A Bad News Situation

Kevin Quinn, the American spin doctor, hired by TransLink (a.k.a the provincial government) to bamboozle the taxpayer to agree to anti up more money for the regional transit system is again taken to the media pleading poverty to the provincial government, in order to secure more funding.

He is now blaming the “electric car” for the shortfall. Well, yes there is some fiscal impact of electric cars but he doesn’t mention the free transit for under 12 year olds or the 130,000 or so, dollar a day, unlimited travel U-Pass for post secondary students.

Quinn also forgets to mention the $16 billion, 21.7 expansion for the Expo and Millennium Lines, which operates an obsolete light metro system, the Innovia 300/MALM proprietary railway. Further, he fails to mention that both extensions will operate on routes with insufficient ridership, which will greatly increase operating subsidies.

Fact is, Quinn doesn’t mention how much the Transit system is subsidized, especially the light-metro system. We do know that in 1992, just the Expo Line to New Westminster, was subsidized at over $157 million annually ($301 million in today’s coin!), more than the entire diesel and electric bus operations.

Quinn also ignores any sort of reforms to the regional transit system to make it more user friendly.

Sadly, Mr. Quinn treats the public like a one Mr. Trump treats the public, as rubes.

Back in 2021 I emailed the Engineering Dept. for the MTA to get a quick bio of Kevin Quinn and what i got back was hardly reassuring.

…………………………. you are about to get a new CEO of Translink in the person of Kevin Quinn.  this is a good news/bad news situation.   Good news is we are rid of him, bad news you are getting him. Mr Quinn may be the nicest yes man you will ever meet.  he is very personable and friendly but have yet to actually see him in 6yrs have an opinion of his own.   and if he has any use for light rail he has kept it well hidden. Hopefully you will have better luck than Baltimore, ridership is off (before pandemic) 2% year over year since he took over. good luck

The following photo is rather dated as the cost for the Surrey extension to Langley is now around $7 billion, including OMC#5! A billion here, a billion there, means absolutely nothing for TransLink and the provincial NDP!

And just think, Rail for the Valley’s Leewood Study, could see a Marpole to Chilliwack regional railway with three trains per hour per direction for around $2 billion and attract far more new ridership than the Expo Line extension to Langley.

TransLink facing massive funding shortfall, says CEO

By Kier Junos

City News

Posted November 23, 2024

Last Updated November 23, 2024 4:45 pm.

Speaking at an annual address at the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade Friday, the CEO of TransLink said the transit authority is facing a massive funding shortfall.

Kevin Quinn underlined the importance of keeping up with a booming ridership despite being short billions of dollars to do so.

“TransLink is standing at the edge of about a $4.7 billion fiscal cliff,” Quinn said.

“We can’t just say, hey, keep everything going as it is a year from now. Our region is growing, and I can’t convey this enough to this group, and you’re probably seeing it. You’re seeing it on our roads, you’re seeing it everywhere. Our region is growing at an astronomical rate, and we can’t keep up. We have to meet that growth. We have to meet that demand.”

Quinn highlighted a number of challenges keeping the transit operator from getting up to speed.

“Among the reasons, one of the biggest is the regional shift towards electric vehicles, and even more energy-efficient vehicles,” he said.

“I think every single person in this room recognizes that is great for the environment, but on the flip side, it is depleting gas tax revenue that we use to fund our transit system.”

Transit advocate Denis Agar attended Quinn’s address and says TransLink has proposed great expansions to the transit system.

“But at the end of the day, we need to see how is TransLink’s funding deficit going to be addressed,” said Agar, the executive director of Metro Vancouver Transit Riders.

“We need to see that in the next few months.”

In July, TransLink partnered with PCI Developments on a new mixed-use development at a future Vancouver SkyTrain station at Arbutus and Broadway.

Quinn says this sets a precedent for how the company will get the money it needs.

“This is really big because it marks the beginning of a brand new revenue stream for us, one that we have been searching for and advocating for for some time: leveraging TransLink-owned land to generate income that we can invest right back into our system.”

Agar says that would be great — but only if they had the land to work with.

“Using land development to fund transit is time-tested, all around the world. Hong Kong’s service is funded 100 per cent with land development,” he said.

“But someone needs to give TransLink the land to develop, right? They just don’t have a lot at their disposal. Someone needs to give TransLink something. That’s how land development could fund better transit.”

What is more realistic, he says, is the possibility of someone giving TransLink money in the short term.

“[That’s] probably more likely to happen.”