Dallas Fort Worth International Airport is building its first completely new terminal in two decades — but instead of constructing it the traditional way, DFW moved enormous prefabricated sections across the active airfield. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Vua7GQ3Xac
UTL is about exploring past, present and future urban technologies in science and fiction, etc...
Wednesday, September 16, 2026
Friday, September 11, 2026
How the City Rail Link Transforms Auckland's Train Network while Vancouver is trapped by the BCMV
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmtSI3N57kM Auckland, like Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Seattle, Edmonton, Toronto & Montreal... are just some of the cities that get to have longer train than provincial Vancouver.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_Rail_Link
"Although the trains are capable of having extra cars added in groups of three, the CRL station platforms, as originally specified, would not be long enough to accommodate nine-car trains. The proposed new capacity is 54,000 passengers per hour with the station platforms to be made longer so they can take the longer trains..." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_Rail_Link#Capacity_forecast_forces_platform_enlargements
9 car trains are possible for Auckland, because there isn't anything like a Vancouver Mind Virus (VMV) to thwart it.
https://www.cityraillink.co.nz/meet-your-stations
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waitemat%C4%81_railway_station#Capacity Proper big city infrastructure planning and development, unlike backwards Vancouver.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waitemat%C4%81_railway_station#Electrification
In contrast is the joke that is the two car Canada_Line. There was a deliberate decision, (apparently to save money) to not have a future station level clearance of at lest 100 m, if not even 160 m. So instead of planning for at least 5 car trains, there is only enough space for a 2.5 car joke of a train, some day.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada_Line#Stations "The five busiest stations have platforms 50 metres (160 ft) long, while the rest of the stations have 40-metre (130 ft) platforms that can be easily extended to 50 metres."
Being that this is a line which could eventually link YVR to the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal & eventually Waterfront station with Park Royal and even the Horseshoe Bay Ferry Terminal, the BC Mind Virus (BCMV) got in the way.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada_Line#Technology "The capacity of the trains is estimated at 334 people per pair of cars (comfortably) or 400 people at crush load."
Since each car is 20 m and the stations are designed to a maximum of 50 m, every effort should be made to try to eventually have 60 m platforms. Unfortunately, it might be difficult enough just to try to gradually have 55 m stations. Still, the initial goal should be to try to have a 3 car train of 60 m.
Then with Selective+Door+Operation, a 3 car train could become a 5 car train. Its unfortunate that there is such bad transportation planning in Greater Vancouver. Compared to backwards Vancouver, its great that nothing like a VMV has prevented Auckland from eventually having 9 car trains. The Montreal Metro and the Stockholm Subway can also have 9 car trains. Unlike Vancouver, several cities have no problem thinking big.
Auckland is so far away from the backwards mentality of Vancouver. Thus, Auckland is allowed to have longer trains than provincial Vancouver and taller buildings and even a wider harbor bridge. Of course the same can be said about Sydney and several other cities.
Thursday, September 10, 2026
The Dutch Are Replacing This Entire Bridge — By Moving It
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eS8jNDgBr9A
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Brienenoord_Bridge
Wow, no VMV or BCMV was able to get the Dutch to reduce the 12 lane Van_Brienoordbrug_Bridge back to a 6 lane bottleneck, or even a 4 lane chokepoint.
If you are Dutch and Visit Vancouver & Victoria, BC, you will be shocked as to how scaled back the infrastructure is. So far, no 12 lane crossing has been allowed in BC. Yet, for the Dutch, big city transportation infrastructure isn't a problem.
BC is 23 times the size of Switzerland, but doesn't even have the population of one CH.
Its very difficult to think big and tall in backwards BC. Thus, it takes a long time for big things to get approved and completed.
Wednesday, September 9, 2026
Tuesday, September 8, 2026
Monday, September 7, 2026
Sunday, September 6, 2026
A Speculative Map of Montreal Metro-REM-EXO
https://www.reddit.com/r/TransitDiagrams/comments/1w9apwg/oc_montreal_metroremexo_speculative_map/
What if Montreal could have a Paris scale of transportation infrastructure? Unfortunately, Greater Montreal hasn't reached the 5 million point yet, let alone 10 million people. Thus, the really big city stuff is still quite a ways off.
