China’s ai???Silkwormai??i?? Tram Unveiled

Our not so friendly SkyTrain Lobby would have us believe that light-metro is being built in quantity in China. Not so fast, as China’s huge city populations would demand large metro operations, not capacity constipated light-metro like our SkyTrain. At the other end of the public transit scale, China is also building tramways or light […]

Counting the Chickens

Bob Rennie is a developer. He makes his money by assembling properties, having the municipal council up-zone the assembled properties to allow higher densities to build his condo’s. Bob Rennie is not a transit expert. Bob Rennie loves expensive rapid transit because he can use it as a selling point for his expensive condos. As […]

The Rapid Transit Density Con Game Exposed

Vancouver’s unique rapid transit/density debate is now fully exposed as a con game and nothing more. TOD or transit oriented development has been the philosophers stone for so many academics, transit, and planning pundits that they remain oblivious to the real reasons to build transit: to move people. TOD has been around for a millennia, […]

The TransLink Debacle – Brought To You In Part, By Mr. Factbender

Nothing new here. TransLink was conceivedAi?? by the NDP to get then GVRD Chair, George Puil on board to support the now renamed (ALRT to ART) Millennium Line. No one in the NDP at the time had any thought of making TransLink independent as control of major transit projects would remain in the Premier’s office. […]

Is Factbender Going To Announce SkyTrain To Langley On Canada Day?

“You are going to get SkyTrain whether you like it or not”, has been the popular refrain from notable BC politicians including Bill Bennett, Bill Van der Zalm, Grace McCarthy, Glen Clark, Joy McPhail, Gordon Campbell, Kevin Falcon and now, Factbender and Premier photo-Op! Only seven built in 40 years!   Is the Minister responsible […]

TransLink’s PR Stunt & Factbender Follies

TransLink is going to review fares. Great, I thought, they are listening to the public, who hold the ossified bureaucracy in high odor, but it was too good to be true as the minister in charge of Transit, Mr. Factbender is rehashing an old idea, create a density tax for new high rise development. But […]

Why the car is winning the commuter war – Simple, it is called SkyTrain

The modern tram brings fast, reliable and user-friendly public transport to densely populated European Cities, like Amsterdam. The ability of the transit customer of having his/hers transit on the pavement and easily accessible, makes modern light-rail the first choice of transit planners around the world. Sadly, not so in Metro Vancouver. A bit of a […]

Is gridlock the real Expo 86 legacy for Metro Vancouver?

Charlie Smith of the Georgia Straight is the one reporter who has studied the transit issue and knows the issues. Despite the hype and hoopla, especially from provincial politicians (both Liberal, Socred & NDP) the SkyTrain Lobby, the many issues surrounding SkyTrain have been glossed over by the mainstream media. This is still evident today […]

Langley to Vancouver In 50 Minutes Via Rail for the Valley

The Capital MetroRail system in Austin Texas uses Stadler GTW diesel electric light rail cars. TransLink’s and the City of Surrey’s much ballyhooed LRT really doesn’t offer the transit customer very much, except a very inconvenient transfer to the Expo Line and a 39 minute ride (if their are no glitches) on a dinky and […]

FA?hrerstandsmitfahrt (Cab Ride) Karlsruhe – Freudenstadt (Tram-Train Murgtalbahn / Auschnitte)

For those who would like to dispel the notion that TramTrain is not viable in the Fraser Valley, this video should dispel the notion. Lots of single track operation on a sparsely populated route. TramTrain