Will This Be The End Of The Innovia Light-Metro?

Bombardier Inc. is in big trouble.

The company lost Montreal’s tailor made tender for its REM light-metro project and continues to be late in delivering trams to Toronto and combined with a sundry of other problems has, made the Bombardier product a piranha.

If Bombardier lays off a good number of its employees at its railway plant, there is a very good chance they may mothball niche transit products, such as LIM powered Innovia light-metro.

If the Innovai production line is mothballed or dismantled, I doubt it will be reactivated.

This means no more new cars for the Innovia SkyTrain, unless another company designs and builds a LIM version compatible light-metro.

The recent announcement by TransLink to purchase cars in the near future, will mean nothing, if Bombardier does not have a production line to make them.

Memo to Premier Horgan: It is called the perils of a proprietary railway.

Bombardier may lay off hundreds at its Quebec railway plant if no orders come in

Company was recently excluded from contract to supply trains for Montreal’s light-rail

The railway division of Bombardier Inc. says losing out on a large electric train contract in Montreal may force it to lay off workers this fall at its plant in La Pocatiere, Que., unless it wins some new contracts.

Spokesman Eric Prud’homme describes the situation for the facility as perilous once the contract to make new subway cars for Montreal’s metro system ends.

He says it is “five after midnight” for the plant over the next 12 months, putting at least half of the plant’s 600 jobs on the line.

Local elected officials and workers are calling for an emergency meeting with Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard on the future of the plant.

They asked Couillard Monday to update his recent comments that there would soon be work and other contracts for this site, even though Bombardier was not selected for the contracts of the Metropolitan Express Network (REM).

The Quebec multinational was excluded from the contract to supply trains, which was won by a consortium involving Alstom Transport Canada and a subsidiary of SNC-Lavalin.

No local content requirement was set by CDPQ Infra, the subsidiary of Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec, which is leading the $6.3-billion project.

Bombardier also lost out last year on a contract to build cars for Montreal’s commuter transportation network, which ordered 24 new train cars from the China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation after lowering Canadian content requirements to 15 per cent from 25 per cent in prior contracts.

Prud’homme says La Pocatiere could benefit from an extension of the Montreal Metro contract, which is replacing aging cars on only half the subway network.

 

Update: Bombardier gets rebuke from major shareholder.

A Year Later And TransLink Has Not Learned – Desmond Must Be Fired

“It’s Kind Of Like Building A Subway Station On King For A Fraction Of The Cost.”

As Toronto’s Kings street streetcar reinvents itself as LRT, good things happen.

But, as always with something new, people will complain, especially some restaurant owners who no longer can park their cars in front of their places of business.

If public transit is to work, it must be given priority over other transportation modes and unfortunately, parking.

Light rail, when built properly gives metro style servcie at a fraction of the cost.

Streetcar travel times continue to improve as pilot goes on, city says

ByAi??Kate McGillivray ,Ai??CBC NewsAi??Posted: Feb 16, 2018 4:04 PM ETAi??Last Updated: Feb 16, 2018 4:04 PM ET

Horgan’s Great Blunder, The Pattullo Bridge Affair – A Complete Lack of Foresight

Foresight:Ai??The ability to predict what will happen or be needed in the future.

The announcement for the Pattullo Bridge replacement, by Premier Horgan, displayed a complete lack of foresight for transportation needs in Metro Vancouver.

The key to improving regional mobility in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley is a new railway bridge crossing the Fraser River, as the current decrepit, single track rail bridge crossing the river has long needed replacing.

The GVRD knew this back in the 70’s but with the forcing of the SkyTrain proprietary light-metro on the GVRD, all commonsense planning departed the region.

SkyTrain is far too expensive to build much past Surrey and lacks the flexibility to achieve much in reducing gridlock, which leaves the region withAi?? “Hobson’s Choice” (a choice of taking what is available or nothing at all) of using existing railways or no improvement in regional transit.

