The $1.47 Billion Solution

The following news release came to Zwei via Montreal and Germany and answered one very important question, which TransLink is ashamed to reveal locally. The cost of the signalling rehab is $1.47 billion! This is not chump change, but serious coin, which must come from somewhere. Well, I can guess: a little from the Ministry […]

Of Photo-ops And 10 Second Sound Bites – The Mayor’s Council Pre Election Grift

How can one tell it is civic election time. Hint: Regional mayors, with little knowledge about transit, are promising everything, but without a mention of raising taxes to fund those gold plated pre election goodies! I have one question: Funding? It all sounds good, bike lanes here, a gondola there, a UBC subway (strange, no […]

And Now – Here Is The Real Story

  With my long association with the LRTA, I have made many contacts with professionals in the transit industry, who have guided me and given me much information on modern public transport. The following questions deserve an answer. Is current regional transit planning viable in the post Covid world? Is the current light-metro only planning […]

BC Transportation Minister, Rob Fleming, Must Resign!

Zwei has real issues from the following two statements from BC Transportation Minister Rob Fleming. . “In fact, what they analyzed was the superiority of high-frequency bus service, both from a capacity point of view – to move people out of their cars as the member wished for – and also to give flexibility in […]

Surrey’s Board of Trade Reality Check!

The business types with the Surrey Board of Trade don’t seem quite up to date with the cost of Transit projects in Metro Vancouver. The provincial governments Friday news release (Friday is always used for bad news which is hopefully forgotten by Monday) that the “B.C. government commits $2.4B to transit in Metro Vancouver“, was […]

Broadway Subway Steamrolls Through Small Business – Politicians Do Not Care!

Zwei told ya so. The precedent set by the Canada Line Cambie St. cut and cover is coming to Broadway and that means “to hell with the small business”. The mayor and council knew this would happen; TransLink knew this would happen (and why TransLink hired a professional spin doctor as CEO) as they know […]

The Broadway suybway Will Sterilize Buisness – Redux

On the local TV last night, small businesses along the Broadway construction zone are seeing huge drop in sales and a big increase in debt, due to closure of sidewalks. Shades of the Canada Line debacle on Cambie 15 years ago! BC’s Transportation Minister Ian Flemming, trundled out the old tried and true comment from […]

The Caisse Du Depot Bails From REM East

Montreal’s politicians listen to the public far more about transit than Metro Vancouver’s politico’s. The public were growing very disenchanted having an elevated railway go through Montreal’s downtown and maybe would take such disenchantment to the next civic election. Well, the civic government has pulled the carpet from under the Caisse and in response, they […]

The $400 million Per Killometre SkyTrain To Newton – Really?

Zwei has a simple question: Where is the funding? With the cost of the Expo Line extension to Langley, exceeding the last estimate of $3.95 billion; the Broadway subway completion to UBC now exceeding $5 billion; and of course that pesky $3 billion rehab to the Expo and millennium Lines that TransLink refuses to acknowledge […]

Reality Check: Has TransLink Again Mislead The Public?

It is hard to surprise ole Zwei these days, but the following has somewhat astounded me. Expo and Millennium Upgrade Program The Expo and Millennium Line are the region’s Rail Rapid Transit Lines that connect key locations across Metro Vancouver. The Expo Line opened in 1985 and was the region’s first rail rapid transit line. […]