Light rail cheaper than buses – study

UBC Prof. Patrick Condon and Kari Dow have come to the startling conclusion that when you add capital costs together with operating costs, light rail is actually cheaper, per passenger per km, than any type of bus, and that Skytrain is the most expensive by far. This is very significant for the Fraser Valley, because […]

Karlsruhe Light/Heavy Rail Track-Sharing System

Here is a good article, from Railway-technology.com, that describes the Karlsruhe Model of track-sharing: Karlsruhe Light/Heavy Rail Track-Sharing System, Germany “Close to the French border in south-west Germany, Karlsruhe in Baden-WA?A?rttemberg was the first European city to implement track-sharing for light and heavy rail vehicles. The ‘Karlsruhe Model’ is considered the reference point for similar […]

Langley left out

More coverage today, in the Langley Times: Rail group pans TransLink plan and this very blunt editorial by Frank Bucholtz: Langley left out.

Why we build with LRT

What is Light Rail Transit or more commonly known as LRT? According to the Light Rail Transit Association (www.lrta.org) Light rail is a mode that can deal economically with traffic flows of between 2,000 and 20,000 passengers per hour per direction, thus effectively bridging the gap between the maximum flow that can be dealt with […]

Langley not in rail study

Langley not in rail study (Langley Advance) “Rail for the Valley says Langley is being railroaded when it comes to a study of local transit options…” Jordan Bateman is also quoted. He seems to think the study will seriously look at the Interurban. If that were the case, wouldn’t Langley be included in the study […]

Brian Lewis: Transit boss’s credentials starting to show

Is Translink REALLY going to give honest consideration to light rail on the Interurban route? Brian Lewis seems to think so. He really likes their new CEO Tom Prendergast: Brian Lewis’s Province column yesterday Excerpt: “…after listening to Prendergast yesterday, my gut feeling says: Don’t count this guy out. He’s a consummate transit professional, as […]

LANGLEY COMPLETELY LEFT OUT OF TRANSIT STUDIES (press release)

The following press release was sent out today, in response to the provincial government’s announcement today of transit implementation studies:

Today, the province and Translink announced implementation studies for rapid transit lines to UBC and to Surrey (see link). According to the provincial Transit Plan, the estimated cost of these expansions is $2.8 billion (UBC) and $1.1 billion (Surrey), assuming elevated SkyTrain is chosen. This would work out to $180 million/km for the line in Surrey and more than $200 million/km for the UBC subway line.

Rail for the Valley on CTV

John Vissers and Abbotsford councillor Lynne Harris did great on CTV. Check out the video here: