From Seattle – The end of the line, for now: Tukwila is the jewel in the crown of Link – Mike Lindblom – Seattle Times

Though Seattle’s light rail project has more in common with Vancouver’s light-metro system, it does have portions running on city streets. Through the Duwamish River valley, it operates as a light-metro, running on a 8 km. viaduct. As soon as light-rail trains head south out of Seattle, leaving the streets of Rainier Valley, the ride […]

Rail reality grows with Hydro’s revelation – The Vancouver Province.

Ai??Ai??From the Vancouver Province and thanks for Brian Lewis for following this story! Advocates for establishing a light-rail passenger service in the Fraser Valley have found an ally in B.C. Hydro. And, not surprisingly, they’ve also found an opponent in mighty Canadian Pacific Ltd., the railway-based corporation that many have loved to hate throughout its […]

How green is my rapid transit?

By popular demand, another posting on ‘green’ or grassed light rail rights-of-ways. Grassed light rail lines bring a ‘cooling’ green park-like atmosphere to city tram lines. Lawned rights-of-ways are also used on heavier (fast) light-rail lines on suburban routes. Even in dense city centres, a lawned tram line is ascetically appealing. The appealing nature of […]

Tram-train backed in the UK. Can we expect the same here?

Ai??Ai??WhatAi??Ai?? is important to note is that the very thorough and highly respectedAi??Ai??Her Majesty’s Railway Inspectorate is now investigating the safety and implementation of TramTrain in the UK; if it passes the HMRI it can be well assured that TramTrain will be safe for operation on the “interurban” line, on this side of the pond! […]

The little railway that could – From the Globe and Mail

Food for though; has anyone ever thought of buying the old interurban railway? Would the current owner consider selling? Patrick White Darlingford, Man. A?ai??i??ai??? From Wednesday’s Globe and Mail Last updated on Wednesday, Jul. 01, 2009 02:56AM EDT The jangle of crossing bells never sounded so sweet. They echoed across the town green in Darlingford, […]

More on lawned rights-of-ways – LRT making transit corridors green!

Making transit corridors green goes along way for gaining support for new railAi??Ai??transit initiatives. Lawned light rail rights-of-waysAi??Ai??areAi??Ai??a wonderfulAi??Ai??way for turningAi??Ai??tram lines from eyesores to linear parks,Ai??Ai??creating vast avenues of ecco-friendly green spaces in congested city centres.Ai??Ai??Though costing more to install than conventional LRT/streetcar lines, the long term investment of lawned tram lines is undisputed. […]

Tech stuff for the Valley Inturban A?ai??i??ai??? The Indusi Signaling System A?ai??i??ai??? how it works (Part 4)

Speed Supervision (GeschwindigkeitsA?A?berwachung) The Indusi can also be employed to enforce speed restrictions, although it was not originally designed for this matter. The principle of operation is this: A device detects the approach of the train and activates a track magnet (say, a 2000Ai??Ai??Hz magnet). A timer is set, and after a fixed time the […]

Tech stuff for the Valley Inturban – The Indusi Signaling System – how it works (Part 1)

The following article is on the “Indusi” signaling system used by Passenger Trains and Freight Trains on lines shared with Karlsruhe’s famous two system or zweisystem TramTrains. With nearly 20 years of accident free service, the Indusi signaling system may be the ticket for safe track sharing on the Valley interurban. Signaling is an important […]

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 […]

Cranleigh Railway Line: All stop Bramley Station!

Rail for the Valley is not alone in trying to reinstate little used, abandoned, disused or mothballed rail lines for passenger use. The following web site for the Cranleigh reopening project……. http://www.cranleighrailway.info/reopen.htm ……in the U.K. is well worth a visit.Ai??Ai??One useful idea whichAi??Ai??could be copied,Ai??Ai??is aAi??Ai??a ‘model’ Valley Interurban station, locatedAi??Ai??in Chilliwack, Abbotsford or Langley […]