Terence Corcoran: Hey, Vancouver: Just say ai???Noai??i?? to transit tax

Though I am trying to avoid unhappiness with the upcoming transit plebiscite, this item from the Financial Post is well worth a read. What I find interesting, is the following comment; “Even London, a world leader in public transit and congestion charges, is still bogged down in traffic. ai???Traffic jams in London getting worse, ai??? […]

A New Look For Toronto’s SRT Cars.

Toronto’s lonely ICTS (SkyTrain) Line is due to be dismantled within ten years because it is life expired, but with the ongoing seesaw debate to replace the ICTS Line with LRT or a subway rages on. To keep the line operable the existing cars need to be refurbished to keep the line operating for the […]

Prototype battery-powered ai???IPEMUai??i?? carries passengers for first time

Battery powered trains are evolving at a fast pace. For the Chilliwack interurbanAi?? purposes, this sort of train could operate quite well on sections of non electrified track, including the 12.5 section of shared track with the Roberts Bank Railway and the 22 km section from the Fraser river Bridge to the downtown Vancouver Central […]

It is these debt-servicing costs that are contributing greatly to the need for the additional taxes

A little food for thought. From Liz James and the North Shore News. From the North Shore News JAMES: Get facts before marking your ballot Elizabeth James , contributing writer / North Shore News March 4, 2015 – See more at: Emotion will trump facts every time.ai??? ai??i?? Keith Baldrey, North Shore News, Feb. 11, […]

TriMet public approval rebounding

I wonder how TransLink would fare? I guess we will see after the transit plebiscite. PORTLAND TriMet which runs the area’s bus and light rail system is seeing is public approval on the rise despite service issues and financial woes, The Oregonian reports:“Poll: TriMet public approval rebounding despite MAX service problems, ongoing financial challengesBy Joseph […]

The Myth That Everyone Naturally Prefers Trains to Buses

Actually it is not a myth, transit customers do prefer rail to buses. The study does leave out the fact that rail’s operating costs can be much less than buses because the tram can operate in multiple units, thus with one driver carrying more passengers. In the end though, transit customers perceive that BRT is […]

Aussie Companies Ante Up For Trams

Love to see this happen in Vancouver! I wonder if the Board of Trade would be supporting TransLink’s initiative if their members had to come up with $300 or $400 million for transit improvements or if their members had to pay for the extra cost of subway construction under Broadway? Parramatta Powerful corporate syndicate hatch […]

Crystal ball department.

This could be the headline for the metro Vancouver Region is a few years hence.   February 16, 2015 York Region pulls back on infrastructure projects in effort to rein in debt Torstar News Service VIVA Rapid Transit, launched in 2005 to carry residents across York Region. York Region is starting to feel the burden […]

And you think TransLink has problems………

Vancouver is not the only city having financial problems with transit. Toronto is mired in political vanity subway projects and the TTC is steaming full speed ahead into a financial iceberg as well.   The Scarborough Subway and Smart Track are about to collide February 12, 2015 | By John Lorinc Anyone who thinks they […]

Trams that never stop at traffic lights

Trams that never stop at traffic lights could be part of Melbourne’s people-moving future By Loretta Florance ABC News Trams that never have to stop for traffic lights could be the norm in Melbourne in the future, under plans being developed to deal with population growth in the city. For the past seven years, VicRoads […]