Rail For The Valley Knew

Well, Rail for the Valley has been sounding alarm bells on this issue for at least seven years, but we were mocked and then ignored by the powers that be.  From January 28,2022: The Mayor’s Council’s Delusions Of Grandeur in 2050 – Where Is The money? January 12, 2022: Troubles At TransLink? December 10, 2021: […]

Six operators award joint contract for up to 504 tram-trains

This is big news and certainly shows the European confidence in TramTrain. The cost per car is somewhat steep (CAD $9.85 million) but it includes 16 years (and up to 32 years) of maintenance. This means the operators would be saved the cost of a mid life rehab! Also this highlights the advantages of group […]

A Comparrison Of Operating Costs – Revisited

If one took the ‘Way-back’ machine to the late 1980’s, the argument that SkyTrain was cheaper to operate than LRT would show the massive propaganda campaign to give the public a positive view of the proprietary ALRT light-metro. This is because it was forced upon the region by the Social Credit government of the day. […]

The Battery Hybrid Diesel

  The battery-diesel hybrid, seems a far better bet for regional railways than hydrogen fuel cell electric trains. With battery-electric trains, the trains can operate on diesel in the country and on electric in urban areas. Also important, battery-diesel hybrid  trains do not need expense of hydrogen fuel as the cost to make hydrogen is […]

Rail For The Valley – We Told You So Dept.

Rail for the Valley told you so months ago! The 16 km Expo Line extension to Langley is now a provincial project. This is what happens when a TransLink project becomes over one billion dollars short of funding. This is what happens when the premier of the province makes construction a politcal promise. This is […]

Montreal Light Metro Ills. Updated!

The current transit problem in Montreal is REM light metro problem. REM is more of a financial tool for Quebec’s Caisse de Depot, who have gained much experience with Vancouver’s P-3 Canada Line light-metro, than a user-friendly transit system for Montreal. Let us remember that the Canada Line, has only 40 metre long station platforms […]

Burnaby Jumps On the Gondola Bandwagon

Further proof that our regional politicians live in la,la land. Burnaby politicians want a $210 million plus gondola going to SFU. For added insult the gondola lobby is playing the environmental/global warming card, which is sheer utter nonsense. What Zwei sees is a municipal quid, pro quo between the three largest cities in metro Vancouver […]

The Mayor’s Council’s Delusions Of Grandeur in 2050 – Where Is The money?

One has to just laugh at this tawdry attempt pre civic election spin for the regional transit system. It also highlights the media’s lack of investigative reporting, as they treat dreamy news releases as “breaking news”. The following quote exemplifies the Mayor’s Council’s delusions: Among the improvements and goals, the plan includes additional projects to […]

Another Abandoned UK Passenger Line Is Set to Reopen – Why Not The E&N?

Another long a long abandonment of passenger services, the once called Ivanhoe line is set to reopen for passenger service. The Leicester–Burton upon Trent line is a freight-only railway line in England linking the Midland Main Line south of Leicester to the Cross Country Route at Burton-on-Trent. The line closed to passengers in the 1960s. […]

Good News Everyone! Updated.

In our local ongoing transit debate the SkyTrain lobby and those who are just anti-LRT pointed fingers at Ottawa’s new transit system’s teething problems as a failed LRT line. For two years, local politicos and the media happily reported even minor problem and mishap with Ottawa’s light rail line while at the same time ignoring […]