The Broadway Follies Part 4 – The Versatile Light Rail

TheAi??Ai??entire transit debate for the Broadway route has been defined by the SkyTrain Lobby as a quest for speed, as if speed was the only criteria for a successful urban ‘rail‘ line. Yet speed of a transit system is onlyAi??Ai??one ofAi??Ai??many factors that determine a successful ‘rail‘ transit line. From the Haas-Klau study (Bus or […]

The Broadway Follies Part 3 A?ai??i??ai??? Questions & Answers about SkyTrain

We continueAi??Ai??with the question and answer format about Broadway’s transit issues, with a focus on SkyTrain. Vancouver is the only city in the world that continues to plan and build solely with automatic (driverless) light-metro and many people would like to know why. First, we must tackle the issue of SkyTrain and answer questions posed […]

The Broadway Follies Part 2 – Questions & Answers about LRT

Zwei received a phone call from a confused citizen regarding a transit meeting he attended in Vancouver about transit options for Broadway. It seems a state of confusion reigns about what LRT is, what LRT can achieve, and modern transit in general. This is not to unexpected as TransLink has never been clever about LRT […]

A Basel Light Controlled Road, Centred Tram Stop

The following is a short video of a Basel light controlled, road centred tram stop. http://citytransport.info/mpg/traffic-signal-tramstop320.mpg Please note the following: The cyclist stops for the red light. Taffic light red cycle, 32 seconds. Dwell time 15 seconds. Reserved rights-of-way – hatched and crossed lines on the tram route.

Seattle City Council approves First Hill streetcar line

While Vancouver dithers on approving a tram/LRT line for the city, Seattle council have approved its second streetcar or tram line,Ai??Ai??the First Hill Streetcar Line. The problem in Seattle is, streetcars are not seen as LRT, rather something else as light rail is planned as a very expensive light metro. Only when Seattle gets a […]

Stephen Rees’s blog – Bond shies away from major TransLink reforms – well worth a read.

Many who read the Rail for the Valley blog also read Stephen Rees’s blog, but for the growing number of overseas visitors, his most recent post; “Bond shies away from major TransLink reforms” is well worth a read. http://stephenrees.wordpress.com/2010/05/02/bond-shies-away-from-major-translink-reforms/

Lieutenant GovernorA?ai??i??ai???s Award for Canada Line builder SNC-Lavalin criticized – From the Georgia Straight

An interesting article from the Georgia Straight, shining some light on SNC Lavalin wining the Lieutenant GovernorA?ai??i??ai???s Award for Engineering Excellence. Deserved or not, the comments (on the Georgia Straight Link) are worth reading. Somehow building an economy metro line, that does nothing special and when the taxpayer is kept from finding the real cost, […]

Campbell’s "Reshuffling of The Deck Chairs on TransLink" Can’t Hide The fact That TransLink, is Steering Directly Into a Financial Iceberg!

The provincial government has in effect (to use that old clichA?Ai??) “Rearranged the deck chairs on the Titanic“. Unable and/or unwilling to admit to the real problem with TransLink and regional transit is that building hugely expensive metros on routes that do not have the ridership to sustain them, requiresAi??Ai??large subsidies and those subsidiesAi??Ai??takes moniesAi??Ai??from […]

Two Tram projects planned in northern France. What no VAL?

What is interesting about this announcement is that the new tram projects are planned near Lille France, which operates the VAL automatic mini-metro. The two approved tram or light-rail lines are very close to the City of Lille and the VAL mini-metro system. This poses the question: Why not build with VAL? French cities that […]

Light Rail & Tramways Growth Continues With new Openings in 2010

From May’s issue ofAi??Ai??Tramway’s & Urban Transit comes a list of new LRT openings in 2010, almost one every six weeks. The following is a partial list of new LRT/tram and TramTrain systems. It is interesting to note the increase of TramTrain expansion, both in Europe and in North America. Also, when compared to metro […]