Ottawa, Canada – city to hire outside consultants for LRT project

The city of Ottawa will be hiring outside consultants to oversee various phases of its light rail construction project, The Ottawa Citizen reported Thursday. Canada’s federal capital plans a 7.7-mile east-west starter LRT route that will include a 1.5-mile downtown LRV subway. Here’s a graphic showing the planned LRT: http://metronewsca.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/train_04.jpg?w=618 The consortium awarded the construction […]

Ottawa Light Rail system receives official approval

Ottawa light rail gets official OK http://www.ottawacitizen.com/business/Ottawa+light+rail+gets+official/7721060/story.html OTTAWA ai??i?? Ottawa council voted 24-0 Wednesday morning to formally approve a contract for the first stage of light rail transit in the capital. To cost $2.1 billion initially, the 12.5-kilometres rail line will run from Tunneyai??i??s Pasture in the west to Blair Road in the east, and […]

TRAMS AND STREETCARS CAN CLIMB STEEP GRADES.

There has been a lot of discussion that light rail can’t climb steep grades, despite the fact that there are scores of examples elsewhere that they can. A tram descending a 9.5% grade in Mainz, Germany. Steepest ever in Germany was Neunkirchen/Saar with 11.2%: While in the USA, the Pittsburgh streetcars climbed a 12.5% grade.

Is There Already An Agreement to Build A SkyTrain Subway Under Broadway?

It seems Bombardier Inc. had designed a new Advanced Rapid Transit car for each new ART system builtAi??in Vancouver, New York, and Kuala Lumpor having different designed cars. Now the Evergreen line is getting a new and improved ARTAi??Mk. 3 car. Though Vancouver and Kuala Lumpur ART cars look similar, the KL cars are taller […]

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 […]

Streetcars belong. Even on the street

Much like any group, passenger rail advocates split into subsections or specialties of interest or belief, such as high speed rail, Amtrak, regional/commuter, rapid transit, LRTai??i??and streetcars. Railway Age http://www.railwayage.com/index.php/blogs/doug-bowen/streetcars-belong-even-on-the-street.html Add to that the human element of being interested primarily in one’s home turf first (you can get yours later, thank you very much), and […]

Streetcars belong: Even in the U.S.

They’re coming. They’re actually now being built, not just planned, not just proposed. Streetcar lines are back. From Railway Age; http://www.railwayage.com/index.php/blogs/doug-bowen/streetcars-belong-part-2-even-in-the-us.htmlAi?? Streetcars are still under the radar for most railroad folks, perhaps understandably, given the fledgling nature of the mode in the U.S. The lines established and under construction, are small in scope and distance. […]

Merry Christmas!

A very merry Christmas to all from Rail for the Valley!

Dead passenger found riding subway

Dead passenger found riding Berlin subway By Reuters BERLIN – A 65-year-old man thought to be sleeping while sitting upright on a Berlin underground train as it crisscrossed the German capital was actually dead, police said on Sunday. “It’s tragic,” a Berlin police spokeswoman said. “We don’t know how long he was sitting dead on […]