Rail for the Valley

An Interesting video on U-Tube Rail for the Valley well worth watching about rail in the Fraser Valley.

LRT for Dummies – I hope Clark and Dix read this!

From the Atlantic. http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/06/infographic-light-rail-transit-for-dummies/239664/ Infographic: Light Rail Transit for Dummies Jun 2 2011 It's a subject that's sparked quite a bit of heated discussion, both in our own offices here at the Watergate and in homes across America. President Obama and his team have promised millions to transform our country's rail system, but several Republican […]

Aging Pattullo Bridge needs to be replaced – Why Not Build A New Combined Road/Rail Bridge Instead?

Ai??The decrepit Pattullo Bridge, with the rickety Fraser River Rail Bridge under it There is no surprise over this decision at all, the aged Pattullo Bridge needs to be replaced and so it should as it is literally falling apart. The Pattullo wasAi??originally built as two lane bridge in the 1930’s, like the Lions Gate […]

IS IT TIME TO HAVE A ROYAL COMMISSION ON URBAN TRANSPORTATION?

Recent angst and confusion in local and national blogs concerning bus, light rail, metro, and commuter train makes Zwei wonder if a Royal Commission on Urban Transportation is needed. There are no national standards that readily defines transit mode and one is needed, so the average Canadian (read Canadian taxpayer) can engage in honest debate on urban transportation. […]

Where’s The Transit?

It has been overAi??six months since the release of the Rail for the ground breakingAi??Valley/Leewood TramTrain report and very little of substance has happened. In BC and Metro Vancouver, it is business as usual, where civic and provincial politicians are fretting about funding for the discredited Evergreen metro line. The hype and hoopla on the […]

Why Are North American Engineers So Afraid Of European Transit Developments?

Answer: They can't plan for $1.4 Million a mile rail transit schemes, like what their European friends are doing! The Valley Rail naysayers abound, but when faced with undisputable facts that light rail and/or its many variants can be built very cheaply indeed; much cheaper than $125 million/km SkyTrain or even $20 million/km highways, they […]

The $400,000.00 Fraser Valley Transit Study – Much Ado About Nothing

TwoAi??weeks before Christmas and the provincial Liberal Government releases its long awaited Fraser Valley Transit Study and one can see why; it is badly stale-dated by the Rail For The Valley/Leewood Report. By releasing the report before Christmas, the government hoped to bury this stinker under Christmas cheer, hiding the the fact that the Fraser […]

The Vancouver Sun Again Embarrasses Itself With a Pro SkyTrain – Pro TransLink Editorial!

In one of the most self serving pro-TransLink, pro-SkyTrain editorials yet, the Vancouver Sun printed a "puff' editorial authored by former Premier Mike Harcourt, who championed the Canada Line, and Dale Parker, Chair of TransLink, whose planning bureaucrats still squander millions of dollars on unachievable metro plans. The aim of the editorial, of course is to try to embarrass […]

Transit News From Around The World – December 3rd 2010

Light rail train derails in Seattle Komonews http://www.komonews.com/news/local/70237837.html Business leaders: Build light-rail leg to Tampa airport Tampa Bay Online http://tinyurl.com/26qguhs Manchester passengers consulted over closure of Metrolink stop Rail Technology Magazine http://tinyurl.com/26fq6jj Light Rail news Rail Technology Magazine Pages 46 – 53 inclusive; Manchester, Sheffield, Edinburgh, Tyne & Wear and Liepaja http://tinyurl.com/2auqhcs Fraser Valley Interurban […]

Adios TransLink?

Recent events are pointing that TransLink’s time may soonAi??come to an endAi??and a new regional (or two) transit authority(s) may come into being. The trouble with funding for the $1.4 billion Evergreen Line and TransLink’s strict adherence with SkyTrain and or light-metro is highlighting TransLink’s endemic financial woes. TransLink is getting a rough ride from […]