The Return Of The Tram!

One of the recurring themes for the SkyTrain types is that big cities have subways and little cities have trams. Well Berlin, the Capital of Germany with a population 3.7 million, is now investing in trams in the former “West” portion of the city as the old Communist “East” section retained the pre-war tramways. This […]

Their NDP May Do, What Our NDP Should Do!

The Scarborough subway soap opera continues. What is interesting is that the NDP in Ontario may very well kill the now $3.45 billion, 5 km., one station subway for a much cheaper light rail line. “There is a tipping point beyond which the unjustifiable becomes unsustainable.” and as TransLink and the Mayor’s Council on Transit […]

Fear of Subway Costs Grips Mayors Council

As our friend, Haveacow indicated some time ago, the Broadway subway is going to cost a lot more than many think. Some years ago, Zwei entered into correspondence with a German transit Engineer, Wolfgang and he warned of subway construction and operating costs, which hobbled German transit authorities and also lead to the rebirth of […]

Vancouver’s Dirty Subway Politics Continue

A Vancouver reader to this blog received the following letter today from the City of Vancouver.   The gentleman received the letter one day past the RSVP Date and the city evidently got the bus route numbers mixed up, as well. This continues the dirty subway politics practiced by Vision(less) Vancouver and with a former […]

The Big Shake Up

Good news everyone, there has been a shake up at TransLink and Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan is at the helm of the Mayor’s Council on Transit. Mayor Corrigan is the only mayor who actually has knowledge of transit and transit operation as he was a former CEO of BC Transit. The rest of the metro […]

Scarborough Subway Sticker Shock

More info on the Scarborough controversy. First, modern LRT can carry more than 15,000 pphpd, in fact modern LRT can carry well over 20,000 pphpd. In Karlsruhe Germany, one tram line carried over 35,000 pphpd in the peak hour! Toronto’s old Bloor Danforth streetcar line, using coupled sets of PCC cars were known to move […]

TransLink CEO No Better Than A Cheap Carny Huckster

In Metro Vancouver, local journalists remain largely ignorant of transit issues and believe, without reservation, what they are told by TransLink. There is no investigative journalism with TransLink and its favourite, SkyTrain. This “puff” piece is nothing more than softening up the public for both the Broadway subway and Road Pricing, which is needed to […]

The Ignorance Of Light Rail Knows No Bounds – Distinctly In Vancouver

It is sad that anti-tram journalist, Francis Bula, writes such tawdry articles about transit and by doing so, demonstrates that she does little or no research and repeats the anti-tram myth. Citing Jarret Walker as a renowned transit expert is stretching it a bit, as he is a bloggist, catering to the anti-tram crowd. He […]

New York To End 24 Hour Subway Service

Not all is roses for 24 hour subway service. The reason for ending 24 hour subway servcie in New York is…… Ai??that it would allow for longer windows to perform maintenance work needed to keep the system in good repair for daytime commutes. ….is the same as TransLink’s maintenance needs for its light-metro lines. The […]

Morning Smile

Thank you Bob Mackin and the Breaker news!   TransLink hopes to move people to buy its souvenirs News item: Just in time for Christmas, TransLink opens an online souvenir store.Ai?? Coffee mug, for that superior joe. (theBreaker) Buy a wayfinding throw pillow ($59), SeaBus bottle ($25.95) or SkyTrain scale model ($20) to remind yourself […]