Has TransLink Ignored SkyTrain Safety by Refusing to Install Sliding Doors at Stations?

The VAL automatic metro in Lille, France has sliding doors at stations to prevent suicides as mandated by EEC rules for automatic metro systems. This begs the question; “Has TransLink ignored this important safety feature to reduce costs for the SkyTrain and Canada line mini-metro systems?” The sad answer is that TransLink finds it cheaper […]

All Roads Lead to Road Pricing

Force TransLink to efficiently and affordably operate the transit system – No. Force the taxpayer to ante up more money through road pricing (another name for a tax) – Yes. The following 1983 quote is from Norman Thompson; CBE, FCA, ACMA, English transit consultant and builder of the (then) world’s busiest subway on the decision […]

Another suicide on SkyTrain

A touchy subject but it must be addressed. A medical emergency is TransLink speak for someone killed by a Skytrain, either by accident or suicide. In most cases some poor soul has decided to end their days by throwing themselves in front of a driverless SkyTrain. For those contemplating suicide, their twisted thinking is that […]

TransLink wants $23 billion to expand transit system

From your wildest dreams department: TransLink wants 23 billion dollars over the next three decades to improve transit. Ha, ha, ha; and this from an organization who has been less than honest about transit since their inception. Really boys & girls, do you still want the public to believe that subways will attract more new […]

The Great Capacity Debate – The USA Versus the World

For the past few weeks, there has been a bare knuckle debate on the LRPPro blog about light rail capacity and it seems in the USA, there is an independent view of capacity. The industry standard for light rail vehicle capacity is all seats occupied and standees @ 4 persons per metre/2. Crush load capacity […]

Coffee and Trams in Bad Wildbad.

Here we have a Karlsruhe TramTrain at a station or stop in BadAi?? Wildbad in Germany. It seems the closeness of the tram line, winding through the town doesn’t seem to excite the locals, including the folks have a coffee at the track side cafe! One wonders, could such an idyllic scene be possible in […]

French Trams Of The Future Could be Surrey’s Too!

I found this Alstom tram of the future quite striking! Designed by Alex Nadal, the tram is a tramtrain, able to operate both on tram (LRT) lines and on the mainline railways.

A New Patullo Bridge Must include A Fraser River Rail Bridge Replacement.

Though, not combined with an auto bridge, the modern railway lift bridge at Dordrecht, Netherlands is a good example of a modern railway lift span. The GVRD in the late 1970’s got it right; the replacement for the Patullo Bridge, must also include a new, multi track rail Fraser River Rail Bridge, replacing the current […]

The Whalley, King George, White Rock Light Rail line Revisited

  It has has been two years year since this post was printed and what TransLink has planned for Surrey are three “poorman’s” SkyTrain type designed light rail lines feeding SkyTrain. TransLink designs new transit lines to increase density; to increase property values for land developers who are generally friends of the government and not […]

Cost Canadian for new light rail construction.

Zwei has always challenged the Skytrain lobby that modern LRT was much cheaper to build than Skytrain, yet the SkyTrain Lobby still tries to make the cost new LRT construction in the Vancouver Metro area much more expensive than is should be. This intentional ‘gold-plating‘ of modern light rail by the City of Vancouver and […]