The new Port Mann Bridge – A bridge too big!

The provincial governments announcement of a new 10 lane bridge, replacing the Port Mann bodes ill for implementingAi??Ai??good transportation planning for the Fraser Valley. The real winners are the ‘roads lobby’, the trucking industry, and the land developers, as the announced bridge caters directly to their demands. What theAi??Ai??new bridge does show, is the utter […]

Rail for the Valley: not a left-right issue

In my experience, people on the left sometimes assume Rail for the Valley must somehow be a left-right polarized issue, because of the governing provincial Liberal party’s foot-dragging on such an obvious no-brainer as re-establishing interurban light rail service for the Fraser Valley….. in this time of increasing road traffic, higher gas prices, and concerns […]

Light-rail on Number 10 Highway & The Langley Bypass – An Alternative route to the Valley.

The Light Rail Committee have long advocated for “The return of the Interurban” for the Fraser Valley, as a cost effective way of extending ‘rail’ transit to Langley, Abbotsford and Chilliwack. The LRC advocates that instead of following the original rights-of-ways completely, alterations to the original routeAi??Ai??must be considered to give the ‘interurban’ 21st century […]

Langley, Surrey mayors push for light rail funding

Thanks to the South Fraser Blog for pointing out this article in the Langley Advance about the federal budget: Langley Township Mayor Rick Green said he is not sure that all the money will go to “shovel ready” projects. Some of the projects may be a couple years away from starting construction, Green said. Green […]

Rail for the Valley "the single most popular idea"

UPDATE: More coverage, see this editorial in the Surrey Leader: Keep the momentum An article by Jeff Nagel, appearing in Black Press newspapers throughout the Valley The Lower Mainland needs new rail transit lines and amenities ranging from better bike routes to theatres and teen centres. And don’t forget about housing. Those are among the […]

Tram-Train trials in Sheffied UK, should our politicians have a look?

Tram-train, where light rail vehicles can operate on tram (streetcar) or regular railway tracks, is getting a lot of interest around the world. The reason? It’s cheap to install and operate. Our politicians and transit bureaucrats should investigate tram-train operation, especially for the interurban before squandering billions of dollars on politically prestigious transit projects like […]

The Charleroi Pre-metro, the metro that was built and they didn’t come! A short history on failed transit planning.

One ‘metro‘Ai??Ai??system that every proponent of the SkyTrain light-metro ignores is the Charleroi pre-metro. In Belgium traditional LRT is known as ‘trams‘, LRT built as a light-metro is known as pre metro. Pre metro has much in common with SkyTrain, including segregated rights-of-ways and large stations with escalators, etc. The Charleroi MA?Ai??tro is famous for […]

Getting Value for Money – Diesel Light Rail Transit and LRT in Ottawa

AnAi??Ai??interesting comment about the successfulAi??Ai??Diesel LRT operation in Ottawa. ‘Rail for The Valley’ must support Diesel LRT to start passenger service in the Fraser Valley as it negates the need for expensive electricalAi??Ai??overhead or catenary. Certainly if ‘demand’ increases to the point of 15 minute or 10 minute operation, then electric LRT can be considered […]

Abbotsford wants light rail

The Abbotsford public wants light rail! (didn’t we already know this?) And according to newspaper feedback, clearly there is a clamouring for the return of the interurban – AND WHY NOT – we could have an initial regular service, inexpensively, within 2 years. I think the public understands that the Interurban track is not “the […]

Catenary-Free LRT!

The following item was sent to the Light Rail Committee and maybe of interest to those promoting modern LRT for the ‘Valley’. One of the main complaints against light-rail is that itAi??Ai??collects electricity from an overhead wire using span wires connected to lamp posts (Vancouver’s trolleybuses) or from a Catenary.Ai??Ai??The most common method is by […]