Metro Vancouver pushes rapid transit for Surrey, not UBC – Why Not Build Both?

It seems that thatAi??Ai??METRO Vancouver’sAi??Ai??chief honcho wants to extend ‘rapid transit’ (read SkyTrain) in Surrey and not on Broadway. But don’t hold your breathe for any action anytime soon. The Tri-Cities have been waiting for their ‘rapid transit’ (read SkyTrain) for over two decades and were pipped at the post by Premier Campbell (and former […]

A letter from Oslo

This has been forwarded to Rail for the Valley from the Eurotrams e-group. Now where have you heard similar arguments? Read RoyA?ai??i??ai???s last two paragraphs, a certain resonance with the situation in the Fraser Valley & Metro Vancouver? The infrastructure in Trondheim suffers from lack of interest from the city council. The tramway has been […]

Prefab tram track = fast construction! Friends of the Broadway Light Rail/Streetcar Take Note!

The following article from EccoRussia, gives an account of the installation of 670 metres of prefabricated tram track on the Athens (Greece) light rail/tram in just 10 days or about 67 metres of new tram track a day! At this speed of track laying it would take a mere 14 days to lay one kilometre […]

TramTrain’s Now Invade Australia

What is good for Karlsruhe, Germany and maybe good for the Vancouver/Fraser Valley region, is now seen as good for Newcastle Australia! For a transit mode that is yet 20 years old, the simplicityAi??Ai??andAi??Ai??cost effectiveness of TramTrain is being demonstrate not only in Europe and North America, but now also in Australia. Communities are pressurizing […]

More U-Tube and light rail web sites

Ai??Ai?? Ai??Ai?? A thank you to David Cockle for providing these very interesting-Tube and websites! Simon Smiler A?ai??i??ai??? Citytransport.info http://citytransport.info/Frame.htm http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=citytransportinfo#g/u Agos Vaga aka Hamster A?ai??i??ai??? Tram-hiker’s Guide to BudapestAi??Ai?? http://www.hampage.hu/kozlekedes/thg2bp/ http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=hamsterhamster2002#g/u

500 Posts – The story so far……………..

Todays post, marks the five hundredth post on the Rail for The Valley blog and today I want to reflect on the main themes that keep out transit debates going. The Canada line Again, anotherAi??Ai??major Canada Line storyAi??Ai??by the Vancouver Province news paper…. http://www.theprovince.com/business/Canada+Line+year+later+Next+stop+construction+controversy/3400752/story.html -and I wonder why the Vancouver Province keeps writing ‘puff’ stories […]

Light Rail Hot Spots

A thank you to David Cockle for providing these links to ‘light rail hot spots’. Phoenix: http://phoenix.metromix.com/bars-and-clubs/roundup/light-rail-hot-spots/813975/content San Jose: http://rent.sheaapartments.com/SheaApartmentscom/bid/10986/Go-Green-with-VTA-in-San-Jose-Find-Park-and-Ride-Stops-Near-Your-San-Jose-Apartments Sacramento: http://www.sacrt.com/rt4teens.stm Seattle http://www.deliciousbaby.com/journal/2010/jan/15/seattles-link-light-rail-kids-part-2/ Sydney: http://www.metrotransport.com.au/index.php/lightrail/home-2.html Krakow: http://www.chillisauce.co.uk/hen/krakow/party-bus/product_2707/ Prague: http://www.praguenet.com/compass/number_3/nightlife.html Amsterdam: http://www.imagenature.com/galleries/amsterdam/amsterdam-night-scene.php Lisbon: http://www.traveleurope.com/blog/en/five-things-not-to-miss-in-lisbon/ Melbourne: http://www.bcl.com.au/melbourne/views/mk020.htm Baltimore (Paris, Nice, Montpellier) http://www.purplelinenow.com/mixed_mode.html Nottingham: http://www.visitnottingham.com/exec/103562/2289/

Paris LRT Line T-4 France’s first TramTrain

Just follow the link and one can find the complete history of Frances first TramTrain. http://connectedcities.eu/showcases/t4.html

More Tram Videos

Thank you for blog reader, David Cockle, for more European tram movies! Amsterdam. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEBFJd0CJH4 Budapest http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLMgwWNbKRk&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqeT9Nuka38&feature=channel Basel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2y51rWxDosU&feature=related Bern http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9B2rKdXkZKU&feature=related Nottingham. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3scXjpvO6M Croydon Tramlink. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNmZI9rFDys http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJ3UaZXzRPA&feature=related Nantes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNbL1xj6D00 Montpellier. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIJ5SJ_K9oE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I47fjmS7DK0&feature=fvw Bordeaux. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stmLf8qjppg&feature=channel Freiburg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gG4OIOVlmgM Mulhouse. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfYlHdoppaQ&feature=related Barcelona. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EsbeM9QnCg&feature=related Dublin. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PqTQDy8tsw&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8owxp9k8DSQ&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAO3i36doo0&feature=related Prague. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-4k_vfFgVE&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwQolOZ7Ed4&feature=related Leipzig. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zh1xE_pvjI8 Melbourne http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMOCKiQr5hE&feature=related

Tram Berlin Linie M13 KT4D Warschauer Str. – Virchow Klinikum 1/7

This video from U-Tube shows a classic European tramways, which operates on-street and on reserved rights-of-ways, including simple HOV lane style of RRoW. Please note the simple (traffic light) style signaling at intersections and the various styles of RRoWs. Streetcar/LRT has the flexibility to operate in almost all urban conditions, affordabley and efficiently, a lesson […]