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 […]

Langley, Surrey mayors push for light rail funding

Thanks to the South Fraser Blog for pointing out this article in the Langley Advance about the federal budget: Langley Township Mayor Rick Green said he is not sure that all the money will go to “shovel ready” projects. Some of the projects may be a couple years away from starting construction, Green said. Green […]

Rail for the Valley "the single most popular idea"

UPDATE: More coverage, see this editorial in the Surrey Leader: Keep the momentum An article by Jeff Nagel, appearing in Black Press newspapers throughout the Valley The Lower Mainland needs new rail transit lines and amenities ranging from better bike routes to theatres and teen centres. And don’t forget about housing. Those are among the […]

Abbotsford wants light rail

The Abbotsford public wants light rail! (didn’t we already know this?) And according to newspaper feedback, clearly there is a clamouring for the return of the interurban – AND WHY NOT – we could have an initial regular service, inexpensively, within 2 years. I think the public understands that the Interurban track is not “the […]

Light Rail Transit – The safest way to go.

From the Light Rail Now folks in the USA, some interesting figures on transportation safety. Fatality Rates per 100 Million Passenger-Miles (1997) Motor VehiclesAi??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai?? – 0.93 Rail Rapid TransitAi??Ai??Ai??Ai?? – 0.55 Commuter RailAi??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai?? – 0.05 BusAi??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai?? – 0.10 Light RailAi??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai?? – 0.00 [Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics/National Transportation Statistics 1999 and FTA/National Transit Statistics and […]

Skytrain has run its course; LRT is the way to go.

Langara debate Wednesday: Skytrain has run its course; LRT is the way to go. Wednesday, Jan. 21, 7:30 A?ai??i??ai??? 9:00pm (Doors open at 7:15pm, seating for the first 300 only) The Alice Mackay Room, Lower level Vancouver Public Library, Downtown, Homer & Robson Arguing the AFFIRMATIVE: PATRICK CONDON, Senior Researcher, UBC Design Centre for Sustainability […]

Rail for the Valley petition

Hi everyone, If you want interurban light rail for the Fraser Valley, an online petition you can sign…… http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/rail-for-the-valley The comments people are leaving are great to read as well. 🙂 pass this on to others who might be interested 🙂

LIGHT RAIL – DIESELS FILLING A VACUUM – A fact sheet from the Light Rail Transit Association.

With the case for Diesel light rail for the Valley Interurban ramping up, this fact sheet from the LRTA may prove useful. INTRODUCTION In the past, many rail-based assets could not always be fully utilised because certain technical difficulties were preventing full integration. The transport world was somewhat astounded when German ingenuity developed the dual-voltage […]