A national Rail Strategy Is Needed Now

Global warming is real. Climate change is real. We need an affordable alternative to the car and airplane. Rail is the only answer. Sadly, in Canada government is anti-rail, except when it provides a good photo-op at election time. Railroaded: A National Train Wreck When Transport Minister Omar Alghabra appeared before the House of Commons […]

The Mayor’s Council On Transit – Blah, Blah, Blah

  It is quite apparent that the Mayor’s council on Transit is nothing more than a PR stunt and nothing more, as all major transit decisions are made in the Premier’s Office. The mainstream media’s research for news stories is lacking, because it is the Metro Vancouver (not BC) Mayor’s Council on Transit. TransLink loves […]

The Trillium Line – The Template For Valley Rail and the E&N

Ottawa’s Trillium, often mistakenly called LRT by the media is actually a DMU operation, using existing railway right-of-ways. In fact, the Trillium Line is in no way connected to Ottawa’s troubled hybrid light metro/rail system. The Trillium Line is a single track, with three passing sidings on dedicated rights-of-way shared with Ottawa Central freight trains […]

Switzerland’s Newest Tramway – From the Light Rail Transit Association

Interesting news from Switzerland. I have reprinted this story from the LRTA’s February’s issue Light Rail and Urban Transport to illustrate the cost of a modern European style tramway (LRT). The 13.4 km Limmattalbahn cost €607 million or CAD $884 million or about $65 million a kilometre to build! Compare this with $4.6 t0 $5 […]

Vested Interests

Vested interests: Reason for involvement in an undertaking or situation, especially an expectation of financial or other gain. Vested interests is the real reason for transit planning in metro Vancouver. It is also the reason why the SkyTrain Lobby is so powerful because they are the useful idiots of vested interests. Harsh words indeed. Despite […]

The Broadway suybway Will Sterilize Buisness – Repost

The following news story reminds me of the Cambie St. subway fiasco with the Canada line subway. Fake tears from the city of Vancouver politicians, TransLink and the provincial NDP masquerade the fact that they knew this was going to happen and they do not give a damn about the merchants involved. Vancouver business closing […]

TramTrain – Success Ignored

Rail for the Valley’s goal is the reintroduction of a modern Vancouver to Chilliwack interurban service, using the former and still in use, BC Electric route. This route would provide good rail communication for Vancouver, Cloverdale, Langley, Abbotsford, the burgeoning communities of Vedder/Sardis and finally Chilliwack, with regularly scheduled regional rail service. 15 years ago […]

BROADWAY IS NOT THE BUSIEST TRANSIT ROUTE IN CANADA

Here we go again! It seems trouble is brewing on Broadway and for the sixth time since Jan.1 a media outlet has repeated the TransLink and City of Vancouver’s nonsense that Broadway is the busiest transit route in North America. Well it isn’t and never was and my guess is that TransLink, the provincial NDP […]

Doing The Same Thing Over Again Just Will Not Work

After receiving a number of abusive amount of Emails about the post (all deleted), has indicated to me that most people do not have a firm grounding in modern public transport philosophy, nor a good knowledge of provincial finances. Most forget, that in the end, both LRT and light metro are trains and there is […]

Lack of A Regional Rail Strategy Is An Abandonment of Political Fiduciary Duty

The message was tragically brought home to roost Christmas Eve with the fatal bus crash on highway 97C, the Okanagon Connector, where a intercity bus crash claimed four lives, that the province desperately needs a regional transportation strategy. The provincial government, despite promises to the contrary, have not acted and in fact, seem to be […]