A Light Rail renaissance

The government has set out its intention to trigger a light rail renaissance in the UK and while specialists welcome the move some are concerned about costs http://www.guardian.co.uk/public-leaders-network/2011/sep/23/light-rail-renaissance?newsfeed=true Nick Appleyard Guardian Professional, Friday 23 September 2011 00.50 BST Major cities such as Leeds and Bristol are missing out by not having either a tram or […]

Surrey won’t build light rail without help

Mayor says taxpayers have poured too much into TransLink SURREY (NEWS1130) – Dianne Watts wants light rail for her city as soon as possible, but would Surrey be willing to pay for it alone? http://www.news1130.com/news/local/article/280453–surrey-won-t-build-light-rail-without-help      A candidate for mayor in Vancouver has promised a city-initiated streetcar system, but Watts says Surrey is still waiting […]

Streetcars out for the North Shore, in for Vancouver!

Interesting local news about implementing a modern streetcar line in the greater Vancouver region. Modern trams are not as expensive as one would think as the following shows, but if TransLink is involved, the cost of a new tram/streetcar would be at almost ten times more! On October 11, 2006 he Spanish town of Véléz […]

Interesting letter in the Vancouver Sun – Is the proposed two cent a litre gas tax to fund SkyTrain renewals?

The Vancouver Sun, Like the old Soviet "Pravda" of old, is interesting for what it prints and for what it doesn't print. The Sun has been a long supporter of SkyTrain and the paper and its editorial board has gone so far as to play fast and loose with the truth about light rail. Anyone who […]

The Depeartment of Transport in the UK releases a positive report about LRT.

Modern LRT in Strassburg France, operating on a lawned (grassed) reserved rights-of-ways Just released, a positive report from the Department for Transport for light rail in the UK. http://www.dft.gov.uk/publications/green-light-for-light-rail Report: Green light for light rail (PDF – 561 KB)

As reality hits, the taxpayer will get hit harder!

Well, lots of news about SkyTrain and how it's getting older and whole lot of money must be spent to refurbish the metro system. Well, hasn't TransLink planned for this or do they just think that the taxpayer will shell out more money to keep the aging behemoth running. All transit systems age and transit […]

News item in the Georgia Straight – Light rail, not more SkyTrain, is answer to TransLinkA?ai??i??ai???s cash crunch

Well the Georgia Straight is not afraid to print contrary opinions about our regional transit scene, unlike our mainstream media. It is worth to link to the original story and read the comments, all the usual suspects, spewing their nonsense in a vain attempt to "repeat a lie often enough, it becomes fact". Some are […]

A lightrail and streetcar primer.

The silly season has begun in the Vancouver region, with TransLink desperately trying to persuade regional mayors to levy more taxes to mainly pay for the Evergreen SkyTrain light-metro line. The following is a quick primer on streetcars, LRT and SkyTrain for use at upcoming transit dog and pony shows. Question: What is the difference […]

Vancouver’s anti-LRT media and blogs. Don’t diss Portland’s light rail

I don’t like doing this, but the following has struck a nerve. The statement from Frances Bula’s blog, “The famous streetcar and light-rail transit? Iai??i??ve concluded that that is the only option the city has, since it has about 60,000 fewer people than Vancouver does but spread out over three times the land. They canai??i??t […]

Light Rail for Surrey – A Rerun from May

With LRT in the mix for TransLink consultation process, Zwiesystem is reposting an item from May 4, 2011. I believe this plan is superior and cheaper to what TransLink is offering, as well, servicing far more people and has the potential to provide a direct line from White Rock to downtown Vancouver. LIGHT RAIL FOR […]