A 2007 Presentation on Valley Rail – by the Light Rail Committee

First, before any discussion about rail transit, including Light Rail Transit, we must define LRT and other transit modes. The following is a brief descriptions of various transit modes advocated as solutions for transit in the region. Commuter rail: Locomotive hauled rail coaches or diesel or electric multiple unit trains, catering specifically to peak hour […]

TorontoA?ai??i??ai???s new streetcar: sleeker, lower, longer

By Allison Hanes, National Post TorontoA?ai??i??ai???s next generation of streetcars will be sleeker, lower, longer and bigger. At 28.2 metres, the new Bombardier cars will be longer than the iconic red rockets on the roads now, which stretch to a maximum of 22 metres. MORE: Bombardier gets nod for new streetcars.Ai??Ai?? Each will have five […]

Brisbane Reality Check: The high cost of "cheap" busways – From the Light Rail Now Folks

The following is from the Light Rail now folks in the U.S.A. It certainly blows the lid off the BRT crowd, when it comes to the claim that BRT is cheaper than light-rail. When one hears Kevin Falcon or other Valley Liberal MLA’s claim that BRT must come first because it is cheaper than LRT, […]

US Fed Funding Policy Heavily Favors Roads Over Transit – From the Light Rail Now Folks

Tipping the Playing Field: How America’s Federal Funding Policy Heavily Favors Roads Over Transit Susan Pantell with Light Rail Now Project Team Ai??Ai?? May 2009 It should come as no great surprise that the federal government gives substantially more financial support to roads than to transit. However, what’s really disturbing Ai??Ai?? especially in a new […]

Premier Campbell & Kevin Falcon ‘flips the bird’ to the valley

Gordon Campbell, like all politicians, likes to monument build and with good ‘polling’ numbers has promised a ‘monumental’ 10 lane bridge with all the whistles and bangs to target the car driver in May’s provincial election.Ai??Ai?? The $3 billion plus mega bridge and highways project has nothing to do about good transportation or planning, rather […]

Langley, Surrey mayors push for light rail funding

Thanks to the South Fraser Blog for pointing out this article in the Langley Advance about the federal budget: Langley Township Mayor Rick Green said he is not sure that all the money will go to “shovel ready” projects. Some of the projects may be a couple years away from starting construction, Green said. Green […]

Pattullo Bridge will be closed for at least one month! Bring on the Interurban!

If there was a compelling argument for the proposed interurban service to connect to downtown Vancouver, here it is. Those who want the interurban service to deadhead into Scott Road Station are extremely short sighted and certainly fail to understand the driving mechanisms in attracting ridership – the seamless or no transfer journey. For the […]

Brian Lewis: Transit boss’s credentials starting to show

Is Translink REALLY going to give honest consideration to light rail on the Interurban route? Brian Lewis seems to think so. He really likes their new CEO Tom Prendergast: Brian Lewis’s Province column yesterday Excerpt: “…after listening to Prendergast yesterday, my gut feeling says: Don’t count this guy out. He’s a consummate transit professional, as […]

LANGLEY COMPLETELY LEFT OUT OF TRANSIT STUDIES (press release)

The following press release was sent out today, in response to the provincial government’s announcement today of transit implementation studies:

Today, the province and Translink announced implementation studies for rapid transit lines to UBC and to Surrey (see link). According to the provincial Transit Plan, the estimated cost of these expansions is $2.8 billion (UBC) and $1.1 billion (Surrey), assuming elevated SkyTrain is chosen. This would work out to $180 million/km for the line in Surrey and more than $200 million/km for the UBC subway line.