The rigidity imposed on operations by a centralized control system and lack of localized response options have resulted in poor levels of reliability on AGT compared to the more versatile LRT systems. LRT and AGT have similar capacities capabilities if used on the same quality of alignment. LRT also has the option to branch out on less costly R-O-W. Being a product of contemporary technology, AGT systems carry with them the seeds of obsolescence. Transit agencies that buy into proprietary systems should consider their future procurement options, particularly if the original equipment manufacturer were to cease operations.
The SkyTrain Lobby, with the usual suspects, ignore transit studies from experts who have hands on knowledge about light rail and metro and continue to put evangelic faith with those who want ‘pie in the sky’ metro and subway planning. The taxpayer, especially taxpayers who live South of the Fraser are growing weary of paying higher taxes to build just a little more politically prestigious metro in Greater Vancouver, just ask Premier Gordon Campbell and the HST fiasco.
TransLink’s new motto for ‘rail‘ transit should be:
Ai??Ai??”Build it Cheap and Build Lots“.
Streetcars: The Missing Link? Sept. 29, 2010
For Immediate Release A?ai??i??ai??? Please circulate!
Lawrence Frank, PhD, CIP, ASLA
Bombardier Chair in Sustainable Transportation University of British Columbia
604-822-5387 ph / 604-822-1628 fx
Bombardier Active Transportation Lab
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UBC School of Environmental Health and the UBC School of Community and Regional Planning are pleased to inform you of our upcoming symposium:
STREETCARS: THE MISSING LINK?
September 29, 2010 (Wednesday)
Program:Ai??Ai?? 8:30 am A?ai??i??ai??? 5:15 pm
Reception: 5:30 pm A?ai??i??ai??? 6:30 pm
Renaissance Vancouver Harbourside Hotel, Vancouver BC.
OVERVIEW:
The Olympic Line – VancouverA?ai??i??ai???s 2010 Streetcar demonstration project held during the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games saw urban streetcars return to Vancouver for the first time in almost half a century. The project proved extremely popular and has ignited the idea of reinvesting in streetcars as part of a broader sustainable transportation system for the City of Vancouver and the entire Metro Vancouver region.
KEY TOPICS:
Streetcars: The Missing Link?Ai??Ai??brings together decisions makers, academics, and community leaders to explore, discuss and debate the potential role of streetcars as a critical link within the transportation system and the idea of bring streetcars back to Vancouver. Key topics of this symposium include:
- Historical role of streetcars in Vancouver
- Implementation costs
- Streetcar impacts on urban form and mobility
- Urban design and modal integration – lessons learned in other regions
- New data and information from the Olympic Line demonstration project.
DETAILED AGENDA is available here:Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??http://www.soeh.ubc.ca/Continuing_Education/Streetcar.htm.
REGISTER AT:Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??https://www.eplyevents.com/streetcar_UBC.Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Please register early as space is limited.
A hosted reception will follow the program at the revolving Vistas 360 restaurant/lounge on the 20th floor of the Renaissance Vancouver Hotel Harbourside. Join delegates for complimentary refreshments, appetizers, and additional network opportunities while taking in a 360-degree panoramic view of the city and harbour. Information from UBC students in the Schools of Community and Regional Planning, Architecture and Landscape Architecture, and Environmental Health on streetcar systems and their impacts will be shared at the reception.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND:Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??decision makers, municipal staff, developers, community leaders, media, academics, organizational leaders.
This event is sponsored by the J. Armand Bombardier Chair in Sustainable Transportation at UBC.
Inquiries:
Lydia Ma
UBC School of Environmental Health
Phone: (604) 822-9599
Email:Ai??Ai??lydia.ma@ubc.ca
Web:Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??http://www.soeh.ubc.ca/Continuing_Education
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