TransLink Doesn’t Want Affordable Transit

TransLink, one of the most dishonest and unaccountable bureaucracies in the province, doesn’t want to reinstate the former interurban service. So powerful is TransLink, so totalitarian in operation, the regional mayors, the Minister of Transportation and the the Premier Horgan are deathly afraid of the bureacracy and cower in the shadows. Such power, so abused! […]

TransLink And The Mayor’s Council Beg for More Money

  An open  letter to the Prime Minister of Canada, the Premier of BC, Federal and Provincial Ministers of Transportation, Metro Vancouver members of Parliament and the British Columbia Legislature. In the past few weeks TransLink and the mayor’s Council on Transit has been mounting a advertising blitz on Facebook and other social media pleading […]

TransLink Reannounces A Renouncement, Of A Reannouncement!

Good news everyone, the federal liberals are giving TransLink money to buy new cars and upgrade the Expo Line, yippee. It’s not additional money of course, rather a renouncement of a renouncement. Really, how much mileage can they get for $1.47 billion? A lot if today’s reannouncent is anything to go by. Just to remind […]

This Is Light Rail.

The new Camberra Australia, light rail line. This is classic light rail. Reserved or dedicated, at-grade rights-of-way and easy pedestrian access across the line is the hallmark of LRT. All the benefits of a metro at a fraction of the cost. So, why does the provincial NDP, the City of Vancouver and the Mayor’s Council […]

When SkyTrain Grows Old

Age is an expensive journey for older transit systems, especially older proprietary transit systems and the MK.1 cars operating on the SkyTrain network are indeed showing their age. The majority of Mk.1 cars are now over 34 years old and are in dire need of major maintenance and/or refurbishment. This is why TransLink is ordering […]

Trams Having Limited Capacity On Broadway? – SURELY NOT!

The ongoing planning charade currently being played out by the cities of Vancouver & Surrey, and TransLink with the proposed Broadway SkyTrain subway, is being fueled by professional misconduct, by all professionals and most politicians involved. A notable exception is Vancouver City Councillor Colleen Hardwick. Today, the message being relayed around the world is that […]

Stadler Trains For Ottawa’s Trillium Line

This is of great importance for Fraser Valley passenger  rail. The  Stadler FLIRT is a close cousin of the Stadler  GTW tramtrain and like the GTW, the articulated FLRT uses a diesel power-pack located in the middle of the train. The FLIRT DMU is really a five section, articulated diesel rail car, with four sections […]

King Street Success – Lessons for Vancouver and Surrey!

Kicking and screaming all the way, Toronto is now updating its heritage streetcar system to light rail standards and the the result is obvious, success. Modern trams, reserved rights-of-ways, all the key ingredients for successful LRT. Sadly, this puts Toronto 40 years behind most other European Cities. As found in Europe, modern light-rail has changed […]

King Street Versus the BS Line

I added this article to demonstrate that is Canada, simple streetcar lines can carry large volumes of people. Each day, 84,000 people ride the King St. Streetcar, while TransLink claims a modest 60,000 people a day use Broadway. The King car is not just Toronto’s busiest surface transit route. It carries as many people as […]

BS Line To Nowhere Or The Big Dig Part 2

Oh, the BS Line, Vancouver’s great vanity project. All world class cities must have a subway, according to the “booster class” who just love mega projects. Last cost estimate for the BS Line is around $3.5 billion, not including cars. Looks like the powers that be are already planning to reduce the scope of the […]