Subways Cost, Cost, Cost

Some transit blogs seem to think that building a subway is easy peasy , costing only a little more than a surface operation. This train of thought comes from a grand ignorance of subway construction and operation; with Translink’s grand subway plans based on the myth that subways carry more people. As we all know […]

How Not to Be left At Station, For A Train That Will Never Come

A letter sent to the Mayor and council’s of the Two Langley’s and Delta, sent by Malcolm Johnston, on Jan. 2, 2019.   “One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we’ve been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We’re no longer interested in finding out the […]

Troubles at Bombardier = Troubles for Metro Vancouver

The Metro Vancouver mayors may soon foolishly acquiesce to the mayor of Surrey’s demand to build with SkyTrain instead of light rail. Foolish, because they will remain tied to one supplier and will have to dance to the tune of Bombardier Inc., when and if new cars are ordered. Bombardier has ills with its rail […]

Common Sense Transit Planning From Patrick Condon. Oh, Yes And From Rail For The Valley

Hats off to Professor Patrick Condon for this! The mayor of Surrey may wish he had kept his mouth shut about light rail and SkyTrain. Oh, he will get his toy train to Fleetwood, no doubt, but after that fiscal reality will hit like a Tsunami. From the Tyee Dear Surrey Mayor McCallum. Congratulations on […]

Transit, Past The Point Of No Return

The mayors council has now voted to proceed with SkyTrain. “What fools we mortals be”, quoting the great bard. What the Mayor’s Council on transit did vote for is a mediocre SkyTrain extension, that really goes nowhere , demanded by the ravings the aged mayor of Surrey. What has happened is that SkyTrain may be […]

TransLink Fails Transit 101: Articulated Cars

True to form, TransLink and the mainstream media haven’t a clue about SkyTrain or SkyTrain vehicles. A news story on CKNW radio as well as other media sources claimed erroneously that the MK.3 rail cars are articulated. The new MK. 3 cars are not articulated, they are gangwayed, allowing communication throughout the four car train […]

Remember, Remember The 13th Of December

The next Mayor’s Council on Transit meeting is on December 13 and a very important meeting indeed. At this meeting the Mayor’s Council on Transit will decide on the fate of Surrey’s LRT project. The SkyTrain Lobby is worried (the number of spam emails has increased tremendously) that common sense may reign and the decision […]

A Stationless SkyTrain In Surrey

Charlie Smith of the Georgia Straight gets it, but that is no surprise, Charlie Smith and the Georgia Straight has always been the newspaper of note when it comes to SkyTrain? Why, you say? Because he asks real questions. By building SkyTrain, the new mayor of Surrey wants a funnel to take commuters out of […]

Has The SkyTrain Flip-Flop In Surrey Derailed?

Ah, the realities of political promises as the new Mayor of Surrey has now discovered; a very big $514 million problem. Even the most ardent of SkyTrain supporters, except for the tin foil hat brigade, realize SkyTrain costs a lot more to build than light rail and even may concede it costs more to maintain […]

Dated Thinking From A Dated Mayor

Dated transit thinking comes from SkyTrain, because light-metro is a dated transit system. There is no backbone for transit, except for a network of transit lines and only if it is designed properly, designed for the needs of its customers and not the electoral needs of politicians. One $2.95 billion SkyTrain does not a backbone […]