Tracks to the Cities

Light Rail for Liveable Cities A UITP POSITION PAPER http://www.uitp.org/sites/default/files/cck-focus-papers-files/01%20LIGHT%20RAIL%20FOR%20LIVEABLE%20CITIES.pdf In countries where tramways had survived the massive closures of the 50ai??i??s and 60ai??i??s, e.g. Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, many remaining systems have been modernised and upgraded and may now be called ai???light rail systemsai???. In many other countries, where tramways had disappeared from the streets, […]

Subway cost per mile nearly 9 times higher than for light rail, says study

Recent study results of subway-LRT investment costs posted on the Light Rail Now (LRN) site provide a sobering reality check on the cost issue. http://austinrailnow.wordpress.com/2014/02/15/subway-cost-per-mile-nearly-9-times-higher-than-for-light-rail-says-study/ Projects examined were an assortment of “recent urban rail projects (all from the 2000s), either completed or well under construction and fully budgeted.” The report lists 24 subway and 13 […]

LRT South of the Fraser

A pleasant surprise in the Delta Optimist, Zwei’s home town paper, a light rail friendly article. Though I hate the term Light Rapid Transit, because I believe it is used deliberately to misinform people. The comment by Delta-Richmond East MP Kerry-Lynne Findlay, the minister of national revenue; “the fund is aimed at projects that have […]

TransLink, Act 5

Alas, poor TransLink, I knew it Ken. As the Vancouver Sun article alludes to the fact that, we paid a lot of money for vanity rapid transit projects and that my friends is why TransLink is in the financial glue it finds itself in today. Zwei has known this for a long time and only […]

The ULI Land Developers Want A Subway – Surprise, Surprise, Surprise

From a group that claimed it would not talk about mode, the the Urban Land Institute, backs a subway and says “avoid light rail”. Zwei knew from the beginning this was nothing more than an elaborate set up to support Vancouver’s demand for a subway and to further support the almost discredited policy of ‘densification […]

SkyTrain ills

Oops, the transit system that never breaks down, according to the SkyTrain lobby was on the fritz again.Ai?? A stuck train caused transit chaos Wednesday afternoon, not a train that has broken down, mind you, a stuck train (glue on the tracks?). Well, trains normally don’t get stuck but when that do in the case […]

Liz James Takes On The TransLink Referendum

The fiery independent columnist Liz James is one of the few scribes that is willing to take on the TransLink behemoth with other than the political correctness that follows the issue. David Cockle, mentioned in Ms. James piece, is the very same David Cockle who did the famous Leewood/Rail for the Valley Study….. ….. and […]

Congestion Crisis

Well Zwei told you so, the failure to plan for an affordable public transit alternative for the car has helped create this crisis and no one in charge seems to understand what the real transportation problems are in the region. While Victoria and regional mayors squabble about who is going to tax whom and by […]

The Land Developers are Coming to Town

The problem it seems is that the Urban Land Institute seems to be more interested in land development more than anything else and certainly do not seem to be transit experts as the news article portrays them to be. On the thorny question of what kind of technology the line should use ai??i?? SkyTrain, light […]

Score: HUB $157,300.00 – Rail for the Valley $0.00

The title refers to the $157,000.00Ai?? HUB (a non-profit cycling society) gets from the cash strapped TransLink. The lesson to be learned is that many people who are nay-saying light rail in Vancouver and/or posting anti tram nonsense are members of HUB, which I think, puts them in a conflict of interest. One could say […]