The current SkyTrain Lobby fail to understand this and presently they they are lost in a transit ennui, with visions of SkyTrain everywhere.

Sadly, they seem to have the Premier’s ear.

For Premier Horgan, an announcement of a combined road/rail bridge would have been a winner, both by providing a much needed replacement for the Pattullo Bridge and improving rail access across the Fraser River with an eye on future transit needs.

As it stands, Premier Horgan and the NDP’s lack of foresight has just given the Fraser Valley a massive slap across the face and no chance of wooing the Fraser Valley voter in future elections.

A Massive Conflict of Interest

Oh, what tangled webs we weave……..

The big news today is not the forthcoming announcement by the Premier and Minister of Transportation replacing the aged and decrepit Pattullo Bridge, with a new $1.6 billion bridge, rather it is revelation that so-called due diligence panels of handpicked experts who were hired to review TransLinkai??i??s business cases.

Included in the due diligence panels was a former SNC Lavalin Executive, yet SNC Lavalin hold the Engineering Patents for the ART Innovia proprietary light-metro system! In fact the due diligence panel, to review the TransLink business case for both the Broadway subway and Surrey’s LRT were filled with SkyTrain and light-metro types.

Even more disturbing, no one with any expertise with modern LRT, was on the panel.

As for TransLink’s Business Cases for transit projects, they are a joke, the Evergreen Line’s business case was easily shredded by transit expert Gerald Fox and the business case for the Canada Line allowed a subway to be built with just more than half the capacity needed to justify a subway!

A missive conflict of interest now hangs over both rail transit projects, abetted by Premier Horgan and Minister of Transportation Claire Travena.

The fix is in and with the Broadway Subway and the Surrey LRT, as the recommendations from the due diligence panels were censored from the briefing notes.

As Gerald Fox observed:

So I went back and read the alleged ai???Business Caseai??? (BC) report in a little more detail. I found several instances where the analysis had made assumptions that were inaccurate, or had been manipulated to make the case for SkyTrain. If the underlying assumptions are inaccurate, the conclusions may be so too.

And concluded:

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.

Common sense would derail both projects immediately, but building transit was never about common sense, it was and is by political diktat from the Premier’s Office; to build what the premier wants built. What the premier wants built is the political deal he or she cut with SNC Lavalin and Bombardier Inc. the patent holders of the proprietary ALRT/ART Innovia light-metro system.

This is the stuff how FastFerry fiascos begin!

Exclusive: A new Pattullo Bridge for $1.6B, but Broadway Subway and Surrey LRT costs remain secret

Bob Mackin

The cost of the new Pattullo Bridge is pegged at $1.6 billion, according to a mid-October briefing note to the NDP minister responsible for TransLink.

Premier John Horgan, Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Claire Trevena and Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Selina Robinson will green light the New Westminster-to-Surrey spanner on Feb. 16. They are expected to announce the government, not TransLink, will be responsible for replacing the decaying 80-year-old bridge. A source close to the project also told theBreaker that the contract to build the new bridge is expected to include a community benefits clause that may require, among other things, a quota of aboriginal apprentices.

Aritstai??i??s rendering of the new Pattullo Bridge (TransLink)

The briefing note, obtained by theBreaker under the freedom of information law, was written after the government received TransLinkai??i??s business case for the new four-lane bridge, which would be expandable to six lanes. Jan. 1, 2023 would be the target for opening.

ai???The Mayorsai??i?? Vision indicated that the bridge replacement would cost approximately $980 million,ai??? said the briefing note to Robinson. ai???TransLink currently estimates the Pattullo Bridge replacement would cost approximately $1.6 billion.ai???

The project is not eligible for funding from the Public Transit Infrastructure Fund, but TransLink was exploring options with the federal infrastructure bank and Trade Transportation Corridor Initiative. Horgan and Trevena threw TransLink a curveball last summer when they kept a campaign promise and abolished tolls on the Port Mann and Golden Ears bridges.

ai???TransLink is also looking for a subsidy to replace the tolls that were eliminated Sept. 1,ai??? said the briefing note. ai???The transit authority had been counting on tolls to pay for up to two-thirds of the cost of the new Pattullo, which was estimated at about $1 billion in 2014. The amount of the subsidy has not been determined.ai???

