Global News Spotlights SkyTrain’s Ills

To say I am gobsmacked is an understatement, Global News actually had a rather negative story about SkyTrain, which convinces me some pointed questions about the proprietary railway are circling in Victoria. Everything about SkyTrain, from it being forced onto the region in the early 80’s, the NDP flip-flop of the Millennium Line and forcing […]

How Do You Spell Rotten – T-R-A-N-L-I-N-K

Local independent reporter has been tearing into TransLink and the TransLink story seems to go from bad to worse. Where is the Vancouver Sun? The Province? Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition? With Transit, there are so may rotten apples in the barrel, it is time to throw it all out. From Business in Vancouver…… TransLink should […]

In Toronto Developers Want Light Rail and Not A Subway!

Something new. In Toronto, developers want light rail and not an expensive subway to replace their life expired SkyTrain Line, the Scarborough R/T. What should be of interest is that the ridership on the proposed LRT/subway route, is more than the proposed SkyTrain subway under Broadway. Maybe Vision(less) Vancouver would rethink their grand Broadway subway […]

Vancouver Blunders Ahead With Its Vanity Project.

Well, Vision(less) Vancouver is blundering ahead with its much cherished $3 billion subway under Broadway and our feckless politicians South of the Fraser remaining willfully blind to this billions of dollars boondoggle. One would think they would be more in tuned with the costs of this massive project. Surrey has been bought off with its […]

Mr. Haveacow – The Ridership Question

Christopher MacKechnie Transit Expert is a transit planner and lawyer and writes for the About.Com website as their go to guy on public transport. The About Public Transport.Com site answers some basic questions and issues in transit operation and planning in an easily understood accessible way. Most of his articles, are pretty basic and are […]

In The International News

Some interesting news items from abroad.   An interesting Australia Government paper on long term trends in public transport. Some interesting comments have been made by an Australian observer: It can be clearly seen that the Sydney tramways were the all-time record-holding giant of any Australian public transport system and never bettered since by any […]

Bombardier Inc. Gets Quebec Financing

Bombardier Inc. has had some recent finance problems with their aerospace division and is using its rail division as collateral so to speak. They better make money nowAi??because if they don’t perform the CDPQ will own 42.5 % after 5 years. What does it mean for us on the West coast? Definitely more pressure to […]

Paving Paradise – Has the Premier Washed Her Hands of Public Transit?

The grossly overbuilt Hwy 17 & 99 interchange. Why build just one overpass, when you can build three? This is the legacy of the BC Liberals: gold plated highway and bridge construction, designed to funnel huge portions of taxpayer’s money into the pockets of corporate friends. As pointed out many times before, the Expo, Millennium, […]

Calgary Transit launches 4-car C-Train service; capacity to increase by 33%

Calgary Transit launches 4-car C-Train service; capacity to increase by 33% http://globalnews.ca/news/2337414/calgary-transit-launches-4-car-ctrain-service-capacity-to-increase-by-33/ Today, Calgary’s C-Train is carrying over 333,000 passengers a day and is the most heavily used new build LRT system in North America. No wonder the SkyTrain lobby hate the C-Train so much! Also worth noting that modern LRV’s being delivered to Calgary, […]

Port Mann Fumble

The Port Mann Bridge is a prime example where a government replaces a perfectly good bridge with a multi billion dollar vanity project. Other examples were the Expo Line, the Millennium Line, the Canada Line, the Fast Ferries, and most recently the BC Place retractable roof. With the Port Mann Bridge vanity project, would it […]