The Broadway Follies Part 2 – Questions & Answers about LRT

Zwei received a phone call from a confused citizen regarding a transit meeting he attended in Vancouver about transit options for Broadway. It seems a state of confusion reigns about what LRT is, what LRT can achieve, and modern transit in general. This is not to unexpected as TransLink has never been clever about LRT […]

Seattle City Council approves First Hill streetcar line

While Vancouver dithers on approving a tram/LRT line for the city, Seattle council have approved its second streetcar or tram line,Ai??Ai??the First Hill Streetcar Line. The problem in Seattle is, streetcars are not seen as LRT, rather something else as light rail is planned as a very expensive light metro. Only when Seattle gets a […]

Transit Agency Approves Cuts, and More Bad News Looms – From the New York Times

It seems that New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority is in dire fancial straights, just like our TransLink. What should not be forgotten is that even though New York has a vast subway system and massive daily ridership, mainteneace cost for that subway are massive and contributing to their finacial plight. For those preaching a subway […]

Clean, affordable light rail also delivers economic lift

Shades of the Broadway LRT/metro debate. It seems the metro lobby is hard at it to derail Toronto’s LRT plans, just like how the metro/SkyTrain lobby is trying to do the same in Vancouver. Ai??Ai?? Added to the metro/SkyTrainAi??Ai??debate is that our friends South of the boarder are trying reinvent light rail into light-metro, a […]

The Livable Blog Talks Broadway Transit

The Livable Blog has an interesting discussion about “rail” transit on Broadway. http://www.livableregion.ca/blog/blogs/index.php?blog=5&title=broadway_rapid_transit_alternatives_lack&page=1&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1&disp=single#c2151

UBC SkyTrain Subway Gaining Steam – Is it An Unstoppable Train?

One year ago, with Cambie Street merchant’s Susan Heyes lawsuit against TransLink fresh in many peoples minds, any thought of a SkyTrain subway under Broadway was quietly ignored. Now, with TransLink teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, Vancouver’s political bloggists and mainstream media are gung-ho promoting a SkyTrain subwayAi??Ai??under Broadway to UBC. The tired old […]

For the Tram Enthusiast – The Finnish Tramway Society

One of the more avid readers of “Rail for the Valley” blog is from Finland and here is the link to their most excellent Finnish Tramway Society website. http://raitio.org/english/index.htm Also this page of tram photos is well worth a look as it shows trams operating in very snowy conditions, the type of weather when SkyTrain […]

In Seattle – Proposed First Hill streetcar is Broadway bound – The Seattle Times

While Vancouver council sweats over big decisions like ‘chickens in the backyard’ and ‘chicken shelters’ for unwanted chickens, Seattle’s politicians seem on the right track improving their urban and regional transportation. The first streetcar line, the ill-named South Lake Union Transportation or SLUT, was too small an effort for the investment and I think this […]

A ‘Must’ Read for Rail For The Valley – Diesel trams: a new way forward? Part 1

Diesel trams: a new way forward? By Charles King – Modern Railways March 2007 Light rail technologies have received closer attention in recent times as potential solutions to transport problems as well as providing alternatives to A?ai??i??E?traditionalA?ai??i??ai??? railway operation. In light of this, a trip run by ACoRP(Association of Community Rail Partnerships), and organised by […]

Transit at a crossroads – From The Surrey Leader

Well here we go again, TransLink is planning for ‘rapid’ transit for Surrey and the Fraser Valley.Ai??Ai??Zwei has seen this all before and I’m afraidAi??Ai??I amAi??Ai??not at all enthused with the process, nor have much faithAi??Ai??in TransLink to do an honest study. Zwei hates the term ‘rapid transit’ as it refers to metro and only […]