Late last year, Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan was voted to replace Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson as chair of the Mayorsai??i?? Council and a member of the TransLink board of directors. Corrigan suggested the Pattullo be the top priority, before TransLink builds the Broadway subway or Surrey light rail transit.

The cost estimates for the two rail projects were censored from the documents provided to theBreaker. However, one of the briefing notes was created Dec. 14 and quotes a Dec. 13 story by theBreaker about the ongoing cost secrecy.

Under the heading ai???Escalating Costs,ai??? an aide to Robinson summarized theBreaker story that was headlinedAi?? ai???Mayors got secret update last year on TransLink mega project costs, but kept public in the dark,ai???

ai???The story is based on internal documents released through FOI that suggest the estimated costs for the megaprojects have risen significantly. Final costs will not be determined until TransLink submits its final business cases and will be shared publicly when they are approved (estimated late February).ai???

In 2014, the Surrey project was estimated at $2.21 billion and Broadway $1.98 billion. TransLink warned that costs have increased due to rising costs of property, labour, materials and equipment.

A briefing note said that $300,000 is being spent on so-called due diligence panels of handpicked experts who were hired to review TransLinkai??i??s business cases. The panels were struck in January 2017 to review what is officially called the Surrey L Line and the Millennium Line Broadway Extension.

ai???The focus of each panel was to review current alignment, geotechnical considerations, design and methods of construction; property acquisition; costs estimates; and formation and content of business case in relation to Treasury Board expectations,ai??? the briefing note said.

Former SNC-Lavalin executive vice-president James Burke and ex-B.C. Deputy Finance Minister Peter Milburn are on both panels. Engineer Les Elliott is the third member of the Surrey panel, while veteran SkyTrain construction engineer and transit tunnelling specialist Jeff Hewitt are on the Broadway panel.

Their recommendations were censored from the briefing notes.

GCP-2017-74550-Mackin.pdf by BobMackin on Scribd

Metro Madness – Does TransLink Understand The Issue Of Subway Maintenance?

Subway maintenance costs are an issue that TransLink and the regional mayors have not even considered.

As subways age, they cost a lot to maintain. The TTC has put the cost just to operate and maintain 5 km of subway, at $40 million annually and just gives a hint of maintenance costs to come for TransLink.

If costs are deferred, like many transit operators do, the problems are compounded until so bad that the subway line has to be closed down altogether for repairs.

Vancouver already has the Canada Line subway, but as it ages, much money must be spent to maintain it, but in the future, how will those costs affect the rest of the transit system.

The Broadway subway, if built, will be another maintenance time-bomb for TransLink, yet subway maintenance costs have been completely ignored by all.

Memo to John Horgan; Claire Travena; and David Eby; not only is the Broadway subway a “FastFerry” project on steroids, the huge maintenance costs of this “White Elephant” project will haunt the NDP forever!

 

Md. shuts down entire subway system for emergency repairs

Posted on February 12, 2018

As sections of the Metro SubwayLink are repaired and made available for use, MDOT MTA will evaluate a partial reopening of the system.

