[Metro-One]

Wow, it is amazing how partisan people can be, the street cars are part of our history, and you may find it gimmicky, but I enjoy keeping at least a portion of such a major aspect of our transportation history alive. And if anything, more money should be spent on the trams to buy new vehicles, and have the phase 0 (science world to Granville Island) completed. I am not a tourist, I have lived here my entire life, and if the tram network actually become a regular transit service, i can bet you that many more locals would use it.

But Vision has decided that trams are not part of a green city, even if there is a half built phase 0 with dedicated railway bed awaiting use, so now all the Vision supporters are against trams in Vancouver. Yet they want to spend 80 million to tear down existing, viable infrastructure, have to love Vancouver! This is why I never follow any political party blindly.

[whatnext]

...Typical NPA and their old style nostalgia and village by the sea attitude! That streetcar in its current form is not very practical. If they are serious about having a real streetcar line, they need to advocate that it be done properly. And if it can't be done due to lack of power or public interest, then just let it go! ...

Perhaps it escaped your notice during the last election (though your profile indicates you don't even live in Vancouver anyway) but the NPA put forward a costed plan to bring the streetcar, in its 2010 form, back as part of Vancouver's transit infrastructure.

Vision ridiculed the idea. Apparently spending millions on removing infrastructure is OK, possibly setting up taxpayers for $100 of thousands for subsidized bike rentals is OK, but actually rebuilding a popular system, on land already acquired, is not. And you call the NPA looney...:koko:

[aberdeen5698]

Apparently spending millions on removing infrastructure is OK, possibly setting up taxpayers for $100 of thousands for subsidized bike rentals is OK, but actually rebuilding a popular system, on land already acquired, is not.I think the heart of the debate is over exactly how "popular" the line would really be. Right now it can't generate enough revenue to sustain itself, even with volunteer labour.

[Treplow]

If that's the case, why would they even bother to spend 8 millions to upgrade the track in the first place? That's 80 years worth of service!

8 million that now seems to have gone to waste...I cross over those tracks almost daily to get to the #50 bus at Alder Crossing, and they look badly rusted/neglected at this point. I imagine the tracks would have to be completely replaced again prior to the implementation of any future streetcar service along that corridor.

[trofirhen]

Perhaps it escaped your notice during the last election (though your profile indicates you don't even live in Vancouver anyway) but the NPA put forward a costed plan to bring the streetcar, in its 2010 form, back as part of Vancouver's transit infrastructure.

Vision ridiculed the idea. Apparently spending millions on removing infrastructure is OK, possibly setting up taxpayers for $100 of thousands for subsidized bike rentals is OK, but actually rebuilding a popular system, on land already acquired, is not. And you call the NPA looney...:koko:
:previous:

At the provincial or civic level, BC politicians nearly always make the dumbest choices, say the dumbest things. That's partly why, perhaps, BC is the political laughing stock of Canada.

[officedweller]

8 million that now seems to have gone to waste...I cross over those tracks almost daily to get to the #50 bus at Alder Crossing, and they look badly rusted/neglected at this point. I imagine the tracks would have to be completely replaced again prior to the implementation of any future streetcar service along that corridor.

They' probably just have to be grinded down.

[queetz@home]

Perhaps it escaped your notice during the last election (though your profile indicates you don't even live in Vancouver anyway) but the NPA put forward a costed plan to bring the streetcar, in its 2010 form, back as part of Vancouver's transit infrastructure.

Vision ridiculed the idea. Apparently spending millions on removing infrastructure is OK, possibly setting up taxpayers for $100 of thousands for subsidized bike rentals is OK, but actually rebuilding a popular system, on land already acquired, is not. And you call the NPA looney...:koko:

Guess what? The people heard of the NPA's plan and still voted for Vision. The costed plan is silly, would require partnerships with both Translink (for integration) and the private sector. Considering the NPA's track record (cough...Owelympic Village), can you really blame the voters for not taking their proposal for the Vancouver Streetcar seriously?

In addition, remember that this is during a time when Translink is scraping for cash, and Vancouver's focus should really be on the Broadway Line, which is a far useful transit system than some fancy streetcar that would only service an already well served downtown and its tourists.

