Here We Go Again – TransLink’s Cunning Method of Manipulation

The problem with TransLink is that you can never believe what it says; TransLink never produces a report based on the same set of assumptions.” Former West Vancouver Clr. Victor Durman, Chair of the GVRD (now METRO) Finance Committee. One hates to keep reminding people of TransLink’s lack of honesty, but dishonesty continues as nauseum. […]

More Comments On TransLink’s Anti Valley Rail Screed

This reply by our friend, Mr. Haveacow is very much worth reading. There are big problems extending SkyTrain; big problems equals lots of ta money, which equals more taxes and user fees. Like high gas prices, just continue building with SkyTrain. I will add to the professors point, the Hydrogen powered I Lint54, is a […]

A Reply to TransLink’s Anti Valley Rail Screed

Zwei will comment on this and Translink’s rebuttal in the next blog post. Translink has released a report dated June 6 to the Joint Regional Transportation Planning Committee later share with the Mayors Council on Regional Transportation. https://www.peacearchnews.com/news/service-on-interurban-rail-would-be-expensive-miss-key-destinations-translink/?fbclid=IwAR2DqlC_P9oF_JLVhqovE2w9G-BiyITd6xt097Hto5FfPAvy8TA9q6qVpcI It contains a number of misunderstandings and factual errors, some of which are addressed below. * Preamble: […]

TransLink Doesn’t Want Affordable Transit

TransLink, one of the most dishonest and unaccountable bureaucracies in the province, doesn’t want to reinstate the former interurban service. So powerful is TransLink, so totalitarian in operation, the regional mayors, the Minister of Transportation and the the Premier Horgan are deathly afraid of the bureacracy and cower in the shadows. Such power, so abused! […]

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 […]

Stadler Trains For Ottawa’s Trillium Line

This is of great importance for Fraser Valley passenger  rail. The  Stadler FLIRT is a close cousin of the Stadler  GTW tramtrain and like the GTW, the articulated FLRT uses a diesel power-pack located in the middle of the train. The FLIRT DMU is really a five section, articulated diesel rail car, with four sections […]

South Fraser Community RAIL

South Fraser Community Rail South Fraser Community Rail is the latest group joining the struggle to get rail passenger service operating in the Fraser Valley. Instead of TramTrain and its variants, they opted for the hydrogen powered electric train in the guise of an electric multiple unit (EMU) passenger trains.        

Valley Rail Gaining Steam

It’s good news so far. The real trick is to plan for rail properly, which is hard to do in Metro Vancouver, where politicians think they are better at planning for transit than the real experts. It is hard to think any valley mayor and council would be against a viable Vancouver to Chilliwack rail […]

New TramTrains for Manchester?

As interest in TramTrain grows abroad, we are left with Translink’s SkyTrain only planning. The lack of flexibility of SkyTrain will soon hamstring our urban rail system under the weight of massive subsidies and debt serving costs. TramTrain, first designed to make transit more user friendly, by eliminating transfers, now seems to be the affordable […]

Common Sense Transit Planning From Patrick Condon. Oh, Yes And From Rail For The Valley

Hats off to Professor Patrick Condon for this! The mayor of Surrey may wish he had kept his mouth shut about light rail and SkyTrain. Oh, he will get his toy train to Fleetwood, no doubt, but after that fiscal reality will hit like a Tsunami. From the Tyee Dear Surrey Mayor McCallum. Congratulations on […]