MDOT/MTA

Anatomy of a Rail System Shutdown, Reconstruction ai???Safety is our top priority,ai??? said Quinn. ai???With bus bridges, we will be able to do the necessary rail repairs to reopen our system as quickly as possible while still providing our customers with critical access to work, school, medical facilities, and leisure activities.ai??? “On behalf of our citizens who rely daily on the Metro SubwayLink system for their transport needs, I want to express our gratitude to the Hogan Administration for this emergency funding we requested to provide dedicated buses that will travel the Metro SubwayLink route,ai??? said Mayor Catherine E. Pugh. ai???It is important that we do everything possible to mitigate the inconvenience of prolonged disruption of the Metro SubwayLink service.ai??? Category: Latest News, News Articles, Opinion, Reference Material / Education, SkyTrain and the Canada Line, zweisystem · Tags: Broadway subway, Canada Line, NDP, subway, Vancouver Civic Maturity Comes With Light Rail Posted by zweisystem on February 12, 2018 · 3 Comments  Light Rail, brings with it, civic maturity. This civic maturity puts the transit customers before political friends; it puts financial reality ahead of political prestige; it puts the public interest as a whole, ahead of car drivers and even business owners. Light rail focuses on good transit and good planning, which in the future will make the city vibrant and livable. Metro Vancouver sees no such transit maturity at all. The anti-LRT crowd, offer cliched “fake news” and “alternative facts” about modern light rail ad naseum, but fail to mention that no one actually wants to build with their pet Innovia SkyTrain and/or the classic white elephant, Canada Line, also lack the maturity to understand modern public transit philosophy. Metro Vancouver builds transit because of political deals made by the Premier of the day and executed by a neutered TransLink, for the benefit of Bombardier Inc., SNC Lavalin, land developers and land speculators. In Metro Vancouver, the transit customer does not count as transit is designed to move money, not people. In Toronto, with the introduction of new low-floor modular trams, comes the next step of upgrading the heritage streetcar network to a 21st century light-rail standard and already, ridership has increased, as transit customers like the changes. Of course there will be problems and of course some businesses will find the changes challenging. Car drivers are finding out that they also must give way to better transit, a lesson that is unheard of in Vancouver, where car drivers are forced off roads, without any noticeable improvement in transit at all! The result, gridlock reigns in Metro Vancouver. As for TransLink, their puerile “rah-rah” media friendly news releases claims are just that, claims, as evidence point to the opposite, people are avoiding transit. The continued abysmal planning for SkyTrain; the continued planning for ‘rapid transit’ on routes that do not have the traffic flows to support it, shows a genuine immaturity with transit planning. TransLink, the City of Vancouver and the metro Vancouver mayors have shown no signs of maturity, in fact they treat transit like a child’s Christmas train set, very expensive for what it does and then lose interest soon after ‘daddy’ sets it up Christmas Day! Memo to metro mayors: Grow up and be adults;Ai?? do what is right and not what your political bagmen tell you to do. After timid rollout, Toronto’s King Street project enters pivotal phase City planners dreamed of transforming the crucial roadway in the core, but some ideas were later shelved for being too radical Oliver Moore Published 2 days ago Updated 2 days ago When the King Street pilot was first envisioned, it was about more than speeding up streetcars. City planners dreamed of transforming the crucial roadway, discouraging drivers in favour of transit and adding dynamic public space that would reshape theAi??corridor. Instead, the city “shelved” broader plans to improve the look and feel of King Street, nervous that being too radical would bring political and public opposition. The project was launched as a transit initiative that did little to improve what planners call the publicAi??realm. The city then found itself on the defensive as business opposition mounted, forcing staff and politicians to scramble for ways to head off critics and add elements that would bring life to theAi??street. Observers say the response ai??i?? including escalating offers of free parking and a restaurant promotion announced, then discarded ai??i?? could have been avoided if the city had started with more comprehensiveAi??changes. “There are components of the public-realm plan that were sort of shelved, and very clearly those components of the public-realm plan are a critical part of the