From the Gaurdian UK – Key oil figures were distorted by US pressure, says whistleblower

Some sobering news from the U.K. If the article is true, then Campbell’s gamble on Gateway and the new Port Mann Bridge will be a colossal mistake; again the same is true of the RAV/Canada Line and the yet to be built Evergreen SkyTrain Line, which are far too expensive to expand to meet demand. […]

A Fact Sheet From the Light Rapid Transit Forum

It is interesting to note that TransLink has never claimed any modal shift from car to transit and one would well guess thatAi??Ai??TransLink’s bureaucratsAi??Ai??would beAi??Ai??extremely envious of the modal shift numbers published here. A question for Premier Campbell: “Has the RAV/Canada line taken your predicted 200,000 car trips off the road per day?” Has anyone […]

Last of the Interurbans #5 – Europe’s Coastal Interurban – The 68 km. De Lijn Tramway, Connecting Small Belgium Coastal Towns

The De Lijn or Coastal Tram offers a an unique journey, with the North Sea on one side and large tracts of open country on the other, offers a true interurban journey, connecting Belgium coastal towns from the French to Dutch boarders. The largest city the Coastal Tram passes through is Oostende, population 70,000 with […]

Getting Valley rail on track – From the Abby News

More positive news from the Fraser Valley Press. Getting Valley rail on track Published: October 28, 2009 2:00 PM A regular train service arrives in downtown Abbotsford from Surrey and Langley, collecting passengers and transporting them to other areas of the city or as far east as Chilliwack. It may sound like a long-term dream […]

STRASBOURG – Beautiful City – Beautiful Trams

The French city of Strasbourg (Ai??Ai??populationAi??Ai?? 276,867Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??in 2006),Ai??Ai??which its historic city centre was classified a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1988, decided in the early 1990’s toAi??Ai??build a modern tramway system,Ai??Ai??using theAi??Ai??innovative and attractiveAi??Ai??ADTranz Eurotram rolling stock .Ai??Ai??In 1994 Line A opened, with a north-southAi??Ai??route running from Hautpierre-Maillon (north-west) to the city center (where […]

Mobilien: Paris Version of Bus Rapid Transit. But could LRT do a better job?

The followingAi??Ai?? U-Tube presentation of Paris’s Mobilien BRT is interesting and shows what buses can do in congested cities,Ai??Ai??such asAi??Ai??Paris.Ai??Ai??The observation can be made:Ai??Ai?? “that for a few dollars or Euros more, would not the modern tram bring more benefits to both the city and transit customers on these routes?” The articulated diesel buses used […]

From the Vancouver Sun – Metro Vancouver mayors vote for an extra $130-million for TransLink. As Barnum Observed, There Is a Sucker Born Every Minute.

Metro mayors caved in to TransLink’s slick propaganda campaign, to bad because TransLink and the provincial government will forever treat municipal politicians as mindless patsies. It was time to draw a line in the sand, but regional politicians just didn’t have the stomach for it and continue to be just tax and spend politicians who […]

We have been talking about Dublin’s LUAS, now let’s take a ride!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAO3i36doo0] Here is a recent trip on Dublin’s LUAS tram, which also serves the Guinness Brewery – Cheers!

CargoTram – Taking Commercial Trucks Off the Road. Is TransLink planning for the future? Can TransLink plan for the future?

What local transit planners have not done in the Vancouver regionAi??Ai??is take into account the versatility of modern light rail with their strategic planning and always plan for LRT as a poorman’s SkyTrain. In many cities, trams pull small trailers to carry bicycles or specialized cars toAi??Ai??carry rubbish from refuse bins along the line, adding […]

Dublin’s LUAS LRT – A streetcar without subsidy, a template for the Broadway LRT?

There is much to learn about Dublin’s LUAS LRT or tram system and the ability to operate and make an operating profit is completely lost on TransLink, it’s bureaucrats and BC’s current lot of tax and spend politicians. SkyTrain is hamstrung by massive construction and operating costs and the annual subsidy to operate the metro […]