From the North Shore News – TransLink’s budget woes tied to SkyTrain

Liz James is one of the few media scribes that has actually taken the time to study and understand our “tricky dickey” regional transit, as brought to you by TransLink. With most of the mainstream media in Translink’s pocket, little real news and views are offered and instead a pablum of regurgitated “tax and spend” […]

A Question of Capacity ai??i?? A LRTA Topic Sheet

Contrary to the COV and TransLink, modern LRT can obtain high capacities, on transit routes, by being able to operate at close headways.Ai??Today, the main tram route through the city is being relocated in a subway because the line was seeing 45 second headways during peak hours, giving an nominal capacity exceeding 40,000 persons per […]

The Noviceai??i??s Guide to ai???Railai??? Transit Orai??i??ai??i??ai??i??ai??i?? (Updated)

ai??i??ai??i??ai??i??ai??i??..cutting through the BS about light rail, SkyTrain and BRT. The following is a guide plus definitions about “rail” transit for this coming May’s provincial election. ALM: Automatic Light Metro, the fourth marketing name given for the SkyTrain family of light-metros, when Lavalin briefly owned SkyTrain before gong bankrupt. ALRT (1): Advanced Light Rail Transit, […]

Liz James UpsetsThe SkyTrain Lobby

It seems North Shore News weekly columnist, Liz James has upset the SkyTrain Lobby with her most recent article, “No shortage of projects for the new AGLG“.Ai??Ai??So much so, that an email to Ms. James, from a SkyTrain lobbiest comes very close inAi??libeling her good name.” The fact that Ms. James has been on the […]

Winter Tramway, Light Rail, LRT and ART reliability?

The Cardinal is confident that friends & colleagues in Vancouver will take satisfaction from knowing that European Light Rail & at-grade tramway systems are providing a faultless public service this winter. Images of Croydon (London) Tramlink Ai??Ai??& Manchester Metrolink, are the evidence. Ai?? Ai??A video of Croydon Tramlink services this weekend. Ai??http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Zzak2MHvN0 I hope TranLinkai??i??s […]

Mainz’s Trams Climbing 9.5% Grades

Mainz, Germany has rebuilt its metre gauge tramway as modern LRT, with new low floor cars, etc. Mainz’s LRT has three route with a total mileage of 20 km. Please cue to 5:00 on the following U-Tube video of mainz’s trams climbing 9.5% grades with ease. Mainz Germany  

13.9% Grade in Lisbon – Impossible Claims the City of Vancouver!

Ever see a tram climbing a 13.9% grade? Well now you have! A Lisbon tram climbing the famous 13.9% grade in the city. Please don’t tell the City of Vancouver or its Engineering Department, because they will just just believe you.

SkyTrain is Obsolete, Why Then Doesn’t The SkyTrain Lobby & TransLink Get It?

Two letters in the North Delta/Surrey Leader, one from Daryl Cruz of “SkyTrain For Surrey” fame and a rebuttal from Malcolm Johnston, a contributor to this blog. The assertions by Cruz that “building LRT will cost us billions and billions more than building SkyTrain”, is outright dishonest and comes from a profound ignorance about light […]

Do The SkyTrain for Surrey Lot & The MOT Have A Clue About SkyTrain? Evidently Not!

The following bit of misinformation comes from the SkyTrain for Surrey folks, who seem to continually to embarrass themselves with their ignorance of transit matters. Bombardier Wins TransLink Contract for 28 new Trains TransLink and the Government of BC have signed a contract with Bombardier for 28 new SkyTrain cars, a contract valued at $90.7 […]

New Year Game On

In March & April 2011, the Cardinal wrote two articles for the Blog; `The Emperor has no Clothes and no Transitai??i??Ai?? http://www.railforthevalley.com/news-articles/the-emperor-has-no-clothes-and-no-transit/ Ai??Ai??and `Pushing a wooden stake through the heart of darknessai??i?? http://www.railforthevalley.com/latest-news/cardinal-fang/pushing-a-wooden-stake-through-the-heart-of-darkness/ In the intervening 18 months, little has changed; the Vancouver City Council and Translink have learnt little except that the opposition and […]