TransLink Menace to Society in Metro Vancouver

Eric Chris takes on TransLink! The following is a copy of a “letter to the editor“, that a Mr. Eric Chris sent to the Vancouver ProvinceAi??newspaper. Well researched, Chris exposes theAi??TransLink’s current charade with its involvement with regional transit. As well, he has determined the real cost of the Canada Line mini-metro, which according toAi??Chris’s […]

Toronto LRT latest

From Ai??TTCriders, a public transit advocacy group that gives transit riders a voice Why Silence Gary Webster? http://www.ttcriders.ca/ For the second time in less than a month, 5 TTC Commissioners are trying to silence TTC staff from doing their jobs: giving expert opinions on transit expansion that contradicts the Mayorai??i??s calls for subways. This time, […]

Vancouver’s Streetcar (Tram) Planning – TransLink Boldly Plans For The 1940’s

Recent comments on various transit blogs, by representatives of TransLink only confirm that TransLink does not wish to build with light rail and their current LRT/streetcar/tram planning for Vancouver is woefully dated. It has been mentioned several times in the past month that a 2010 news item from Karlsruhe Germany, that the main tram line […]

In Toronto, a Major Victory for Light Rail

It was an $8.4 billion question that had simmered all year, but finally boiled over this week at Toronto City Hall during a no-holds-barred debate that may well determine the future of city’s transit expansion.* http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2012/02/toronto-major-victory-light-rail/1202/ For years, Toronto struggled to modernize and expand its transit system, which now carries about 500 million riders annually, […]

LRT victory in Toronto

Victory in Toronto as Mayor’s all subway plan defeated by council Toronto’s Mayor Ford lost anti-light rail battle “Ford loses council transit battle TTC chair’s proposal revises portions of Transit City plan” http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/story/2012/02/08/toronto-transit-debate-city-hall.html Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has lost his battle in the City Council to save his all-subway vision for future rail transit. Instead, […]

Review of Light Rail/Tramway costs

A Federal Parliamentry Review of Light Rail/Tramway/Transit costs must be carried out!Ai?? Both Fang & Zwei have posted articles in the past weeks on the high costs of Canadian LightAi??Rail, Tramway & Transit schemes. Vancouver, TorontoAi??and Waterloo. Design, Utility relocation, Financing vehicles (ie P3) Project management, Construction management, Land purchase and now theAi??concern that Ai??Canadian […]

Whatai??i??s the Best Way To Get Users To Embrace Mass Transit?

Make it pleasant? Or make it efficient? An article in Slate magazine http://www.slate.com/articles/life/transport/2012/01/jarrett_walker_s_human_transit_are_we_thinking_about_urban_planning_all_wrong_.html Make it pleasant? Or make it efficient? by Tom Vanderbilt A few months ago, at an urban mobility conference in Frankfurt, the British consultant Charles Leadbeater presented a sort of x-y matrix for thinking about how to manage and design cities. The […]

How to pay for Victoria’s proposed over priced light rail….. Don’t!…..Plan for much cheaper TramTrain on the E&N!

BC Transit is an old hand at inflating costs of LRT, so they don’t have to deal with it. In the 90’s, BC Transit increased the cost of the proposed Broadway-LougheedAi??LRT to such an extent, that there was only a 7% difference between the cost for light rail and that of SkyTrain. Sprinkled with political […]

Utilities – to divert or to not divert?

The need for utility relocation on LRT schemes has been a major issue for promoters in Canada, the US and Great Britain but less so in continental Europe, where many utilities remain public owned,Ai??for decades. The Cardinal has received details of the project costs for the Waterloo, Ontario Light Rail project; http://www.tritag.ca/light-rail/why-light-rail/Ai??and http://www.wonderfulwaterloo.com/showthread.php?t=219Ai??also http://rapidtransit.region.waterloo.on.ca/ that […]

Croydon Tramlink – new tram is delivered

London Reconnections http://www.londonreconnections.com/2012/in-pictures-the-new-croydon-tram-units/ Last year TfL tendered for six new trams for the Croydon Tramlink. These are primarily intended to allow services on the Elmers End branch to be increased by 4tph. The A?16.3m contract was won by Stadler, who committed to produce, test and deliver 6 Variobahns in sufficient time for them to enter […]