A Very Close Call – The Public Needs An Inquiry

Poor maintenance can be traced to TransLink’s dire financial ills. Sadly the mandarins running TransLink do not seem to be acquainted with the nuances of maintaining the railway and the SkyTrain light-metro system is a railway. Track switches are an integral part of the railway and must be constantly maintained, yet TransLink seems to have […]

Very Light Rail for Victoria?

On CHEK News this afternoon was a rather long piece on Ultra light rail for Victoria and Zwei sees a problem. What was being pitched was an Ultra Light Rail system and not the Very light rail system, being proposed for Coventry, though using photos of Coventry’s Very Light Rail proposal. When a promoter of […]

Gold Plated Union Contract For A Gold Plated Transit System

Hmmm – election coming and a fear of of another transit strike, well what can a government do? Give transit workers a “gold plated” union contract. TransLink, despite claims otherwise, is run by the premier’s office. All major TransLink decisions must have the approval by the Premier of British Columbia and this union contract is […]

Carbon Emissions Are Lower for Rail – UK Study.

Interesting study from the UK comparing rail travel to plane travel. As Canadian politicians and bureaucracies are basically anti-rail, if they wish to be honest about global Warming and climate Change, this pampered group of plutocrats must have a serious discussion about passenger rail in this country, including the elimination of short haul flights. Carbon […]

Eby And The NDP Have Missed The Train

It seems Premier Eby and the NDP have been left behind at the station with this. With two railway projects that would have set BC as a leader in “Green” transportation, Premier Eby and the NDP continue to promote Greenhouse gas projects with new highway and tunnel construction: in other words, good old “rubber and […]

Stanley Park Train Fiasco – The Truth Is Not Out There

A C.P. Huntington Train, made by Chance Rides, being shipped to a customer.   The Stanley Park miniature railway fiasco demonstrates the mindset of Vancouver politicians including incompetence, hubris and dishonesty. The fact of the matter is that the Vancouver Parks Board wanted rid of the train and they let it rot until it failed […]

User Freindliness In Berlin

In Metro Vancouver, again and again, one hears calls for the light metro system to operate 24/7. It cannot, or put in another way, it can but it would increase maintenance costs considerably and TransLink is near broke. The reason is quite simple, automatic or driverless operation. Simply, the light metro system need preventative maintenance […]

Same Opportunities – Same Excuses

Light rail is not a panacea, but it is a proven method in reducing auto traffic, something those promoting SkyTrain cannot claim. Building with trams opens an opportunity for not only providing a user-friendly and environmentally- friendly alternative to the car, the mode offers an almost universal transit mode as the modern tram can operate […]

And Then There Was Six

Alas, poor SRT! I knew of it, TTC: A system of infinite cost, of most expensive fancy: It hath taken us more than thousand times; and now, how abhorred it is! My gorge rims at it. Here, it cost much money, I know not how much. Where be your new systems now? Your LIM’s so […]

The Rail Renaissance In Europe.

As Europe is rediscovering travel by rail, in Canada rail travel is treated with disdain, yet in the age of Global Warming and climate change, the train is making a strong comeback for travel. It is my contention, that when federal and provincial politicians and bureaucrats are banned from taking planes for travel under 1500 […]