World transit system list as of 2006 – from the LRTA
The following is the number or various type of transit systems around the world including those under construction, excluding airport shuttles, commuter/mainline rail, entertainment parks and funiculars. Classification always brings areas of doubt, particularly in countries such as Japan and Switzerland where clear dividing lines just do not exist.
Metro (including SkyTrain) – 146
Light RailAi??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai?? – 98
Tramways (streetcars)Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai?? – 445
Light RailwaysAi??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??- 143
Heritage TramAi??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai?? – 51
OtherAi??Ai??Ai??Ai??(incl. monorails)Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai?? – 27
Interesting to note that as of 2006, the light-rail family had 686 systems in operation.
Trondheim – A template for light-rail in the valley? It’s a cert!
| Population (2009) | |
| Ai??Ai??-Ai??Ai??Total | 168,257 |
|---|---|
| Ai??Ai??-Ai??Ai??Density | 480/km2Ai??Ai??(1,243.2/sqAi??Ai??mi) |
Trondheim, Norway boasts the northernmost tramway line in the world: the GrA?A?kallbanen, the last remaining bit of the Trondheim Tramway is an 8.8 km (5.5 mi) route (which is mostly single-track outside the inner most parts of the city; except the stretch between Breidablikk and Nordre Hoem stations) which runs from the city centre, through the ByA?A?sen district, and up to Lian, in the large recreation area Bymarka.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxG2-ffA_xw&feature=related]
Please note single track and on-street operation.
WithAi??Ai??four majorAi??Ai??urban centres, Vancouver, Langley, Abbotsford, and Chilliwack and an area population of just under 3 million, the success ofAi??Ai??a Vancouver to ChilliwackAi??Ai??interurban would be, as they say in the trade, a cert!
Trams in the countryside – where’s all the density that’s supposed to be needed for light-rail?
The following video is ofAi??Ai??the famous Stubaitalbahn Innsbruck-Fulpmes Tram, which starts in downtown Innsbruck and terminates in the mountains, servicing the small town of Fulpmes. Standard trams are used through out the journey, providing a seamless or no-transfer journey for the customer. The Stubaitalbahn Innsbruck-Fulpmes Tram is just further proof that light-rail can successfully operate on routes in the countryside, connecting urban centres. So when TransLink of Transportation Minister FalconAi??Ai?? says there isn’t enough density for light-rail on the old BCE interurban rights of way, just mention the Stubaitalbahn; theAi??Ai??Innsbruck-Fulpmes Tram.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SGa9FpGbPY&feature=PlayList&p=100E8C5DDA13F196&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=1]
Seeing is believing – Diesel LRT in the USA.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixMw5M9tt80]
The following is the New Jersey Camden “River Line, operating Diesel light rail.
April 11 – Highway 1 Day of Action
*BANNER MAKING WORKSHOPS* coming up – Abbotsford, date/time TBA (check back)
Want to help make some history?
“Rail For The Valley” and “Better Transit, Not Freeways” Present…
April 11 – HIGHWAY 1 DAY OF ACTION
Gateway to what?!
On Saturday, April 11, from 11:00am to 1:00pm, join with others across the region in hoisting banners above Highway 1 for sensible, sustainable transportation solutions… on overpasses all the way from Eagleridge Bluffs in West Vancouver, to Chilliwack!
google map of locations:
For quite some time now, people across the Fraser Valley have been speaking out, strongly and continuously, for Rail for the Valley.
The public is in near-unanimous agreement that a service is long overdue, and that we must start building a passenger rail network for the Fraser Valley TODAY. Many of us have worked tirelessly to convince our governments of this necessity. After much patient lobbying, however, it appears the only thing our provincial government is interested in south of the Fraser – is “Gateway” highway expansion projects.
The government’s current idea of “balanced infrastructure spending” for the Fraser Valley appears to be: a $3.3 billion 10-lane bridge… and Rapid buses to Abbotsford by 2030 – this is the exclusively rubber-on-road Gateway agenda.
A Gateway to what, we might ask? A Gateway to complete automobile dependency, and a gateway to no rail for the valley. While governments the world over are now making wise investments in light rail infrastructure, in BC we are building bridges, and tearing them down. Meanwhile, the Interurban rail line sits there, waiting, mostly unused.
