Have you heard about the Vancouver Plan? The Vancouver Plan will feature a single, city-wide plan to guide future growth in line with key community priorities. The Vancouver Plan will also aim to keep the qualities that make Vancouver special while responding to the challenges facing the city and its residents. The Vancouver Plan has been in process for a while, but it is now … Continue reading Vancouver Plan
With two new boys in my life, I wasn’t able to step away from home to experience the opening of the Evergreen Extension of the Millennium Line. Besides, it was a miserable, rainy day. Plus, I’m almost a week after the opening day releasing this post. Life happens.
In lieu of my own photos and video, I thought you could partake in some videos yourself scattered across YouTube.
I just saw a very impressive plan to expand Montreal’s rapid transit system. The new elevated rapid transit line, similar to Vancouver’s SkyTrain design will almost double the rapid transit available in the Montreal region. In fact, it will likely become North America’s longest elevated rail line when it comes to fruition.
Okay, let’s start by looking at some of the numbers being bandied about in the news.
First off. There’s the one constant in this picture. Justin Trudeau’s federal Liberals have promised to pay for 50% of the funds for infrastructure projects across the country.
Here’s what the other two levels of government have offered.
Continue reading “Metro Vancouver Transit Funding’s Ongoing Saga – May 2016”
There’s been a flurry of transit related news this past week. Most of it about funding transit from the local Metro level and the BC provincial level. I haven’t had time to sift through the numbers, let alone blog!
So let me work on something that’s a bit more tangible and easier for me to blog quickly about. My local SkyTrain station is under reconstruction. The whole east stationhouse is being rebuilt.
The conversation for expanded fixed rail transit in Surrey continues to roll along. Metro Vancouver’s second largest municipality by population and largest by land area is still trying to push forward after the failed transit plebiscitie/referendum of 2015.
A few things have happened in the past year that may help Surrey get its long-desired LRT.
Ever since I lived in Toronto back in 2003, I’ve always kept an eye on transit developments in the GTA. In the early days, there was David Miller’s Transit City, which promised to criss-cross the city with light rail. Then Rob Ford rumbled into office and promised the gravy train along with the light rail trains. Instead, Rob Ford planned on fewer lines, but with all of them being heavy rail subway lines. Then most recently came John Tory and his SmartTrack which was a vaunted “surface subway” that would start moving Toronto in a new way.
Three mayors with three very different visions over the past 13 years. It’s enough to make any transit follower’s eyes spin.
Yonah Freemark has been starting off the New Year with a look at New Transit across North America since 2009. Here’s the 2016 edition. Metro Vancouver’s Evergreen Line would have made this map for 2016. However, the tunneling problems involving sinkholes on roads in and around Clarke Road has delayed the complete of the Evergreen SkyTrain Line until early 2017. For an extremely thorough look … Continue reading Transport Politic’s New Transit for 2016
The transit geek in me is totally looking forward to the opening of the Evergreen Line in 2016. Along with the new line and increased ridership coming out of Coquitlam, new trains will be needed. We’re getting 28. Count’em. 28 new trains. And boy, are they looking sleek.
As we are in the middle of the plebiscite, I’m sure the dedicated No voters have already vigorously mailed in their ballots. The same can be said of us Yes voters who are equally dedicated to the Yes side. However, I think there’s still plenty of you out there who may still be thoughtfully percolating over the issues. Here’s some more readings related to the referendum and issues surrounding transportation in Vancouver.
metro babel 