Transit News From Around The World – December 3rd 2010

Light rail train derails in Seattle Komonews http://www.komonews.com/news/local/70237837.html Business leaders: Build light-rail leg to Tampa airport Tampa Bay Online http://tinyurl.com/26qguhs Manchester passengers consulted over closure of Metrolink stop Rail Technology Magazine http://tinyurl.com/26fq6jj Light Rail news Rail Technology Magazine Pages 46 – 53 inclusive; Manchester, Sheffield, Edinburgh, Tyne & Wear and Liepaja http://tinyurl.com/2auqhcs Fraser Valley Interurban […]

What Fools We Mortals Be – Toronto’s New mayor, Rob Ford.

American style Tea Party politician andAi??Toronto’s new mayor Rob Ford, is taking the TTC back 50 years or more by forcing the TTC to build new subways, instead of much cheaper light rail. Ford is just mimicking the same bleat that AmericanAi??politicos use, the “war on the car” andAi??has used itAi??with great effectiveness, but what […]

Bus Rapid Transit Vs. Light Rail

Too often theAi??Bus versus Light Rail debate omits to mention the operational costs associated with public transport.Ai?? This is the great weakness of the bus when there are significant numbers of passengers to be carried. Official American cost comparisons show that the cost of carrying a passenger on light rail is approximately 2/3rds that of […]

The Silence of TransLink Speaks Volumes

Since Rail for the Valley released the RftV/Leewood TramTrain report in September, there has been a silence from TransLink and the government's two favoured media outlets, the Vancouver Sun and CKNW radio on the valley rail project. All the TV stations did reports, as did all the regional (semi)weekly newspapers, which is credit to their profession; but […]

A Letter From Jacob de Raadt

There is a growing realization from Fraser Valley taxpayers that the South Fraser region should secede from TransLink and even the GVRD. For far too long, the North Fraser cities have used the South Fraser as a 'Milch cow' for taxes to fund politically prestigious light-metro projects such as SkyTrain. Valley taxpayers are waking up […]

Light Rail & Tram systems do not stop for snow!

From Thursday 17 December 2009 to Friday 15 January 2010 the United Kingdom experienced a spell of very low temperatures and significant snowfalls which affected almost the whole country. This was the most widespread and prolonged spell of this type across the UK since December 1981/January 1982. Large areas of England, Wales and Northern Ireland […]

Croydon Tramlink in the Snow

 The bad weather of January 2010 presented an excellent opportunity to photograph Britains premier Tram system coping with the adverse weather conditions. Despite huge amounts of chaos on the roads and railways throughout the south east of England, the trams were running normally and were very well used .   http://www.simplonpc.co.uk/Photoblog_20100106_Croydon.html

Vancouver’s Olympic Streetcar Line Wins The LRTA’s Worldwide Project Of The Year Award!

Good news everyone, Vancouver’s Olympic LineAi??has wonAi??the Light Rail Transit Association’s www.lrta.org Worldwide project of the year award. There were two winners in this category, the Olympic Line and the new LRT line in Kayseray, Turkey, which both came in on time and on budget.. Below, the now disused Olympic Line in Vancouver. Below, theAi??award […]

Rail For The Valley In The International News Again!

Rail for the Valley and the RftV/Leewood report is featured again in an international publication. In the December issue of Tramways & Urban Transit (the official magazine of the Light Rail Transit Association) is a two page feature of the RftV/Leewood report. As the magazine is distributed not only to LRTA members but internationally as well, […]

Surrey’s main issue is simple: better transit – From the Vancouver Sun

Kudos’ for Surrey mayor Diane Watts to think “out of the SkyTrain box” and think light rail, but to do so requires hiring real light rail experts to assist local planners and engineers in planning a usable and efficient LRT/tram network in Surrey. Our local transportation planners still do not get it that the difference […]