success,” said former chief planner Jennifer Keesmaat, who left the role two months before the projectAi??launched. “I think that there was some fear about taking the pilot too far too quickly, but it’s kind of like one of those situations where you can’t just dip your toe in the water. You’re either in the water or you’re out of the water, but you can’t be halfwayAi??in.” In November, the city eliminated street parking and prohibited continuous vehicle traffic on King Street from Bathurst to Jarvis. Transit ridership is up, but some businesses complain of big drops in customers. Now, after three months, the year-long project is entering a pivotalAi??period. The worst of winter should end soon, likely bringing more people outside to use the street. The financial district’s business improvement area (BIA) has been surveying its members before it takes a public position on the pilot. A coalition of civic and residents’ groups has begun promoting KingAi??Street. The popular musical Come From Away returns to a King Street theatre next week, and is expected to draw thousands. Around the same time, the city is planning to release credit card sales data that will help show whether businesses are, in fact,Ai??suffering. The Globe and Mail canvassed more than 140 businesses throughout the pilot area and the responses did not suggest the street is deserted, as some opponents insist. But impacts vary widely. While most respondents said business dropped after the pilot launched, around one-third reported it being flat orAi??improved. For the rest of the story…… Category: News Articles, Opinion, Politics, Reference Material / Education, zweisystem · Tags: Broadway light rail, Broadway streetcar, infrastructure, King Street tram, light rail, Patrick Condon, Surrey, Totonto, tram, trams, transit, Translink, TTC, Vancouver Dublin’s LUAS 55 Metre Tram Posted by zweisystem on February 8, 2018 · 1 Comment  It has been said that longer trams are cheaper to operate than a coupled set and with the Dublin LUAS 55 metre long trams, sets a new standard in the British Isles and Eire. Whether the ancient streets and bridges can handle the beasts is another issue altogether. Teething problems abound, but a quick comparison with the Canada Line proves interesting. The new trams will increase capacity on heavily used routes to over 7,600 persons per hour per direction, with the trams capacity of 380 persons at 3 minute headway’s. The best, the much more expensive Canada Line can manage to do is 6,520 pphpd in the peak hour at 3 minute headway’s and unlike the LUAS LRT, one cannot just add another body module on the non articulated metro cars on the Canada Line! Imagine one traveling down Broadway…….. Category: Latest News, News Articles, Opinion, Politics, Reference Material / Education, zweisystem · Tags: Broadway light rail, C-train, LRT, LUAS, Patrick Condon, streetcars, tram, trams, transit, Translink Election Season Is Near – Abbotsford Mayor Proposes LRT For The Fraser Valley Posted by zweisystem on February 7, 2018 · 6 Comments  In BC, when election time nears, politicians are looking for issues to garner votes. In the Fraser Valley, traffic chaos grows with population, with the obvious results – gridlock. Rail for the Valley has an affordable plan, yet it fell on deaf ears and still does. The key word is “affordable” because if a plan is affordable it is doable and BC politicians do not like that at all, as they prefer to sit moribund in their taxpayer paid offices and council chambers, traveling to and fro on the taxpayers dime and do absolutely as little as possible, except at election time! The old saw about LRT in the median of Highway 1, is being used as an election gimmick, but the promoters of the scheme forget one important fact, the cost and by going “greenfield’s” construction is hugely expensive proposition, with costs almost on the same scale as SkyTrain light-metro construction. The LRT in the median plan also means it will be very hard to utilize and the vast majority of customers will have to transfer at least two times to use it. Estimated cost for a 65 km Vancouver to Abbotsford Calgary style LRT @ at a very conservative $100 million/km to build – $6.5 billion! The Rail for the Valley plan is the superior plan because it is affordable and services far more destinations for transit customers. Today’s cost for a 130 km Vancouver to Chilliwack diesel LRT or light DMU,Ai?? service (a train every 60 minutes each direction), serving, downtown Chilliwack, Sardis, Huntington (for the Abbotsford Airport), Abbotsford, Langley. Cloverdale, North Delta and Vancouver with many destinations within easy walking distance of the line, is under $1 billion. The real reason is revealed for the Abbotsford Mayor’s LRT pitchAi?? is; “At the very least, Braun said congestion is bad enough to the valley that