TramTrain Expands in Germany

As TramTrain expands in Germany, it is time that the mode is considered for Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island. Why is LRT so popular with transit planners and operators? It is the inherent flexibility of the system and TramTrain has now enabled simple streetcar routes to expand affordably far into the countryside by being able […]

New TramTrains for Manchester?

As interest in TramTrain grows abroad, we are left with Translink’s SkyTrain only planning. The lack of flexibility of SkyTrain will soon hamstring our urban rail system under the weight of massive subsidies and debt serving costs. TramTrain, first designed to make transit more user friendly, by eliminating transfers, now seems to be the affordable […]

How Not to Be left At Station, For A Train That Will Never Come

A letter sent to the Mayor and council’s of the Two Langley’s and Delta, sent by Malcolm Johnston, on Jan. 2, 2019.   “One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we’ve been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We’re no longer interested in finding out the […]

Merry Christmas from Rail for the Valley

A Merry Christmas, From Rail for the Valley and a Very Happy New Year

Common Sense Transit Planning From Patrick Condon. Oh, Yes And From Rail For The Valley

Hats off to Professor Patrick Condon for this! The mayor of Surrey may wish he had kept his mouth shut about light rail and SkyTrain. Oh, he will get his toy train to Fleetwood, no doubt, but after that fiscal reality will hit like a Tsunami. From the Tyee Dear Surrey Mayor McCallum. Congratulations on […]

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 […]

The Whiterock King George Whalley LRT – Revisited & Updated

First published in 2011, the concept of the Whalley King George Whiterock Line, operating in conjunction with the Rail for the Valley’s Leewood Study TramTrain would bring an affordable and successful 21st century public transportation solutions to Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley. It has has been seven years year since I entertained the idea […]

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 […]

The Regional Mayor’s $7 Billion FastFerry Fiasco!

FastFerry fiascos tend to be common in BC, where politicians play the part of transit experts and squander the taxpayer’s money on prestige projects, that are great for ribbon cutting photo-ops, but little more. That Translink’s American CEO applauds this only shows the Mayor’s Council on Transit picked nothing more than a “Useful Idiot” to […]

The Litmus Test

Litmus Test: a test in which a single factor (such as an attitude, event, or fact) is decisive. Premier Horgan’s recent announcement, killing LRT On Vancouver Island all but sentencing the E&N to death, was the NDP’s Litmus test of their commitment on regional transit in the province. The answer, the NDP has none and […]