Influences on success of light rail – From ‘Future of Urban Transport: Learning from Success and Weakness: Light Rail’

The following is an excerpt from ”Future of Urban Transport: Learning from Success and Weakness: Light Rail” a study by Carmen Hass-Klau & Graham Crampton. Influences on success The available data allowed the effects of eleven different influences to be examined, using correlation and multivariate regression methods: the average light rail speed, population density 300m […]

To College, by Interurban?

The following article from the Light Rail now folks has some valuable lessons for those advocating for the Vancouver to Chilliwack Interurban. The following universities and colleges would be potential destinations for students: BCIT, Simon Fraser University, Kwantlen College (Cloverdale and Langley campuses), Trinity Western University, and the University of the Fraser Valley (Chilliwack Campus). […]

Is LRT becoming the new Light-Metro?

A metre gauge tram in Germany is still considered LRT. Since theAi??Ai??early 1970’s, the term LRT or light rail transit, has been in common use describing streetcar or interurban type rail transit. The first generation of modern LRT were German ‘Stadtbahn’ (City railway) style of tram, generally articulated and heavier built than trams or streetcars […]

New Hope For-Light Rail Folks ~ Brian Lewis, May 17, 2009 Province

New hope for light-rail folks Ai??Ai?? Brian Lewis has done some research on the ‘Interurban’ project and has written another interesting and supportive article. Discovery of a long-forgotten legal document is giving new hope to advocates for re-establishing passenger rail service in the Fraser Valley. It’s a 21-year-old Master Agreement between B.C. Hydro and Canadian […]

Track facts – Modern light-rail track

The recently built tramtrain line in Heilbron Germany There has been much debate about the cost of track laying and the cost for new tracks for light rail or streetcars. The following will hopefully shed some light on how modern LRT (streetcar) tracks are laid on-street. With the interurban, of course, the majority of the […]

Debunking the SkyTrain myth – Part 2

A tramtrain traveling through a village near Karlsruhe Germany. The “Debunking the SkyTrain myth. Rail for the Valley answers the UBC SkyTrain Lobby”Ai??Ai??, post…….. http://railforthevalley.wordpress.com/2009/04/23/debunking-the-skytrain-myth-rail-for-the-valley-answers-the-ubc-skytrain-lobby/ …….has become the most readAi??Ai?? and commented one to date, yet no one with the SkyTrain lobby has posted a credible reply. On the various SkyTrain blog sites, the one […]

Extracts from The Regional Transport Strategy role of Tramways & Light Rail (UK)

The following give some insight how real transit planning is done and shows that health benefits should be calculated into new light rail cost analysis. Alas, for the SkyTrain lobby, with 80% of its ridership first taking buses to the metro, creates more pollution that new LRT replacing buses! 1 1. Health Impact of Airborne […]

Trams in tight places

Under the department, a picture is worth a thousand words, trams, streetcars and their kin can operate in very tight places, this funicular in Portugal should dispel any notion that ‘rail’ transit can’t operate in tight locations! Ai??Ai??

The German disease – What is it? Do we suffer from it?

In the early 1960’s, when the German economy was beginning to recover from the war, Germany invested heavily in new subways (U-Bahn) and fast commuter style metropolitan railways (S-Bahn). The tram or strassebahn, which bore the brunt of providing public transitAi??Ai??from theAi??Ai??late 40’s, to theAi??Ai??60’s, was largely regardedAi??Ai??by manyAi??Ai??as a dated or evenAi??Ai??obsolete.Ai??Ai??At the time, […]

Useful links for the BCE Interurban – old and new

A BCE interurban leaves Chilliwack station………… For a map of the old interurban and time tables: http://www.scribd.com/doc/2473591/Interurban-Timetables Though Zweisystem doesn’t agree with their conclusions: http://www.scribd.com/doc/515139/DRL-Solutions-Interurban-Report And a short history of the interurban: http://www.hastebc.org/haste-news/a-short-history-interurbans-lower-mainland ………….and arrives in downtown Vancouver!