The viaduct issue is a whole different animal but what the crux of it is whether you want to maintain the viaducts, which was really meant for freeways and includes ongoing costs, or redevelop the land that would benefit the community even further. So there is merit for the viaduct debate and study.

As for my profile, I just keep proscrastinating to change it (and I will change my sig only AFTER Evergreen is truly certain). I live in Yaletown so I would actually benefit from the NPA's streetcar proposal. But I don't only think of myself (unlike a certain creme de la creme that shall not be named) when it comes to prioritizing transit projects for the greater good.

[jsbertram]

Bombardier has a mock-up of the Light Rail Vehicle they are building for Toronto at Granville Island - right by the Public Market.
(ohh the irony ... you'd have to drive to Granville Island to see a static display of a streetcar / tram / LRV )

This is likely the same mock-up car used last weekend in Surrey, so it won't be running on the $8 Million tracks that were built for the demonstration trains during the Olympics. Those trains were new cars built for Brussels that were borrowed by Bombardier for the Olympics demo line & then delivered to Brussels right afterwards.

This mock-up is open daily until 6:00 PM until Sunday.

from Stephen Rees's blog:
http://stephenrees.wordpress.com/2012/07/06/bombardier-flexity-freedom/


Impress your friends with the paper model!

While you're there, you can check out the model shop on Granville Island to add to your train set.

[mpatricklee]

Could it be that the RoW is being ignored so as to "reserve" it for one of the UBC Line SkyTrain LRT Combination alternatives?

That makes sense to me. Why push ahead with the Olympic Village-Science World connection if there was a possibility it would be included in a larger project with Translink and Provincial and/or Federal support?

[jlousa]

Trams are heading to Surrey.

http://www.vancouversun.com/Photos+historic+interurban+cars+move+Surrey/7096337/story.html?tab=PHOT

[Track]

So, is this meant to be a viable transit opportunity, or just a tourist attraction (or both)? Because if they're going to run the interurban, I think that it would be a bit of a waste to only use it as tourist attraction.

[jsbertram]

Trams are heading to Surrey.

http://www.vancouversun.com/Photos+historic+interurban+cars+move+Surrey/7096337/story.html?tab=PHOT

The photos don't appear to be of any streetcars from the Downtown Historic Railway in Vancouver, but instead seem to be the interurban cars at the Fraser Valley Heritage Railway (FVHRS).

As usual the Sun isn't very clear in the article, but I think the cars are being relocated from the "Sullivan Station" area of Surrey where the FVHRS has their car barn to the new car barn facility in Cloverdale.

http://www.fvhrs.org will have more details.

[jlousa]

Thanks for the clarification, I was wondering why it wasn't a bigger news item.

[jsbertram]

I find it interesting that the Surrey City Council is willing to spend almost $2 million to support the FVHRS. It looks to me that they are willing to keep the historic interurban cars running in order to keep up interest in the former BCER tracks and cars. Then the City can use the success of a tourist attraction go to the Prov and Feds to get help to start a South of Fraser LRT / Trolly / Tram system running between Surrey and Chilliwack.

Meanwhile City of Vancouver can't part with $100K to help the local volunteers to run their trains over the summer tourist season.

[officedweller]

Came across this discussion website:

https://www.placespeak.com/topic/399-streetcar-city-2050/

[deasine]

Came across this discussion website:

https://www.placespeak.com/topic/399-streetcar-city-2050/

One of those broad (and dare I say meaningless) conversations. To answer the question itself, yes it's time to add streetcars. But if you don't add costs to the conversation, it's unrealistic.

[queetz@home]

One of those broad (and dare I say meaningless) conversations. To answer the question itself, yes it's time to add streetcars. But if you don't add costs to the conversation, it's unrealistic.

Agreed. Not even sure why this thread was resurrected for another website. The site seems no different to "Rail for Valley", or "Skytrain for Surrey". You can have all these "blah blah blah" sites but ultimately, unless these people have the means to pay the bill, or seriously create a campaign to convince those powers to be to come up with the funds, nevah gonna happen!:P