When will we get long-overdue passenger rail service for the Fraser Valley? Commuters are supposed to cheer the temporary relief of traffic congestion on the new Port Mann bridge, while the light rail needs of the valley, and the united pleas of residents across the region, are completely ignored.
Citizens of the Fraser Valley and the Lower Mainland, the time has come to make some history!
On Saturday, April 11, from 11:00am to 1:00pm, join others across the region hoisting banners on Highway 1 overpasses, from Eagleridge Bluffs in West Vancouver, all the way out to Chilliwack.
There are many individuals and groups throughout the Lower Mainland who are opposed to our government’s singular focus on highway expansion, and are in support of sensible, sustainable transportation solutions for the Lower Mainland. You are welcome to join us on this historic Day of Action, and make this a success all the way from West Vancouver to Chilliwack! (Please forward this widely, to anyone who may be interested.)
Contact John Buker (railforthevalley@gmail.com) or David Fields (cleanairradio@gmail.com) to “adopt an overpass” near you, or join with others. Be sure to sign-up your friends and family, and even your organization and business.
Banners for the Day of Action can be made at workshops (see details below) or you can bring your own.
Check our Highway 1 Day of Action Google Map to see locations. We’ll keep it up to date and you can see which overpasses still need “adopting” –
http://maps.google.ca/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=115203212304539598492.0004649dd0df789f8924f&z=9
More details:
More banner-making workshops to be announced.
– We would like the ability to contact each location by cell phone. Please share your number with us if you have one.
– Not all overpasses along Highway 1 may be suitable for bannering. We will continue scouting locations over the coming days and if we find that your location is risky we will suggest another location.
– Contact John (railforthevalley@gmail.com) or David (cleanairradio@gmail.com) for further details.
Can trams (the interurban) operate with passenger and freight trains? They can in Germany!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsdJPaih0Fw]
To everyone who says that the interurban can’t operate on existing railways or share tracks with freight trains, this U-Tube video from Karlshrue Germany should be watched. If the Germans can do it, so can we!
Brouhaha over bridge (Abbotsford Times)
This article in the Abbotsford Times today
by Rafe Arnott
(excerpt):
Rail For The Valley spokesman John Buker said, “This is a seriously flawed project – with or without a private partner.
“It seems the government has been hypnotized by this project, and wishes to plow ahead regardless of rapidly changing circumstances.”
Buker said people in the Fraser Valley need a light rail service, citing the fact that valley taxpayers continue to fund TransLink.
“In 2013 they will be expected to pay an additional $3 toll each time they cross the Port Mann, and still there will be no light rail alternative whatsoever.”
David D. Hull, the executive director of the Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce, said last week: “Build the bloody thing. I sat [in traffic] for a 1* hours to cross on a Friday to go have a meeting with the premier and the cabinet . . . they can’t build it fast enough.”
Hull said despite the failed partnership he thinks the government is wise in proceeding.
“The project is, frankly, 20 years past due. You’re talking about a 1963 freeway and bridge system that is horribly, horribly inadequate for today’s needs.”
Hull believes the provincial government is doing a good job of balancing transportation infrastructure between rubber and steel wheels.
“These roads and bridges are not going to be built just in isolation, they’re going to be built in conjunction with transit, and transit plans and extensions of SkyTrain systems.”
Ed Fast, Conservative MP for Abbotsford, said he was hesitant to comment on a provincial project.
“We, as a federal government, have not lobbied for that particular solution. We’ve said ‘Listen, we understand the provinces are closer to the challenges, and it’s their prerogative to make those decisions.’ “
When asked whether the feds have a preference for expanding rail travel solutions over roads, Fast jumped on several federal initiatives focused on making it easier for goods and services to take advantage of existing rail lines, or to expand on them.
He said Abbotsford International Airport plays a huge role as a transportation hub of the province. “[The airport] holds one of the keys to the future of air travel in the Lower Mainland and the Fraser Valley.”
It’s really too bad that David Hull didn’t have a light rail option to travel to Vancouver for his meeting with the premier. He could have relaxed and gone over his notes, instead of being stuck in traffic…..
Who should run the Interurban? A recommendation.
Now a recap of the earlier posting, Who should run the interurban?”
