Should We Convert The Canada Line to Light Rail? Updated.

First posted by zweisystem on Thursday, October 11, 2012 Subways & metros cost a lot of money to build and operate. The proposed new mega bridge that will replace the George Massey Tunnel is back in the news, as there is a good chance that incoming Premier John Horgan will cancel the the hugely expensive […]

Et Tu Meggs!

  Et tu Brute is a Latin phrase meaning “and you, Brutus?“, “even you, Brutus?” or “you too, Brutus?“, purportedly the last words of the Roman dictator Julius Caesar to his friend Marcus Brutus at the moment of his assassination. The quotation is widely used to signify the utmost unexpected betrayal by a person, such […]

A Message To Premier Horgan: A Train Waiting for You At The Station (Updated)

A Message To Mr. Horgan: A Train Waiting for You At The Station First Posted by zweisystem on Thursday, May 25, 2017 Ai??   The election is over and now the province has a NDP/Green coalition government. Rail For The Valley has a message for now Premier Horgan, The Vancouver to Chilliwack TramTrain is waiting […]

Freight Tram Trials in St. Etienne France

The concept of freight trams has been around for a while, in fact the concept is quite old. The success of Dresden’s freight tram was based on moving car components, via container, from one factory to another across the city. In St. Etienne, it’s the concept of moving smaller loads from one central distribution point […]

Transportation Gridlock is Endemic in Metro Vancouver

After driving into Vancouver yesterday, it has hit home that despite a now over $10 billion spent on SkyTrain light-metro and the Canada line, congestion is getting worse. After being an advocate for better transportation in the region for now over thirty years, I am still amazed by the “SkyTrain ennui” that prevails in most […]

The French Approach to LRT Versus The American (Canadian) Approach

The following is well worthAi?? read as it compares the French Approach to Modern LRT and the American and Canadian rather dated approach to the transit mode. French v US approach to light rail What we should plan for, instead of playing games with land development. MACRO (regional strategies) * (1) Ressau: (network) Design at […]

Ontario looks at hydrogen-powered trains

As hydrogen fuel cell technology improves, the application for ‘rail’ transit is close to become a reality. The main problem for hydrogen fuel cell transit is that the cell tends to produce power at a steady rate, but poor in providing power at times of high demand, like accelerating out of stations. This has made […]

Is TransLink Hiding Subway Costs?

I wanted to post this item, not to show problems with London’s proposed BRT, rather that cost of tunneling had been vastly under estimated on the subway portion of this project. An excerpt from the London Free Press. City hallai??i??s consultant, IBI Group, had dropped a bombshell on city officials that day: The tunnelai??i??s construction […]

BC, Building Our Way To Gridlock.

Someone please memo this to the Minister of Transportation; the Premier; the Mayor of Delta and the BC Liberal party. Guest column: Wider roads wonai??i??t solve congestion problem (AP Photo / Jae C. Hong) 6356725 Ai??- See more at: http://www.bendbulletin.com/opinion/lettertotheeditor/5323723-151/guest-column-wider-roads-wont-solve-congestion-problem#sthash.xGCX3git.0vCV9BSw.dpuf Build it, and they will come. In the context of the Legislatureai??i??s transportation plan, this […]

Road Pricing -To Hide Transit Blunders In The past And Blunders Yet To Come

The major rule about “Road Pricing” or congestion charges and that is, one must have an affordable and user friendly transit system in place before road pricing will be accepted by the populace, if not, it is not going to happen. The Metro Vancouver region does not have, nor will have any time soon a […]