So, Who Says That No One Builds With LRT Anymore
Over the weekend, I happen to hear a federal politician wannabe claim that; “No ones builds with light rail anymore” and went on to prattle about BRT and how it could carry impossible loads of people and subways because “everyone else builds them”. Did every politician running for office sleep through their math classes? It seems so, because they constantly back very expensive transit alternatives, yet nay-say the worlds most popular urban rail mode, modern LRT.
Oh, by they way, just how many buses are needed to move 15,000 persons per hour per direction and you really need more trams to accomplish the same thing?
Read a book my friend, read a book on the subject; fact is indeed stranger than fiction when it comes to public transit in Metro Vancouver.
Monday, August 24, 2015
Light rail market set to grow by 4%
WITH an increasing number of cities constructing light rail networks in response to growing urbanisation, and ageing fleets up for renewal, the market for LRVs is expected to grow at 4% per annum over the next five years, according to the latest market study by SCI Verkehr.
The regions contributing most to this growth are North America, Asia, and Africa and the Middle East, where many cities do not have light rail systems and where the construction cost of metro networks is deemed too expensive, with the United States and China in particular experiencing high growth.
SCI Verkehr expects that around 1300km of new lines will open up to 2020 compared with 2014 and a further 1000km by 2024.
The replacement of ageing fleets rather than new line construction is expected to sustain growth in Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The current market volume for new vehicles is ai??i??2.5bn per year and around ai??i??3bn for after-sales service. The European market is expected to grow by less than 2% per year, while impressive growth rates of 7-17% are expected in North America, Asia, Africa/Middle East and the CIS up to 2019.
Bombardier, Alstom and Siemens continue to lead the supply market. However, their cumulative share has fallen to 44% in 2010-14 compared with more than 60% from 2000 to 2007 as medium-sized and local companies pick up more and more orders. In particular, CRRC has secured significant market share due to orders from its domestic Chinese market, while Pesa and CAF have won notable international contracts.
To order the full report, visit www.sci.de.
The two main reasons for LRT (trams) are to reduce diesel exhaust emissions which are poisonous at high concentrations (BRT routes) and to reduce road congestion from buses clogging up the roads. So, to argue in favour of BRT (b-lines) putting buses on the roads to clog up the roads and diminish the air quality is asinine, in my mind.
Each students on the U-Pass only pays $38 monthly or about 7% of the cost of transit in relation to the three zone pass costing $170 monthly for adult transit users (costing about $510 monthly for TransLink to provide). Approximately one-half of all transit users in Metro Vancouver are on the U-Pass program (130,000 post graduate students riding for virtually free).
How can any sensible person regard the conversion of students who are going to be walking or cycling and leading a healthy lifestyle without subways, s-trains and b-lines by TransLink into deadbeat and lazy transit users with subways, s-trains and b-lines by TransLink: a success? In what way, by putting students on the subways, s-trains and b-lines to inflate ridership on transit without any regard for transit’s social and environmental impacts: increased carbon emissions, air pollution and transit costs?
I wouldn’t stress about it too much, it is election season after all (say it like Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Elmer Fud). “Its rabbit season, no, its duck season, no, its election season, FIRE!” Smoke clears to reveal half blown up federal politician wannabes all saying, “Your despicable!”
That is my tribute to 1950’s and 60’s Warner Brothers Cartoons and their cartoon creations intellectual equivalents, federal government election candidates.
You are letting me down for news. Sacramento and Phoenix opened extensions recently and the Orange line in Portand and NAIT line in Edmonton will be opening soon.
Zwei replies; Sorry medical emergency for the past 2 weeks.
Oh my, I hope everything is OK!
Zwei replies: I am on the mend!