the highway should be widened.” The mayor of Abbotsford as shown no “great conversion on the road to Damascus” for LRT, rather a pitch to get Hwy. 1 widened, so more traffic can use it, creating even more congestion and gridlock. The Alstom RegioTram, would make for an excellent transit servcie for a Vancouver to Chilliwack rail servcie. Light rail to the Fraser Valley? Abbotsford mayor says itai??i??s not ai???pie in the skyai??i?? By Janet Brown Senior Reporter Ai??CKNW Abbotsfordai??i??s mayor is floating the idea of building light rail transit (LRT) down the middle of Highway 1 between Surrey and the Fraser Valley to alleviate congestion. ai???No I donai??i??t think itai??i??s pie in the sky, I said that 20 years ago,ai??? Henry Braun told Global News. Braun says traffic is so bad on the stretch of highway between the two areas that it is actually faster to travel using the back roads. ai???Itai??i??s taken me as long as two hours to get from [Abbotsford] city hall to downtown Vancouver.ai??? With the region talking transit mega projects, Braun is now arguing his city should be included. Heai??i??s proposing the LRT line be constructed using the space between east and westbound lanes. ai???The median should be an LRT surface-based transit system like Calgary and Edmonton,ai??? Braun said. Braun is not the first person to float the idea of a light rail service to the Fraser Valley. Transit advocates have previously floated the idea of reviving the old BC Electric Railway Interurban line, which ran from New Westminster to Chilliwack until the 1950s. Braun didnai??i??t propose how the line would be funded, or say whether he thought it should be administered by TransLink or BC Transit. But he said while itai??i??s clear that the federal governmentai??i??s transit priority is on the major urban centres, itai??i??s time to get the same discussion going on at the local level. At the very least, Braun said congestion is bad enough to the valley that the highway should be widened. ai???The freeway was built when I was 14 years old,ai??? Braun said. ai???Iai??i??m now 67 and the freeway is still the same.ai??? Category: Latest News, News Articles, Rail for the Valley, Reference Material / Education, TramTrain, zweisystem · Tags: Abbotsford, Chilliwack, cost per km, demonstration project, Diesel LRT, economic stimulus, Fraser River rail bridge, Fraser Valley, infrastructure, Interurban, Langley, light rail, NDP, passenger rail, rail for the valley, Surrey, track-sharing, tram, trams, tramtrain, transit, Translink, Vancouver SkyTrain Ka-Put Again Posted by zweisystem on February 6, 2018 · 8 Comments  For a proprietary transit system that is supposed to have a remarkable operational reliability, it is breaking down an awful lot lately. Could it be that SkyTrain is not as reliable as certain people would have us think? Sadly, SkyTrain is demonstrating the perils of an aging proprietary railway. Stalled train creates SkyTrain delays during afternoon rush by Hana Mae Nassar Posted Feb 5, 2018 5:02 pm PST Last Updated Feb 5, 2018 VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) ai??i?? A big headache for those trying to take the SkyTrain this afternoon. Expo Line SkyTrain service has been stopped between Waterfront and Commercial-Broadway St Stations because of a stalled train by Main Street-Science World. According to TransLink, a bus bridge has being set up to help commuters, but all downtown Vancouver stations are being closed to help alleviate congestion. Canada Line and Millennium Line service is unaffected. Transit Police officers and additional staff have been called in and are on the platforms to help manage crowds during during the afternoon rush.   Update 5:36 pm VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) ai??i?? Service is slowly resuming on the Expo Line SkyTrain after a stalled train shut down operations between Waterfront and Commercial-Broadway stations this afternoon. Stations are still dealing with crowds of people, and TransLink is asking for patience. Expo Line SkyTrain service had been stopped between Waterfront and Commercial-Broadway St Stations because of a stalled train by Main Street-Science World. A bus bridge had been set up to help commuters, and all downtown Vancouver stations were closed toAi??help alleviate congestion. Category: Latest News, News Articles, Reference Material / Education, SkyTrain and the Canada Line · Tags: Expo Line, skytrain, Surrey, transit, Translink, UBC SkyTrain « Previous Page Next Page » Disclaimer: Opinions expressed on the blog are the opinions of the writers, and are not official positions of Rail For the Valley. We welcome submissions from the community. If you would like to submit an article for consideration, please contact us at info@railforthevalley.com. 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