If the SkyTrain News Fits, the Globe & Mail Will Print It.

So, where are the important stories about SkyTrain and transit Ms. Bula? Any mention that Transport Canada’s Operating Certificate for the Innovia SkyTrain system (Expo and Millennium Lines), limits capacity to 15,000 pphpd? No? Have you ever penned a story about how the Expo line is worn out and much of it’s existing infrastructure needs […]

The SkyTrain MK. 3 – The End of an Era?

  The new Mk.3 car is really a tarted up Mk.2 car, with one noticeable difference, the MK.3 sets now include a powered “saloon” vehicle, gangwayed at both ends. This will enable TransLink operate 3-car trains. The problem with the proprietary SkyTrain is that they cannot operate larger cars than the present MK.2’s do to […]

The Sum of Zwei’s Fears – Part 3 The New FastFerry Fiasco

It is interesting indeed that Vancouver Sun columnist, Vaughn Palmer is writing about transit and the two massively expensive rapid transit projects, the Surrey LRT and the Broadway subway. With both federal and provincial backing, these two ill conceived projects will cripple transit planning for the next quarter century. In the long term at least, […]

Like it or Not, LRT is Coming To Surrey!

Not really news if one knows light rail. Like it or not, modern public transit is coming to Surrey and the SkyTrain Lobby are kicking and screaming all the way, why? The fear, I believe, is that there is great fear that when modern LRT operates in Metro Vancouver, “apples to apples” comparisons will be […]

Signal Failure – The Achilles Heel of a Driverless Light Metro

Portend of what is going to be more and more common on SkyTrain, signal failure. As our SkyTrain ages, more and more service is disrupted by signal or a switch failure and with almost no redundancy in our transit system, the results for the transit customer is a fiasco! The lesson is simple, the more […]

Talking Though One’s Hat – Doug McCallum on SkyTrain

Talking through one’s hat,  definition: Talk nonsense; especially on a subject that one professes to be knowledgeable about but in fact is ignorant of. This is exactly what former Surrey mayor and current morality candidate, Doug McCallum is doing. As  Mr. Cow, our expert from Ontario, said; ” You can expand SkyTrain to  Langley, there […]

Never Attribute to Malice What Can be Explained by Incompetence – Factbender on Transit

You don’t have to be smart to be the Minister responsible for TransLink, rather you just to have to be a very good BS artist, that’ all. As the LRT or SkyTrain tap dance continues south of the Fraser, many politicians reveal that their knowledge about SkyTrain comes mainly from picture books and not engineering […]

TramTrain – It’s Time To Have A Serious Look At The Leewood Project For a Valley Passenger Rail Servcie

As the Surrey LRT slowly gather’s steam, it seems the regional taxpayer is paying a lot of money for very little. Despite the hype and hoopla about the Surrey LRT, does not do anything really, just provide a somewhat faster trip to the nearest SkyTrain station if you want to cross the Fraser. It has […]

Horgan’s FastFerry – Another NDP Fiasco!

I do not agree much with Vaughn Palmer, but I think he has twigged to the fact not all is right with current transit planning. When Postmedia allows unpleasant news about SkyTrain, one knows things are amiss. The realities of subway construction are coming home to roost and it will be a very unpleasant surprise […]

Much Ado About Nothing

Today’s photo-op with Premier Horgan and Prime Minister Trudeau was nothing more than an attempt to try to boost their flagging political base. Nothing like a re-announcement of a re-announcement to get the rubes all excited. It is also a subtle message to the SkyTrain Lobby in Surrey and the LRT lobby in Vancouver, that […]