West Coast Express

[Sportsdude]

How many people ride it? Has anyone been on it? Because I've got a 'radical' idea.  

[james h.]

Some of my family takes it. It sucks, but it beats driving from Maple Ridge to downtown.

[Sportsdude]

Is it of right of way? Because I've got an idea, get rid of it (as it is now) make it right of way (if it already isn't) and upgrade the train to a fast intercity-commuter train Bombardier makes.  Because I bet WCX is very slow.  A high speed commuter train would go 140 to 160 kph.  My idea would have to get Victoria involved because the new express would go to Mission and Abbotsford which is out of the Translink area.

Plus after the olympics the governments of Washington (State), Oregon and BC need to really consider having a high speed train route that connects Whistler-Vancouver-Seattle-Portland-Salem.

Anyway those are my random thoughts
 

[james h.]

Yeah, its good to think about stuff like that.

But, don't forget, BC will be busy paying for the Olympics for decades, and proposing something like a smart train, may have to be put off for a few years. Alberta should also do a high speed train connecting Edmonton and Calgary.

[Russ]

Ive been on it, but I dont use it. Im lucky enough to live in van so no commute for me.

  I have a number of friends from teh valley that use it, they say it sucks, but like james said... its better than driving.    

[Sportsdude]

I've got friends in Calgary and they said with the new Primier who is from the boonies the high speed train connecting Calgary to Edmonton is pretty much dead.


Yeah BC will be paying for the Olympics for a very long time.  This idea would have to come from a federal transportation bill probably especially the high speed rail connect.  But seriously as a whole we have to be thinking of high speed rail and upgrading and making our metros better.  The lets just build a highway is a thing of the past.

Translink is almost there when it comes to Skytrain its still not complete.  I know they said they were not going to go all the way to UBC. And to me thats a fatal mistake.  They must or the system will not work.  It would make more of a mess.

Plus Vancouver is really easy to do when it comes to fast public transit because everyone lives in a defined area.  The mountains help with the sprawl.  
   

[james h.]

Sportsdude wrote:
I've got friends in Calgary and they said with the new Primier who is from the boonies the high speed train connecting Calgary to Edmonton is pretty much dead.

He may be from the boonies, but the cities are liking him too. He is not a brain dead asstard like Klein anyways. He actually speaks clearly.

 I agree it will never happen, although it should.


 

[Lil Me]

I like your thinking, SD.  But there is a problem with the right of way.  The track is actually a CN freight line and WCE has a limited usage agreement.
 
 My hubby takes the WCE.  He sold his car and loves the train service.
   

[Sportsdude]

Oh then the price just went up about a trillion dollars.  West Coast Express needs its own line so it can run more and then if you ever wanted to upgrade it to a high speed rail link 20 or so years down the line you could.