Subways Cost, Cost, Cost

Some transit blogs seem to think that building a subway is easy peasy , costing only a little more than a surface operation. This train of thought comes from a grand ignorance of subway construction and operation; with Translink’s grand subway plans based on the myth that subways carry more people. As we all know […]

Adios the MK.1’s?

It seems TransLink is reading the Rail for the Valley blog and is worried that Bombardier Inc. has folded the Innovia Metro line into the existing Movia Metro Line of vehicles and that Innovia production may cease cease altogether. With the aging pygmy size MK.1 cars working two to three times harder to carry the […]

Troubles at Bombardier = Troubles for Metro Vancouver

The Metro Vancouver mayors may soon foolishly acquiesce to the mayor of Surrey’s demand to build with SkyTrain instead of light rail. Foolish, because they will remain tied to one supplier and will have to dance to the tune of Bombardier Inc., when and if new cars are ordered. Bombardier has ills with its rail […]

Waitng For SkyTrain And Other Fairy Tales

When one is conned, very seldom will one admit to being conned. Well, the good burghers of Langley are being conned by the new mayor of Surrey and by their lack of due diligence, will condemn Langley residents with congestion, gridlock, and very poor transit options. SkyTrain is not coming to Langley. The evidence is […]

Common Sense Transit Planning From Patrick Condon. Oh, Yes And From Rail For The Valley

Hats off to Professor Patrick Condon for this! The mayor of Surrey may wish he had kept his mouth shut about light rail and SkyTrain. Oh, he will get his toy train to Fleetwood, no doubt, but after that fiscal reality will hit like a Tsunami. From the Tyee Dear Surrey Mayor McCallum. Congratulations on […]

Transit, Past The Point Of No Return

The mayors council has now voted to proceed with SkyTrain. “What fools we mortals be”, quoting the great bard. What the Mayor’s Council on transit did vote for is a mediocre SkyTrain extension, that really goes nowhere , demanded by the ravings the aged mayor of Surrey. What has happened is that SkyTrain may be […]

TransLink Fails Transit 101: Articulated Cars

True to form, TransLink and the mainstream media haven’t a clue about SkyTrain or SkyTrain vehicles. A news story on CKNW radio as well as other media sources claimed erroneously that the MK.3 rail cars are articulated. The new MK. 3 cars are not articulated, they are gangwayed, allowing communication throughout the four car train […]

Remember, Remember The 13th Of December

The next Mayor’s Council on Transit meeting is on December 13 and a very important meeting indeed. At this meeting the Mayor’s Council on Transit will decide on the fate of Surrey’s LRT project. The SkyTrain Lobby is worried (the number of spam emails has increased tremendously) that common sense may reign and the decision […]

Has The SkyTrain Flip-Flop In Surrey Derailed?

Ah, the realities of political promises as the new Mayor of Surrey has now discovered; a very big $514 million problem. Even the most ardent of SkyTrain supporters, except for the tin foil hat brigade, realize SkyTrain costs a lot more to build than light rail and even may concede it costs more to maintain […]

Dated Thinking From A Dated Mayor

Dated transit thinking comes from SkyTrain, because light-metro is a dated transit system. There is no backbone for transit, except for a network of transit lines and only if it is designed properly, designed for the needs of its customers and not the electoral needs of politicians. One $2.95 billion SkyTrain does not a backbone […]