Light Rail, Tram-Train & Tram news from Britain

Four further Light Rail/TramAi??announcements this week from Britain; First UK tram-train plan on track for Sheffield BBC 24th March http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-12844983 PlansAi??Ai??to make Sheffield the first city in the UK to get a state-of-the-art “tram-train” service are on track after A?150,000 was granted to theAi??Ai??project. The continental-style carriages, which operate on both tramAi??Ai??tracks and existing railways, […]

Manchester Tram & Rail Link announcements

Manchester Metrolink starts Phase 3b Railway Gazette 22 March 2011 http://www.railwaygazette.com/nc/news/single-view/view/manchester-metrolink-starts-phase-3b.html UK:ai??i??Construction work has started on a 3Ai??9Ai??km extension of the Manchester Metrolink light rail network from Droylsden to Ashton-under-Lyne, following a groundreaking ceremony held on March 8. This is the first of the projects included in Phase 3b of the network expansion programme to […]

Comments From The Sandhouse

An AVG TramTrain, from Karlsruhe, on a rail tour on the Swiss mainline. The Sandhouse is the journal of the Canadian Railroad Historical Association, Pacific Coast Division. In  Vol 35, No. 4, Issue 140 – Winter 2010/11, is a summary of the Rail for the Valley/Leewood report and the BC government's effort, with some important observations. It must be pointed out that […]

Where’s The Transit?

It has been overAi??six months since the release of the Rail for the ground breakingAi??Valley/Leewood TramTrain report and very little of substance has happened. In BC and Metro Vancouver, it is business as usual, where civic and provincial politicians are fretting about funding for the discredited Evergreen metro line. The hype and hoopla on the […]

City of Victoria abandons Johnson Street Bridge rail plan

Victoria, B.C. – forget commuter rail entry into downtown SaanichAi??News March 10th http://www.bclocalnews.com/vancouver_island_south/saanichnews/news/117699518.html The City of Victoriaai??i??s faint hope of finding funding partners to save the E&N rail on the Johnson Street Bridge fizzled Wednesday. ai???Itai??i??s a reluctant decision that we have to take,ai??? said Coun. John Luton. ai???Many in this community are committed to […]

Current issue of Trains should be required reading

Matthew at Transport Action BC http://transportactionbc.wordpress.com/ writes on March 8th The April issue of Trains magazine has a special 48 page report on fast trains. It describes new high-speed trains in China, Korea, Taiwan, Japan and Europe, relative speed, why some Americans canai??i??t seem to embrace high-speed rail, a map showing the highest speed portions […]

Comparing Light Rail, Bus and Subway Costs

Two  reports on Canadian Light Rail systems The following link is to a report published in 2006 by Calagary Transit Light Rail Transit in Calgary  http://www.calgarytransit.com/pdf/Calgarys_LRT_1st_25Years_TRB_revised.pdf Currently, the average hourly operating cost of LRT is approximately $163, including operating, maintenance and utility costs. With an average of 600 boarding passengers per revenue operating hour, the […]

Rebalancing Our Transportation Network: A Case Study

Hamilton, Ontario has for long been promoting a Light Rail system for the city, details of their campaign can be found on the Hamilton Light Rail web site: http://hamiltonlightrail.com/index.html Details of the economic case for Light Rail are: http://hamiltonlightrail.com/article/an_economic_case_for_light_rail/index.html Similarly to Rail for the Valley in BC, the Hamilton Light RailAi??promoters are citing examples of […]

First interconnected tram-train service!

On 12 December 2010, the first tram-train service in the French region of Alsace commenced. 5000 daily passengersAi??are be able to travel from Mulhouse to Thann on an innovative, ecomobile transport route. read the article: http://www.sncf.com/en_EN/html/media/CH0004-Everyday-life/BR1122-Tram-train-Mulhouse/MD0005_20101206-Read-article.html Photograhs of the track system, internal & external views of the Alstom Citadis Tram-Trains Images courtesy of: http://www.tc-alsace.eu/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=87

Generational divide on regionA?ai??i??ai???s light-rail plans?

In June 2010, The Province of Ontario committed $300 million towards the capital cost of constructing a rapid transit system in Waterloo Region. http://rapidtransit.region.waterloo.on.ca/ Approved a light rail transit (LRT) system from Waterloo to Cambridge as the Region’s long-term preferred rapid transit system; Recognized that a staged implementation would be required to ensure the best […]