Trams on the cheap – Part 2

Another news item from the Light Rail Transit Association (www.lrta.org), dispels the myth that light-rail or streetcars are very expensive to build. Here we have 5 km. of double track, including overhead, costing EUR 15 million or EUR 3 million per km. to build. In Canadian funds, EUR 15 million = CAD $27.75 million or […]

Trams on the cheap!

The following newsAi??Ai??item from the Light Rail Transit Association, in October 2006, should dispel any notion that modern light rail is too expensive to build, with construction costs approaching that of SkyTrain.Ai??Ai?? The equivalent cost of the VA?Ai??lA?Ai??z Malaga tramway today in Canadian fundsAi??Ai??is $30.5 Ai??Ai??million or about $6.6 million per km. to build, including […]

Streetcars – light-rail, what’s the difference?

With the ongoing transit debate, there is some confusion between streetcars and LRT, so what’s the difference? Streetcars are just that, a rail guided transit mode that has the legal right to operate on the public highway. Streetcars in Europe are known collectively as trams, a term dating back over two hundred years, where ‘trams’ […]

Transportation improvements not fast enough

Another column in the Province newspaper today: Transportation improvements not fast enough (Jon Ferry) …And so far the story of Fraser Valley light rail hasn’t been made to sound too compelling, at least to folks in Victoria. The platform hasn’t collapsed, but the train’s still stuck in the station. That’s a pity because, while governments […]

Hey, Mr. Falcon, why do you love SkyTrain?

BC politicians have had a long love affair with SkyTrain and one wonders why? British Columbia’sAi??Ai??politicians love spending billions of dollars on the prestigiousAi??Ai??SkyTrain light-metroAi??Ai??and the mind set is the more you spend on SkyTrain, the better it must be. Friends of the government love SkyTrain/light-metroAi??Ai??(oh yes they are theAi??Ai??same types that balk at raisingAi??Ai??or […]

Surrey Leader Editorial: Keep the pressure on

Frank Bucholz’s Surrey Leader editorial offers strong encouragement to us who are pushing hard for passenger rail service, and holding our government’s feet to the fire. Excerpts: TransLink is starting to get the message, thanks to relentless pressure from South Fraser mayors and community leaders… …There has been a smattering of interest in the idea […]

What is SkyTrain?

Provincial politicians since 1980 have forced SkyTrain construction on the Expo Line, the Millennium Line, the Evergreen Line, and nowAi??Ai??a billion dollar plus extension in Surrey, yet very few people clearly understand what SkyTrain is,Ai??Ai??or whyAi??Ai??SkyTrain is built. Even fewer know that SkyTrain is a light-metro and able to give a definition of the transit […]

Transit study set up to fail? Editorial from the Province.

Transit study set up to fail? Editorial, the Province newspaper, Dec. 17 I f the B.C. government thinks it will score political points with voters south of the Fraser River for its $400,000 Fraser Valley transit report, it should think again. Not only will the study’s results not be ready until long after the May […]

Wally

This excellent post is taken from Nathan Pachal (South Fraser On Trax): In Michigan state, all levels of government and the private sector are coming together to upgrade a 44km section of single track rail to serve as a commuter line between Ann Arbor, Michigan (POP: 341,000) and Howell, Michigan (POP: 9,232). These communities are […]

Canada asks provinces to suggest stimulus projects

Canada asks provinces to suggest stimulus projects As we’ve long pointed out, regular Interurban rail service could be up and running the whole distance between Chilliwack and Vancouver within 2 years, with political will. The Fraser Valley has been clamouring for this service for long enough. It is now time for our provincial politicians to […]