A Novices Guide To Transit – Updated

ai??i??ai??i??ai??i?? or cutting through the BS about light rail, SkyTrain and BRT. The following is a guide plus definitions about ai???railai??? transit. ALM: Automatic Light metro, the fourthAi??marketing name given for the SkyTrain family of light-metros, when Lavalin briefly ownedAi??SkyTrain before going bankrupt. ALRT (1): Advanced Light Rail Transit, the secondAi??marketing name for SkyTrain. ALRT […]

Hawthorne Park – Premier Horgan, Are You Listening?

Surrey’s Hawthorne Park debacle clearly illustrates that something is wrong with our regional transit planning. Modern light rail transit, is a proven mode of public transportation that has an envious record in attracting the motorist from the car; a record that the proprietary light-metro, which we call SkyTrain, does not and why only seven SkyTrain […]

Mebourne: Trams Far Cheaper To Operate Than Buses

Interesting numbers from Melbourne Australia, where the subsidy for a tram, per customer, is $7.18 less than for a bus, per customer! Something to think about, isn’t it. Costs per passenger in Melbourne Tram vs Bus 30-Oct-2017Ai?? Ai?? Mal Rowe I came across the PTV annual report for last year (2015/16) with some remarkable figures. […]

The BRT And LRT Saga Continues

What is missing from this LRT/BRT study is very important, the cost of operating the BRT or LRT line. In Mexico, South America and the Middle East, wages paid to drivers, mechanics, managers and maintenance workers are much, much less than North America and Europe. As well, in third world countries, the world bank balks […]

Welcome To The World Of Congestion Folks!

This should not be news but it is, congestion has returned to the Port Mann Bridge With tolls, traffic and gridlock was just moved to the Patullo and Alex Fraser Bridges and the Massey Tunnel, but with the tolls eliminated, traffic pasterns are getting back to usual. Welcome to the commuting world brought to you […]

La renaissance du tramway en France

Tours The French (Tram) Renaissance is amazing! 17 brand-new systems opened since 2000. A single line in Montpellier, line T1, carriess over 130,000 weekday riders! And thatai??i??s with no tunnels, mostly street running. Systems in Nantes, Bordeaux and Montpellier have ridership at or near 260,000 riders a day! That exceeds Boston. The French do it […]

Now That’s Advertising!

A new Toronto tram and its advertising for Sapporo beer. Photo courtesy Mr Cow.

From Pole to Pan in Toronto

NO, we are not talking ‘pole dancing’ but another kind of ‘pole’ dance happening in Toronto. The use of panto-graphs or “pans” for the collection of electrical power has been around a long time and now it is Toronto’s turn to switch from the old trolley pole to a modern pan. Sadly, some of our […]

Seeing Is Believing – Why Doesn’t Translink Understand The Simple Facts Of LRT?

Courtesy of Mr. Haveacow from Ottawa. Zwei, I am sending you a very telling photograph. Its near Blair Station and the Ottawa LRV is undergoing testing. Notice the complete lack of paint effects and graphics as well as the fact that, many of its portals and access panels are in the down position, so equipment […]

Dieting Is Mandatory On Some Of Lisbon’s Tram Routes

Who says trams can not operate in narrow confines? One of the regular complaints by various city engineering departments is that; “There isn’t the road space for LRT”. Really? For every LRT complaint, there is always an answer to the contrary. Zwei is not advocating, that trams should operate in exactly the same tight places, […]