April 11 – Highway 1 Day of Action

*BANNER MAKING WORKSHOPS* coming up – Abbotsford, date/time TBA (check back) Want to help make some history? “Rail For The Valley” and “Better Transit, Not Freeways” Present… April 11 – HIGHWAY 1 DAY OF ACTION Gateway to what?! On Saturday, April 11, from 11:00am to 1:00pm, join with others across the region in hoisting banners […]

Can trams (the interurban) operate with passenger and freight trains? They can in Germany!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsdJPaih0Fw] To everyone who says that the interurban can’t operate on existing railways or share tracks with freight trains, this U-Tube video from Karlshrue Germany should be watched. If the Germans can do it, so can we!

Brouhaha over bridge (Abbotsford Times)

This article in the Abbotsford Times today by Rafe Arnott (excerpt): Rail For The Valley spokesman John Buker said, “This is a seriously flawed project – with or without a private partner. “It seems the government has been hypnotized by this project, and wishes to plow ahead regardless of rapidly changing circumstances.” Buker said people […]

Who should run the Interurban? A recommendation.

Now a recap of the earlier posting, Who should run the interurban?” TransLink TransLink has been against the ‘return of the interurban’ from the start and the recent study done by an engineering firmAi??Ai??that had no background in modern LRT was predictable. Why would you consider commuter rail on a route that was not designed […]

An European view of light-rail in North America. Is it time for a new definition of LRT?

The following maybe of interest on why LRT projects in Canada and the U.S.A. seem toAi??Ai??cost more than new European installations and some (Seattle is a good example) have more in common with light-metro, than what manyAi??Ai??people would callAi??Ai??light-rail. It seems in North America, what is called LRT, is really light-metro and real LRT has […]

Who Should Run The Interurban?

Who should run the proposed interurban service from Vancouver to Chilliwack? This is an important question that must be addressed before any operation is to commence. TransLink TransLink has been against the ‘return of the interurban’ from the start and the recent study done by an engineering firmAi??Ai??that had no background in modern LRT was […]

The Bistro Tram – Is it the right menu for the interurban?

Two previous postings – http://railforthevalley.wordpress.com/2009/03/02/why-the-valley-interurban-must-service-abbotsford-international-airport-yxx/Ai??Ai??and – http://railforthevalley.wordpress.com/2009/03/01/why-the-valley-interurban-must-service-vancouver/Ai??Ai??talk about long distance rail travel from Vancouver, East to Abbotsford, YXX, and Chilliwack and one must think of amenities for the transit customer. The proposed interurban service must be user-friendly from the start, to gain a solid consumer base and a ‘Bistro‘ car, serving light refreshmentsAi??Ai??maybe the ticket […]

Why the Valley Interurban Must Service Abbotsford International Airport (YXX)

To be successful, a transit system or transit line must serve popular destinations in order to generate ridership, the notion that transit customers will take ‘rail’ because it is just there is wrong. In order for successful interurban service it must serve destinations where customers want to go and Abbotsford International Airport (YXX) is a […]

Why the valley interurban must service Vancouver.

The current thinking is that the proposed valleyAi??Ai??’interurban’ service terminate at Scott road SkyTrain station and this is a big mistake. Lest we forget the majority of interurban customers will want to go to Vancouver and forcing them to transfer to SkyTrain will add at least 30 or more minutesAi??Ai?? to their journey. What is […]

B.C. on the hook for $3.3-billion Port Mann bridge

The Ministry of Transportation announced today that the Port Mann P3 has failed, and B.C. will now directly fund the bridge construction. Globe and Mail article here. The B.C. taxpayers will be taking all of the risk, if traffic on the bridge is less than forecast. What this means is….. If the government does invest […]