Oh Please. Once Again The Vancouver Sun Again Shills For SkyTrain

Really! The Vancouver sun continues to unashamedly shill for the SkyTrain mini-metro system. I know this is tiresome, in fact downright boring, but the folks at the Sun should know better than take TransLink Press Releases as fact. The old arguments, the apples to oranges comparisons, is none other than editorial BS, from a newspaper […]

TransLinkai??i??s seven ai???deadly sinsai??i??

The reverberations of TransLink’s double SkyTrain fiasco continues to echo in Metro Vancouver. I think transit customers can understand system wide shutdowns, but when the captain and crew leave the passengers to fend for themselves, then very pointed questions will be asked. Jordan Bateman has become a serious thorn in the side of regional bureaucrats, […]

In Search of the Light Rail Renaissance

A little history. On April 22, 1978, the city of Edmonton heraldedAi?? a new era of what we now call light rail transit, with the opening of its first 6.9 km, LRT line. Using the now venerable Siemens U-2 vehicle, which was designed for the Frankfurt U-Bahn metro system. Edmonton’s new LRT line set the […]

Taking public transit kicking and screaming into the 21st century.

Though Zwei is not a fan of Jarrett Walker, our Ottawa friend, Haveacow, recommended this post from his blog. http://www.humantransit.org/2014/07/california-topples-a-tyrant.html It seems that transit improvements, especially light rail, have been hamstrung by ensuring that traffic flows are not reduced, which is the cornerstone of the light rail Renaissance, emanating from Europe. http://www.citylab.com/commute/2014/07/transit-projects-are-about-to-get-much-much-easier-in-california/374049/ So, our American […]

A Broadway subway: Do the numbers add up?

An interesting read from Toronto. Two items of interest: Contrary to North American thought, 14,000 persons per hour per direction is not near the upper limit of modern LRT. In 2014, the upper limit for LRT is about 25,000 pphpd. Unfortunately, Toronto’s transit gurus still live in the land of non articulated cars. “An old […]

New Rail Traffic for the Interurban Line?

With empty BNSF trains using the SRR of BC Line, to return to the USA via Huntington/Sumas, the antiquated CPR/SR of BC junction at Clayburn should be modernized and improved. A definite benefit for a Vancouver to Chilliwack TramTrain service. It looks like the Southern Railway of BC, is to carry empty coal trains from […]

The Penny Dreadful – The Transit Referendum Saga

The ongoing saga of the Mayor’s Council, TransLink, the Province, and the referendum reads like a ‘Penny Dreadful’. The province has no money, the metro mayors have no money, yet the metro mayors have approved a hugely expensive Vancouver centric rapid transit plan focused on a $2 to $3 billion truncated extension of the Millennium […]

From June 20, 2013 – Road pricing

A repost from June 20, 2012. The song remains the same! 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 […]

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

  It has has been three years year since I entertained the idea f the Whalley – King George – White Rock LRT Line and in 2014 the WKW Line is still superior to what TransLink is planning for Surrey. TransLink’s LRT plans for Surrey are three ai???poormanai??i??sai??? SkyTrain type designed light rail lines feeding […]

A Railway Crossing That Means Business

In Russia, to cope with the problems of motorists jumping railway signals on express train routes, the following device is used. The rest is self explanatory. Rail for the Valley take note!