TransLink
TransLink has been against the ‘return of the interurban’ from the start and the recent study done by an engineering firmAi??Ai??that had no background in modern LRT was predictable. Why would you consider commuter rail on a route that was not designed for standard passenger cars, but for light-rail in a form of an interurban? TransLink knows this, yet preceded with a transit study that was not only questionable, but next to useless. If the study was so good, why do another (after the election)? Traditionally TransLink has thought of LRT as a poor-man’s SkyTrain that has inferior service, even believing that just by building with SkyTrain, will attract about double the ridership. Funny though, TransLink never offers any studies that would substantiate this claim. But TransLink is the regional public transit operating authority and maybe compelled to plan and operate the interurban.
A South Fraser Transportation Agency
The new interurban service may herald a new South Fraser Transportation Agency to run public transit South of the Fraser River, from Delta or SurreyAi??Ai??to Chilliwack. Certainly when South Fraser taxpayer’s, faced with large property tax (read TransLink tax) increases to pay for very expensive ‘metro’ in other municipalities, may want to walk away from TransLink and even ‘Metro” Vancouver. In the very near future, the municipalities with RAV and/or SkyTrain, may have to pay the full shot! A new South Fraser Transportation Agency may be created out of the chaos and wish to plan for and operate much cheaper light-rail, in its various forms, instead.
Southern Railway of BC
As the proposed interurban service will operate on largely S.R.R. trackage they may be asked to run the service. Who knows better how to run a railway than those who run railways. Certainly if the interurban connects to Vancouver proper, via the existing Fraser River Rail Bridge, the S.R.R. will be asked to negotiate pathways (with historical rights going back to the BC Electric) with the CNR and Burlington Northern Santa Fe, to operate the service. The S.R.R. may be asked to run the interurban as a separate subsidized service for the provinceAi??Ai??Ai??Ai??or TransLink or evenAi??Ai??operate the interurban as a private venture. The S.R.R. maybe veryAi??Ai??interested in operating the interurban, light-rail, and tram-trains as the operation maybe a successful template for the E&N railway on Vancouver Island and many other short line railways.
TransLink & BC Transit
The Province of BCAi??Ai?? may operate the interurban, strictly for political reasons, through BC Transit. BC Transit is TransLink’s older brother and has a dubious history with modern light-rail, which TransLink inherited, but may be compelled to by the transportation ministry and the Minister of Transportation.
An opinion by Zweisystem.
Both TransLink and its earlier cousin BC Transit have never wantedAi??Ai??to plan for or operate light-rail and their entrenched anti-LRT stance makes both organizations unsuitable. BC Transit was once in partnership with Bombardier Inc. to sell SkyTrain abroad and there are several other close connections to the light-metro/SkyTrain lobby. The problem is simple; operating modern LRT may embarrassingly expose their published biases about light-rail and embarrassing bureaucrats is a major political no-no; let us not forget Gerald Fox’s shredding of TransLink’s business case for the Evergreen Line and the silence from the “Ivory Towers” on Kingsway.Ai??Ai?? Both organizationsAi??Ai??could not be trusted to plan and operate any LRT project in the region.
A South Fraser Transit Authority is intriguing, but a long way off and I doubt that a new transit organization would want to take on the Interurban which leaves the Southern Railway ofAi??Ai?? BC as a very good contender.
Even thought the SRR of BC is a freight carrier,they have good experience with operating railways andAi??Ai??would understand signalingAi??Ai??nuances and track up-grades needed for safe operation of tram-trains and freight trains. A bonus for the SRR of BC is that they are also involved with the E & N Railway on Vancouver island and the same passenger rail solutions could be used in that locale as well. In an era where transit organizations are beginning to realize that cheap ‘rail’ transportation solutions are desirable, a successful Vancouver to Chilliwack Interurban could provide the very solution needed elsewhere in North and South America. The management of the SRR of BC may even embrace the idea of tram-train operation and sell their expertise abroad, with the Fraser Valley and the SRR of BC being the very centre of a 21st century public transport revolution -Ai??Ai??cheap rail transit!
Anyone can build a metro at $150 million a km. or more, one just hires the experts to design and build it; only true ‘rail’ experts can build modern LRT (tram-train) on the old BCE Interurban route for $10 million a km. or less.
An European view of light-rail in North America. Is it time for a new definition of LRT?
