Portland’s Streetcar, Connecting The Entire Community

This speaks for itself. I must remind the unconvinced that going from 4,000 users a day to 15,000 users a day (in TransLink’s convoluted lexicon, this equates to over 30,000 boarding’s a day), which is a big deal in the U.S.A. So here is a thought, instead of a $3 billion subway to Arbutus, with […]

Portland Streetcar spurs $4.5 billion in new real estate development

Funny that the city of Vancouver preaches that only a SkyTrain subway will spur investment along Broadway, while at the same time, treats light rail as an economic leper. Well streetcars in Portland, Oregon prove otherwise. Rail News: Passenger Rail Portland Streetcar spurs $4.5 billion in new real estate development, study says Since 1998, the […]

The Affordable Tram, a Template for Surrey?

A few posts back, Zwei looked at the affordable tram for Vancouver connecting UBC with BCIT, so now let us see how the affordable streetcar would do in Surrey. What should be of extreme interest is the low cost for the proposed Dundee tram compared to the sky high costs for light rail from TransLink! […]

The Dundee Circulator – The Affordable Tram, a Template for Broadway?

The following was sent to us by our friends in the UK. What should be of extreme interest is the low cost for the proposed Dundee tram compared to the sky high costs for light rail from TransLink! The example of the 13.5 km Portland streetcar is of great interest as the costs break down […]

Light Rail Vehicle & Tramcar orders – 2013

The following table gives the totals for Trams/LRV’s on order + options, as at February 2013 Source Tramways & Urban Transit No 904 April 2013 Manufacturer City’s Orders Options Sub-Total Orders Pending Ai?? Ai?? Ai?? Ai?? OrdersAi?? Options Alstom Bordeaux, Dubai, Nottingham, Ottawa, Paris, Toulouse 188 91 2701 792 587 AnsaldoBreda Genoa, Firenza 68 7 […]

People love their cars or do they?

Portland sometimes struggles to find the right balance between car use and alternative modes of transportation. Striking the balance will require tough choices as population and housing density increase. Michael Lloyd/The Oregonian http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2012/10/people_like_their_cars_a_fact.html Funny, people love cars. That may be why data released last week by researchers at Metro, the regional government, showed as much. […]

White House Comes Out For Streetcars

Jeff McMahon writes on the Forbes Blog – April 12th http://blogs.forbes.com/jeffmcmahon/2011/04/12/white-house-comes-out-for-streetcars/ President Obama’s clean-energy campaign hopped onto streetcars this morning with a government-made infomercial and testimonial for United Streetcars, a Portland company, published on the White House and Transportation Department blogs. The testimonial promises streetcars will help America “win the future.” It was penned by Transportation Secretary […]

Around the US & Canada- Light Rail, Tram, Streetcar, LRT & Transit news

Late February has brought a mixed bag of news on Light Rail, Tram, Streetcar, LRT & Transit projects in North America, some positive & some negative. The Cardinal posts a selection of national, local press and on-line Blog reports. 1) Gray: Streetcars are a ‘Very Wise Decision’ Mayor Vincent Gray’s mixed track record with streetcars […]

Light rail that works

CALGARYai??i?? From Saturday’s Globe and Mail by Marcus Gee http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/toronto/marcus-gee/light-rail-that-works/article1887237/ Mayor Rob Ford has left no confusion about how he feels about light-rail transit. One of his first acts as mayor was to declare the death of Transit City, a multibillion-dollar plan for a network of above-ground transit lines. Listening to Mr. Ford, you might […]

US Light Rail news

Summary from Trains News Wire: Feds fund more streetcars and light rail Published: January 21, 2011 WASHINGTON, D.C. The Federal Transit Authority, a part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, announced that it had signed agreements to fund five rail transit projects on Friday. The grant includes funds for a unique light rail project in […]