At least Montreal isn't stuck with a 3 lane LGB. So far, Vancouver isn't interested in building an express bus tunnel and an LRT tunnel next to the inadequate LGB. A line from Burrard_station to Park+Royal and the Horseshoe+Bay+ferry+terminal would be getting into proper big city transportation infrastructure. Just like a tunnel between Waterfront station and Lonsdale_Quay would be.
At least Le REM wasn't designed to be a 2 car joke of a train like the YVR-Canada+Line is.
The stations on the first 2 Skytrain lines are barely half the length of a 9 car Metro station. While a REM station can accommodate a 4 car train, the Canada+Line stations can only accommodate a 2.5 car train, but only 2 car joke trains, so far.
Saturday, September 5, 2026
What If America’s Most Iconic Skyscrapers Were in Warsaw?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meQMlsWkvPA
270 Park Avenue vs NYC Giants: Size Comparison https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVHedlizwSw
Face to Face: One World Trade Center vs. Sears Tower | The Volume Trap https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiLXjQZ4k3g
New York’s Missing Supertall Is Finally Rising | 2 WTC https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tySR84V3X4
Before and after the Pattullo Bridge
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mw934knFUgc
In the 1930s, NW was still a former tiny BC capital and an ongoing provincial backwater. It was amazing just to have plumbing and electricity in parts of Surrey. No one thought in the 1930s that Surrey could eventually become a major city, at least by BC standards. Then by the 2030s, becoming the biggest populated city in B.C.
Unfortunately, the Pattullo Bridge and its replacement weren't designed to accommodate 2 streetcar tracks or 2 LRT tracks. Both bridges opened with just 2 lanes each way. The 4 lane Pattullo Bridge should have been designed to have 2 very wide shoulders and 2 wide sidewalks so that it could have become a 6 lane crossing with a proper safety divider for traffic.
While the replacement bridge is also just 4 lanes, there is a 6 lane potential in the design. However, the new bridge should have opened with 3 lanes each way, plus a 4th lane for express busses. Then, a 5th lane could have been a very wide shoulder, or an outright emergency lane.
Instead, when either 4 lane bridge has a stalled vehicle, the 2 lanes become a 1 lane chokepoint. If there is an accident on 1 side of the bridge and a stalled vehicle on the other side, 3-4 of the lanes can instantly become blocked.
The old and the new bridges weren't designed to have a lower deck for 2 tracks and 2 truck lanes, even though its part of a major seaport region.
In contrast, the 1932 Sydney_Harbour_Bridge opened with 6 lanes and 4 tracks. Then, in the late 1950s, two tram tracks were removed, thus allowing for the Sydney_Harbour_Bridge to become an 8 lane crossing. This was possible, because NSW wasn't thwarted by anything like a provincial backwater BC mindset, or the BCMV.
Friday, September 4, 2026
The Dark Side of Singapore's Gleaming MRT
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOxKu6YAUkw
Long trains, along with short headways are ideal for any high capacity system. However, if there isn't enough daily or weekly and monthly maintenance, this will indeed wear down or even fall apart.
Thursday, September 3, 2026
Wednesday, September 2, 2026
Monday, August 31, 2026
Filming wraps for 'Shōgun' with epic fireworks display in Metro Vancouver
https://www.nsnews.com/highlights/shogun-filming-wrap-party-fireworks-metro-vancouver-2026-12725615
At least Port Moody wasn't thwarted by anything lik the VMV and could actually have some late summer fireworks. Vancouver no longer has any NY Eve fireworks and no Canada Day evening fireworks. However, Vancouver was able to have some fireworks on 1 evening in August.
System from Alaska to bring 'fall-type pattern' to Metro Vancouver
Another summer with only a few hot days and some occasional crappy cold fall like weather. Perhaps every year Vancouver will get a slightly shorter summer.
Some people still build swimming pools in Greater Vancouver, but they are lucky if they could ever use it for half of the year. However, if a greenhouse were to be built over their pool, then they certainly could use it for half of the year.
Then again, if they actually built a pool in a fully enclosed heated building, then its an all year round amenity.
In Vancouver, August is always the last full month of summer. Then, most of September becomes more like spring during the day with autumn nights.
https://www.accuweather.com/en/au/melbourne/26216/august-weather/26216?year=2026
Of course in big city Melbourne, August and September aren't pool and beach months.
https://www.accuweather.com/en/au/melbourne/26216/september-weather/26216?year=2026