French Delights Part 3 – Grenoble

Ai??Ai?? Grenoble France, with a regional population ofAi??Ai??580,000 completed it’s first a modern tramwayAi??Ai??line in the 1987, after aAi??Ai??successful, but hard foughtAi??Ai??civicAi??Ai??referendum and has set the standardAi??Ai??for modern LRT not just in France, but for the EEC. The first tram (streetcar) line, Line A, currently 13 km with 29 stops, opened, followed by Line B […]

French Delights Part 2 – Paris Tramway T-3

Paris’s tram line T3 (tram Marechaux) opened on 16 December 2006, along a 7.9 kmAi??Ai??route from Pont du Garigliano (Bd Victor) to Porte d’Ivry. The new line runs along the southern boulevards, replacing many bus routes andAi??Ai??attaining an higher commercial speeds (about 20 km/h vs. the current bus value of 14.5 km/h). Some of the […]

French Delights – Paris’s Tramway line 1 & Line 2

In 1992 trams (LRT)Ai??Ai??returned toAi??Ai??Paris, afterAi??Ai??their abandonmentAi??Ai??in 1938. The new tramAi??Ai??line,Ai??Ai??Line T1Ai??Ai?? ran fromAi??Ai??La Courneuve to Bobigny and was extendedAi??Ai??few months later to Gare St. Denis. So successful was line T-1, that it tripled theAi??Ai??ridershipAi??Ai??of the bus route it replaced. In 1997, after the success of the new tramway, Line T2 opened, running fromAi??Ai??Issy Val […]

From the Georgia Straight – TransLink’s Broadway transit gambit condemned

It seems Vancouver’s politicians are not satisfied with one hugely expensive subway, they want a almost $4 billion subway under Broadway to UBC. Indeed, as Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan points out, Vancouver’s politicians are blinkered to the real costs involved with subway construction, especially when the provincial and region taxpayers anted up for the almost […]

And Now, Something Completely Different – The Portland Zoo Train, a trip worthwhile

The Washington Park and Zoo Railway is a 30-inch (762Ai??Ai??mm) narrow gauge recreational railroad in Portland, Oregon’s Washington Park. It provides transportation between the Oregon Zoo, Hoyt Arboretum, International Rose Test Garden, and the World Forestry Center. The extended line is about 2Ai??Ai??miles (3.2Ai??Ai??km) long. There is also a 1-mile (1.6Ai??Ai??km) loop within the zoo […]

A news release from Rail for the Valley – Light rail groups renew call to scrap SkyTrain expansion

September 29, 2009 Media Release (for immediate release) Rail For The Valley and the Light Rail Committee today joined forces in calling on provincial and federal governments, and Translink, to respect the wishes of local governments in the region, and start work on a modified Evergreen line. John Buker, a spokesman with Rail For The […]

News1130 piece on Rail for the Valley

Rail For The Valley made it onto News1130 Radio tonight. Here is the online article: Light rail groups renew call to scrap SkyTrain expansion Groups say light rail is a less expensive option Bruce Claggett TRI-CITIES (NEWS1130) 2009-09-29 19:15 The two groups have called for light-rail in the past (Photo: Courtesy Rail for the Valley) […]

Is it time to replan the Evergreen Line? Could diesel LRT be the answer for the Tri-Cities?

Both the provincial and federal government want TransLink to build SkyTrain on the Evergreen Line and it is clearly evident that the decision to build with SkyTrain is purely political to keep Ontario and Quebec jobs secure in Bombardier owned plants.Ai??Ai??With theAi??Ai??ongoingAi??Ai??propagandaAi??Ai??campaign of the SkyTrain lobby, combined withAi??Ai??the complete ignorance of Transportation Ministers, both provincial […]

From the Delta Optimist: Commute now 20 minutes longer thanks to the train

More evidence that all is not well in “Lotus Land“. Despite some ‘good news’ stories provided by TransLink’s spin doctors this weekend on local radio stations, the new, almost $3 billion RAV/Canada Line light metro system has increased journey times for South of the Fraser commuters, especially if they have to make two or more […]

From the Georgia Straight – Metro Vancouver board pushes for $450 million a year increase in TransLink funding

If one really wanted any more evidence that our regional politicians are completely outAi??Ai??of touchAi??Ai??on regional transit issues, this item from the Georgia Straight should putAi??Ai??that to rest. The financialAi??Ai??problems with TransLinkAi??Ai??are simple: 1) It operates light-metro (an obsolete transit mode) on routes that do not have the ridership to support it. Result – high […]