Game Changer, The Autonomous Tram

  This will be a game changer for transit and especially for Vancouver, where politic ans love driverless transit. What this means is that the concept of driverless transit systems must be put on expensive elevated guideways or even more expensive subways, will fade to the history books as the autonomous tram will have the […]

A Matter Of Perspective

What is interesting with this story is the matter of perspective comparing Vancouver and Toronto. In Toronto, the 504 streetcar servicing carries around 80,000 riders a day in 2018. In Vancouver, where a subway is being proposed for Broadway, as far as Arbutus and with some promoters wanting it to terminate at UBC; in 2012 […]

If the SkyTrain News Fits, the Globe & Mail Will Print It.

So, where are the important stories about SkyTrain and transit Ms. Bula? Any mention that Transport Canada’s Operating Certificate for the Innovia SkyTrain system (Expo and Millennium Lines), limits capacity to 15,000 pphpd? No? Have you ever penned a story about how the Expo line is worn out and much of it’s existing infrastructure needs […]

The SkyTrain MK. 3 – The End of an Era?

  The new Mk.3 car is really a tarted up Mk.2 car, with one noticeable difference, the MK.3 sets now include a powered “saloon” vehicle, gangwayed at both ends. This will enable TransLink operate 3-car trains. The problem with the proprietary SkyTrain is that they cannot operate larger cars than the present MK.2’s do to […]

The Sum of Zwei’s Fears – Part 2

A fiasco is brewing  in Surrey, as the cost for LRT construction is now exceeding $165 million/km! Is it by design, by TransLink, who wish to continue building with SkyTrain? Is it by devious planning by other City of Surrey, piling on massive infrastructure costs on the light rail project? Is it nothing more than […]

The Sum of Zwei’s Fears – Is The Surrey LRT Project, A Utility Renewal Project With Rails?

It seems Surrey’s LRT project is in reality a road and underground utility renewal project with rails, hence the massive construction costs. Are these road and renew weal projects needed? Was the Hawthorne Park Road needed? No. Do the underground utilities need replacing? Probably not. It is the cancer of light rail projects in North […]

Like it or Not, LRT is Coming To Surrey!

Not really news if one knows light rail. Like it or not, modern public transit is coming to Surrey and the SkyTrain Lobby are kicking and screaming all the way, why? The fear, I believe, is that there is great fear that when modern LRT operates in Metro Vancouver, “apples to apples” comparisons will be […]

Signal Failure – The Achilles Heel of a Driverless Light Metro

Portend of what is going to be more and more common on SkyTrain, signal failure. As our SkyTrain ages, more and more service is disrupted by signal or a switch failure and with almost no redundancy in our transit system, the results for the transit customer is a fiasco! The lesson is simple, the more […]

Talking Though One’s Hat – Doug McCallum on SkyTrain

Talking through one’s hat,  definition: Talk nonsense; especially on a subject that one professes to be knowledgeable about but in fact is ignorant of. This is exactly what former Surrey mayor and current morality candidate, Doug McCallum is doing. As  Mr. Cow, our expert from Ontario, said; ” You can expand SkyTrain to  Langley, there […]

The Whiterock King George Whalley LRT – Revisited & Updated

First published in 2011, the concept of the Whalley King George Whiterock Line, operating in conjunction with the Rail for the Valley’s Leewood Study TramTrain would bring an affordable and successful 21st century public transportation solutions to Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley. It has has been seven years year since I entertained the idea […]