Brouhaha over bridge (Abbotsford Times)
This article in the Abbotsford Times today by Rafe Arnott (excerpt): Rail For The Valley spokesman John Buker said, “This is a seriously flawed project – with or without a private partner. “It seems the government has been hypnotized by this project, and wishes to plow ahead regardless of rapidly changing circumstances.” Buker said people […]
Who should run the Interurban? A recommendation.
Now a recap of the earlier posting, Who should run the interurban?” TransLink TransLink has been against the ‘return of the interurban’ from the start and the recent study done by an engineering firmAi??Ai??that had no background in modern LRT was predictable. Why would you consider commuter rail on a route that was not designed […]
An European view of light-rail in North America. Is it time for a new definition of LRT?
The following maybe of interest on why LRT projects in Canada and the U.S.A. seem toAi??Ai??cost more than new European installations and some (Seattle is a good example) have more in common with light-metro, than what manyAi??Ai??people would callAi??Ai??light-rail. It seems in North America, what is called LRT, is really light-metro and real LRT has […]
The Bistro Tram – Is it the right menu for the interurban?
Two previous postings – http://railforthevalley.wordpress.com/2009/03/02/why-the-valley-interurban-must-service-abbotsford-international-airport-yxx/Ai??Ai??and – http://railforthevalley.wordpress.com/2009/03/01/why-the-valley-interurban-must-service-vancouver/Ai??Ai??talk about long distance rail travel from Vancouver, East to Abbotsford, YXX, and Chilliwack and one must think of amenities for the transit customer. The proposed interurban service must be user-friendly from the start, to gain a solid consumer base and a ‘Bistro‘ car, serving light refreshmentsAi??Ai??maybe the ticket […]
Why the Valley Interurban Must Service Abbotsford International Airport (YXX)
To be successful, a transit system or transit line must serve popular destinations in order to generate ridership, the notion that transit customers will take ‘rail’ because it is just there is wrong. In order for successful interurban service it must serve destinations where customers want to go and Abbotsford International Airport (YXX) is a […]
B.C. on the hook for $3.3-billion Port Mann bridge
The Ministry of Transportation announced today that the Port Mann P3 has failed, and B.C. will now directly fund the bridge construction. Globe and Mail article here. The B.C. taxpayers will be taking all of the risk, if traffic on the bridge is less than forecast. What this means is….. If the government does invest […]
Tales of Transit studies past – You’d be amazed at the hundreds of politicians manipulated over the last 30 years!
Since SkyTrain was forced onto the region, transit planning has been skewed to fit the expensive proprietary light-metro. Most recently, noted American transit specialist, Gerald Fox, found the business case for the Evergreen SkyTrain LineAi??Ai??had, “several instances where the analysis had made assumptions that were inaccurate, or had been manipulated to make the case for […]
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR FLOOD: Rail for the Valley, & the new Port Mann bridge
To all supporters of passenger rail service for the Fraser Valley Last Wednesday, the provincial government announced, out of the blue, an entirely new Port Mann bridge to be built. It will not be a twinned bridge, but a single 10-lane span, and the existing bridge will be torn down, only 45 years into its […]
Rail for the Valley: not a left-right issue
In my experience, people on the left sometimes assume Rail for the Valley must somehow be a left-right polarized issue, because of the governing provincial Liberal party’s foot-dragging on such an obvious no-brainer as re-establishing interurban light rail service for the Fraser Valley….. in this time of increasing road traffic, higher gas prices, and concerns […]
Light-rail on Number 10 Highway & The Langley Bypass – An Alternative route to the Valley.
The Light Rail Committee have long advocated for “The return of the Interurban” for the Fraser Valley, as a cost effective way of extending ‘rail’ transit to Langley, Abbotsford and Chilliwack. The LRC advocates that instead of following the original rights-of-ways completely, alterations to the original routeAi??Ai??must be considered to give the ‘interurban’ 21st century […]
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