The following maybe of interest on why LRT projects in Canada and the U.S.A. seem toAi??Ai??cost more than new European installations and some (Seattle is a good example) have more in common with light-metro, than what manyAi??Ai??people would callAi??Ai??light-rail. It seems in North America, what is called LRT, is really light-metro and real LRT has been ignored. Are we stuck forever in 1970’s planning?
From the LRTA blog.
While it might appear that tramways are being built on the heaviest corridors, remember that “light rail” in the States is very much
like a Metro might be elsewhere. Ai??Ai??Take Calgary, for instance. Ai??Ai??Virtually all the route is segregated, much is built in a wide median
(NE line) much appears to have been built on a disused railway line (S line) and the NW line appears to have been built alongside a
freeway or major arterial road. Ai??Ai??It has several tunnels, stations are more like main line stations in the UK, with escalators,
lifts, bridges over the adjacent roads. Ai??Ai??Think Docklands Light Railway grown up a bit. Ai??Ai??Then there is the 7th Street section – on
street yes, but all other traffic has been cleared out except for a few bus routes – can’t actually remember seeing a bus there!
High level platforms in the street, no problem. Ai??Ai??Very successful, but hardly light rail by UK standards.When the light rail revival started in Canada and the US, their eyes were on Europe, and especially Germany, where at the time the
great idea was bury the trams – put them underground – and the U2 had been developed for Frankfurt. Ai??Ai??Stadtbahns were the go, and the
idea has carried over. Ai??Ai??Only now is the traditional tramway – the streetcar system, coming back into focus.Not for nothing do the Yanks refer to their light rail systems as operating “trains”.
Regards
Dudley Horscroft
Who Should Run The Interurban?
Who should run the proposed interurban service from Vancouver to Chilliwack? This is an important question that must be addressed before any operation is to commence.
TransLink
TransLink has been against the ‘return of the interurban’ from the start and the recent study done by an engineering firmAi??Ai??that had no background in modern LRT was predictable. Why would you consider commuter rail on a route that was not designed for standard passenger cars, but for light-rail in a form of an interurban? TransLink knows this, yet preceded with a transit study that was not only questionable, but next to useless. If the study was so good, why do another (after the election)? Traditionally TransLink has thought of LRT as a poor-man’s SkyTrain that has inferior service, even believing that just by building with SkyTrain, will attract about double the ridership. Funny though, TransLink never offers any studies that would substantiate this claim. But TransLink is the regional public transit operating authority and maybe compelled to plan and operate the interurban.
A South Fraser Transportation Agency
The new interurban service may herald a new South Fraser Transportation Agency to run public transit South of the Fraser River, from Delta or SurreyAi??Ai??to Chilliwack. Certainly when South Fraser taxpayer’s, faced with large property tax (read TransLink tax) increases to pay for very expensive ‘metro’ in other municipalities, may want to walk away from TransLink and even ‘Metro” Vancouver. In the very near future, the municipalities with RAV and/or SkyTrain, may have to pay the full shot! A new South Fraser Transportation Agency may be created out of the chaos and wish to plan for and operate much cheaper light-rail, in its various forms, instead.
Southern Railway of BC
As the proposed interurban service will operate on largely S.R.R. trackage they may be asked to run the service. Who knows better how to run a railway than those who run railways. Certainly if the interurban connects to Vancouver proper, via the existing Fraser River Rail Bridge, the S.R.R. will be asked to negotiate pathways (with historical rights going back to the BC Electric) with the CNR and Burlington Northern Sante Fe, to operate the service. The S.R.R. may be asked to run the interurban as a separate subsidized service for the provinceAi??Ai??Ai??Ai??or TransLink or evenAi??Ai??operate the interurban as a private venture. The S.R.R. maybe veryAi??Ai??interested in operating the interurban, light-rail, and tram-trains as the operation maybe a successful template for the E&N railway on Vancouver Island and many other short line railways.
The Province of BCAi??Ai??& BC Transit
The Province of BCAi??Ai?? may operate the interurban, strictly for political reasons, through BC Transit. BC Transit is TransLink’s older brother and has a dubious history with modern light-rail, which TransLink inherited, but may be compelled to by the transportation ministry and the Minister of Transportation.
The question of who will operate the proposed interurban is an important one and must be answered before the first tram-train operates. At this point of time Zweisystem will not give his preference but let the reader ponder four options or, if he/she wants, offer their own.
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