Since When KPMG Become Transit Consultants?

The following news headline from the CBC Cabinet ministers met publicly with KPMG while firm’s tax ‘sham’ under CRA probe may pose some questions, but UBC prof. Patrick Condon would like to remind us all that……..   This is the firm UBC and City of Vancouver entrusted our study of the Broadway subway to. Sheesh. […]

When Idiots Run For Election, They Promice Anything!

So the Federal Liberals are promising $2.1 billion for Surrey’s ill designed and poorly thought out proposed LRT and the Conservatives are planning to do the same as well. Don’t these idiots realize that the regional taxpayer rejected this very same LRT line in the plebiscite held last spring? I doubt it as both federal […]

The Boarders Railway Reopens After 47 Years! Leewood/RftV Interurban Is a Bargain!

The Beaching era in the UK saw the dismantling and the run down of Britain’s extensive railway network. Though some railway lines deserved to be abandoned, many did not. The Beaching philosophy was that railways were obsolete, with the exceptions of two trunk lines running North/South and one East/West, all other railway lines, except for […]

Pork Barrel Alert!

Well the TransLink pork barrel continues unabated and the real message this conveys is that the premier only regards TransLink as a dumping ground for Liberal lickspittles. The two appointees have absolutely “0” knowledge about public transit and like good little puppies, will do as they are told. Something like the “Duffy Affair”. Expect no […]

Used DMU’s for RftV?

Even though our local politicians haven’t a clue about the ‘Rail for the Valley’ project, European professionals are, as evidenced by the following letter. Dear Sir and Madam,   HEROS would be able to provide used DMU’s (diesel tram function without toilet but higher platform required) or DMU for regional service (with toilets and steps […]

Over to you Mr. Cow – A View From a Canadian Transit Expert

Haveacow is a Canadian public transit specialist and what he says deserves to be listened to. As he is active in the transit profession in Canada, he would like to keep his real name out of the media. The following is his reply to a post about BRT and contains so much importantAi?? information that […]

The Fiscal Realities of Subways Surface

Taxpayers in Ontario are slowly awakening up to the fiscal realities of modern subway construction, just as their European counterparts did in the 1970’s and 80’s. Little known on this side of the pond, is that subway construction in Europe has almost bankrupted public transit en mass and by the 1990’s subways were only considered […]

What the Bus Boys Don’t Tell About BRT

BRT – BRT is the clarion call from many politicians in the region, yet very few really have a clue what BRT is. Real BRT or bus Rapid Transit is a bus which operates on an exclusive roadway or on a guideway. BRT costs about 70% of that of light rail to install, yet does […]

Is Compass Card Really the first Step to Privatization?

Long predicted, TransLink’s buses will all be “one-zone” fares, leaving those who ride the SeaBus and SkyTrain, pay premium fares. Zwei sees this as the road to privatization, where money losing, politically designed and heavily subsidized bus routes (especially the trolleybuses routes) will be operated by Translink, and the mini-metro system and SeaBus will charge […]

Oh Dear, the Scarborough R/T Replacement Again

Interesting news from Toronto, with the ongoing debate over the replacement of the Scarborough R/T. One would think our Toronto cousins believe that money grows on trees, wanting a a $3 billion, three stop subway line instead of a more convenient $1.8 billion seven stop LRT line. What I find so sad is the absolute […]