Caen Opens Its New 16km, $373 Million Tram/LRT System

The new 16.2 km tramway in Caen, France has opened after a nineteen month build. Granted the new tramway has used the the previous trouble prone, 15.7 km,  TVR rubber tire guided bus line, which opened in 20o2 and abandoned in 2017. The Euro €260 million (CAD $373 million) tramway opened six weeks earlier than […]

Trams At The Heart Of The 21st Century Metropolis

With nearly 600 tram and light rail systems in operation around the world, this is hardly surprising. With Vancouver being the odd-ball city, insisting that the light-metro is the way to go, taxpayers have to have extremely deep pockets, to pay for the politicians  foolish financial excesses. During an era of record investment in urban […]

Holiday Post – The Modern Tram

Here are some pictures of trams in operation around the world.          

Trams Around The world

In Metro Vancouver and its surrounds, there is a definite lack of knowledge of the modern tram. This lack of knowledge is illustrated by both politcal leaders and the mainstream media who treat the modern tram with disdain and prefer more photo-op ready light-metro, due to its appeal when ribbon cutting happens. Sadly there is […]

The Best Public Transportation Have Trams. Vancouver Does Not. Why?

Ah yes, if we were to believe TransLink and the Mayor’s Council on Transit, Vancouver’s unprogressive mayor, Vancouver is the envy of the transit world with our SkyTrain rapid transit system. A recent news item listed the top fifteen city transportation systems and twelve of the cities have trams or LRT or both, with some […]

Quebec city & Montreal Getting LRT, Why Is Vancouver Sticking With The Dated SkyTrain?

Strange world isn’t it. Both Montreal and Quebec city are getting new tram lines, yet Vancouver’s politico’s still want the hugely expensive, yet dated ART Movia Light-metro, which one one else around the world wants? Contrary to what the mayor and councils from Vancouver and Surrey claim, it seems the good mayor of Lachine, Mayor […]

ION Opens – Canada’s New Light Rail

Kitchener’s new LRT, ION, is now open! Stage 1 ION LRT, 19 km for $865 Million. Stage 2 ION LRT, 18 km for $1.25 Billion. Let’s see, 37 km of LRT $1.895 billion, sounds like a deal with the $3 billion, 5.5 km ART Movia metro Broadway subway or the short $1.65 Expo Line extension […]

Trams – The Way Of The Future

As the debate over trams/LRT and or proprietary light metro intensifies, let us look and modern trams in operation around the world. Today, there is over 600 tram/light rail systems in operation or nearing completion, around the world. Only seven of the proprietary ART Movia light-metros have been built in the past 40 years and […]

Trams Are Green – Subways Are Not!

From the response from the previous post with about lawned rights-of-ways for trams, I offer more glimpses of what modern LRT should look like in Metro Vancouver and in any city considering modern light rail. Think of tram routes as linear parks. Think of Vancouver with many linear parks, providing fast and efficient public transport. […]

Lawned Rights-of-Ways Revisited

One item that the SkyTrain lobby are loath to show, is lawned rights-of-ways for modern LRT and I wonder why? Even in parched Australia, lawned tram track is being laid. But it is in France, where lawned tram track is de rigueur, making the tram a part of the cityscape and not an eyesore. The […]