Tram makers hit curve as markets adjust

Financial Times London Published: April 8 2011 15:43 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/42c826ec-618a-11e0-a315-00144feab49a.html#axzz1JP9NTSro By Robert Wright The segregated track that carries smart Citadis trams alongside the Aegean in Voula on the outskirts of Athens could scarcely form a more marked contrast with the tram line that snakes down the narrow, cobbled streets of the St Gilles district in Brussels. […]

Without the right questions, transit plan could fail

Of course in the Vancouver metro region, the right questions about transit have never been asked for fear of getting ‘correct’ answers. Building Metro Vancouver’s mini-metro system has always been about land development, political prestige and vote getting and not providing the best transit choice or the most affordable transit choice for the transit customer. […]

You could waste away waiting for guided bus

cambridge-news.co.uk http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Home/You-could-waste-away-waiting-for-guided-bus.htm Let's make no bones about it – we’re all getting on a bit while we wait for the guided bus to arrive. But two “passengers” at the busway stop in Swavesey really have reached the end of the line. A pair of skeletons have been spotted close to the track, appropriately appearing on […]

Light Rail news from around Europe

HK order low-floor trams from Transtech Rail.co April 1 2011 http://www.rail.co/2011/04/01/hkl-orders-low-floor-trams-from-transtech/ Helsinki City Transport (HKL) and the Finnish Rail rolling stock manufacturer Transtech signed an agreement to purchase 40 new trams on 24 March. The contract comprises of 40 trams and a possible further 90, if the tram extensions of Helsinki go to plan. The […]

Pushing a wooden stake through the heart of darkness

 I raised my head. The offing was barred by a black bank of clouds, and the tranquil waterway leading to the uttermost ends of the earth flowed somber under an overcast sky–seemed to lead into the heart of an immense darkness." – Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness    It has not been a very good […]

The Emperor has no Clothes and no Transit

Vancouver is at first glance a beautiful city. It is surrounded by sweeping vistas and a dramatic skyline. The climate is moderate butAi??spend some time here and scratch the surface and it becomes far less attractive. It is a city that is divided politically; it is parochial, narrow minded and shallow. The people are characterless, […]

Transit problems across Canada prompt calls for politicians to address issue

Time to lead SIRI AGRELL, LES PERREAUX, WENDY STUECK AND JOSH WINGROVE Globe and Mail Saturday, Mar. 26, 2011 1:31PM EDT Commute times in Canadian cities are no longer just a source of rush-hour irritation, but a national liability affecting the economic performance of our urban centres and requiring immediate intervention from Ottawa. A new […]

Transit a hit-and-miss affair in B.C.A?ai??i??ai???s Lower Mainland

Wendy Stueck Vancouverai??i?? Globe and Mail Update Published Friday, Mar. 25, 2011 11:00PM EDT http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/toronto/transit-a-hit-and-miss-affair-in-bcs-lower-mainland/article1957867/page2/ Shuttling sleekly between Richmond and downtown Vancouver, the $2-billion Canada Line has been a hit since it opened in 2009. But while the Canada Line whisks hundreds of passengers a day to their destinations, hundreds more huddle at bus stops […]

Risky to bust up flow of gas tax to TransLink: Walton

North Vancouver, mayor and  chair of the region's mayors council, Richard Walton, just doesn't get it. No matter how much federal tax money is paid to TransLink, the insatiable bureaucracy's will never have enough money. If the region splits into to or three transportation entities, those with the SkyTrain and the Canada line metro will […]

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, […]