Now we know why SkyTrain is so expensive to operate.

The main story here is not the strike vote taken by Expo and Millennium Line workers, but the amount of workers that are needed to operate the SkyTrain mini-metro. According to the article, there are 530 CUPE members that work on the Expo and Millennium Lines, then add in senior non-union managerial staff, transit police and […]

Absurdity, Hiatus, Ignominy, Irony, Paradox and Prognosis

The Cardinal cordially welcomes Zweisystem back & offers him wishes for a speedy recovery from his recent illness; – Hurry up and get the heck out of there! Zwei, remember Mark Twainai??i??s advice `be careful when reading health books; you may die of a misprintai??i?? Ai?? With Zweisystem back in the section, continuing his mission, […]

Porkies from TransLink!

In the UK, London's Cockney's (the East End crowd) have long had an interesting rhyming slang tradition – examples: jam jar is a car; dicky dirt a shirt and so on. Well, a pork pie or porkie is – well you guessed it. The following letter from Ken Hardie, to the Delta Optimist, is full of "Porkies" […]

A city committed to tram-trains

Kassel’s tram-train system has transformed public transport in the region. With other cities starting to take an interest in the concept, it is no wonder people from around the world are making the journey to central Germany. Report from the Light Rail Transit Association [LRTA] published in the January 2010 edition of Tramways & Urban […]

29 new Tram Projects announced for France

11 February 2011  Railway Gazette Funding allocated to 78 French urban transport projects http://www.railwaygazette.com/nc/news/single-view/view/funding-allocated-to-78-french-urban-transport-projects.html FRANCE: Transport Minister Natahalie Kosciusko-Morizet announced the final tranche of light rail, metro and bus funding allocations under the Grenelle de l’Environnement on February 9. The announcement covers a total of €590m allocated to 78 urban transport projects in 54 conurbations […]

Hudson-Bergen extension opens in New Jersey

Railway Gazette 01 February 2011 http://www.railwaygazette.com/nc/news/single-view/view/hudson-bergen-extension-opens-in-new-jersey.html Ai??USA: A 1Ai??6 km extension of the Hudson-Bergen light rail line south from the former terminus at 22nd Street to a new stop at Eighth Street in Bayonne opened on January 31. The ribbon-cutting was attended by US Senator Robert Menendez, Bayonne Mayor Mark Smith and New Jersey Transit […]

Delta Politicians Mull Leaving TransLink

As predicted, the South Fraser municipality of Delta is mulling over the proposal to leave TransLink. Delta is the first, but if TransLink doesn't change its current very expensive metro only policy, then providing second rate transit services for customers, then more South Fraser municipalities will contemplate leaving. If TransLink stopped being devious and actually told […]

TRAMTRAIN: THE 2ND GENERATION

NEW CRITERIA FOR THE 'IDEAL TRAMTRAIN CITY' http://www.lightrail.nl/TramTrain/tramtrain.htm    

Braunschweig Tram-Train Scheme, Germany

railway-technology.com The website for the railway industry http://www.railway-technology.com/projects/braunschweig/ RSB interest groups signed a letter of intent in September 2008, with construction to start during 2009. The current main rail interests are DB’s regional train operations (DB Regio) and infrastructure (DB Netz) arms, and the city transport organisation Braunschweiger Verkehrs AG. Project aims include upgrading the […]

European Light Rail news

Light Rail/Tramways in France. Four new Light Rail/Tramways are currently under contruction in France and are scheduled to be opened between 2011 and 2013. The 11.2 km Reims Tramway – 2011 http://www.tramwaydereims.fr/start.html A 12 km Tramway in Angers – 2012 http://tramway.angersloiremetropole.fr/ A 14.3 km Tramway in Brest – 2012 http://www.letram-brest.fr/ A two line, 20 km Tramway in Dijon – […]