UTL is about exploring past, present and future urban technologies in science and fiction, etc...
Wednesday, October 14, 2026
Is Skytrain just a basic Airport People Mover?
Monday, August 31, 2026
Why New York City has a Two-Car Subway Train and provincial Vancouver is stuck with a 2 car airport train
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xH37SqlW0Ks
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_Avenue_Shuttle
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R68_(New_York_City_Subway_car) 75-foot (22.86 m) length for each car. So roughly, a 2 car joke of a train is almost 46 m, or 150 ft. The absurd Canada_Line-Stations with its 2 car trains are in the 40 m to 50 m range. Thus, only two car & 2.5 car trains are only possible. In contrast, a 9 car Montreal_Metro train can be up to 152.5 m, or 500 ft.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R68_(New_York_City_Subway_car)#Description So, an 8 car, 600 foot long train is 100 feet longer than a 500 foot, 9 car Montreal train.
The end of the line for the Franklin_Avenue_Shuttle is only a single track platform.
Unfortunately, the YVR and the Richmond end if the Canada_Line stations are also a single track platforms. Even if this was initially decided as a cost saving measure, a double track guideway still should have been built. Then, a proper double track station could eventually be completed. Especially if the line is ever extended to the Delta Ferry terminal.
The YVR-Airport_station was deliberately designed to be narrower and shorter than what a proper big city airport station should be. Its another example of the unofficial BCMV reducing and thwarting the scale of things.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearson_Airport_station Almost like REM quality for Toronto, but not for provincial Vancouver. https://www.upexpress.com/en/up-express-stations/pearson-station , https://www.torontopearson.com/en/transportation-and-parking/up-express Wow, Toronto like Perth can run 3 car big city type trains. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Pearson_Express#Rolling_stock Vancouver can only hope for a 2.5 car train, someday.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Pearson_Express#Route Sometimes, a 2 car joke of a train might be OK to start with, but there should already be enough station clearance for at least 3-5 car trains. Then, as long as its a walk-through train, Selective_Door_Operation (SDO) can make it possible to add an extra car at both ends of a short train. SDO can be an intermediate step before having to extensively lighten each station.
Stubborn, backwards Vancouver will eventually have to seriously consider SDO in order to have longer big city type trains. Unfortunately, as long as its stuck in the BC backwater mentality or under the spell of the BCMV, things won't improve.
https://canada.constructconnect.com/dcn/news/projects/2026/05/montreals-airport-rem-station-will-have-signature-iceberg-motif , https://montrealgazette.com/news/rem-has-begun-testing-trains-on-airport-branch Of course the YUL-P.E. Trudeau_station, like the Honolulu Airport station, will be longer and wider than the one at YVR.
Perhaps the short, single track & platform at the YVR-Airport_Station would be impressive if it were in Victoria, Prince George, Kamloops or Kelowna, but its hardly impressive when compared to the SeaTac/Airport_station, Portland_Airport_station, Lelepaua_station in Honolulu, Brisbane_Airport station, Sydney_Airport stations, the future Melbourne_Airport station and Perth_Airport station. The scale of the San_Francisco_International_Airport_station, which can accommodate 10 car trains, is on a whole other scale. All major airports and their train stations in Asia & Europe are so far beyond what Canada has. There is no reason as to why Greater Vancouver and some other cities in BC, can't be upgraded to a Pacific Rim infrastructure level, instead of being stuck in a perpetual BC backwater mindset.
The VMV, under the umbrella of the larger BCMV, is such a horrible impediment and it doesn't even officially exist.
Saturday, August 29, 2026
Vancouver International Airport (YVR) is Getting MASSIVE Upgrades
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQw18DQ4TlY MA$$IVE Upgrades? Compared to what, other provincial backwaters?
SkyTrain Front Window View - Canada Line to YVR https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxTEBfxYH0g This is very sad & pathetic that the stations weren't designed to be long enough to accommodate a 5 car train. The stations can only accommodate a 2.5 car joke of a train. The real sad joke is that the line is still only running 2 car trains on what is supposed to be a major urban area on the Pacific Rim.
Unfortunately, even if Vancouver-Surrey & Abbottsford, Victoria & Nanaimo, Prince Rupert & Kitimat were all upgraded to proper big urban areas on par with Melbourne, Sydney & Brisbane, or even Seattle & Calgary, BC just isn't as warm as Australia, or even NZ for half of of the year. Edmonton & Calgary, Seattle & Portland are able to have wider bridges & roads, and even longer trains than Vancouver to Richmond & Vancouver to Surrey-Langley.
Fortunately, the Pacific Rim part of Australia hasn't been trapped in a provincial backwater mentality like the Pacific Rim part of Canada. For too long there has been a keep BC small and backwards mindset. AKA, the BC Mind Virus (BCMV).
Running short & frequent trains could be seen as a cost saving measure initially, but unless there is a genuine to have proper long big city type trains, the BCMV still wins out. The fanatical approach to keep most of the bridges in BC so narrow has made it very difficult to have a proper regional express bus network, let alone BRT.
The 3 main seaport regions of BC, Greater Vancouver, Victoria-Nanaimo-Kitimat should become proper big city ports on the Pacific Rim. BC is 23 times the size of Switzerland, yet it doesn't even have the population of 1 CH. Canada in turn, has less than half of 1% of the worlds population.
Monday, August 17, 2026
The YVR-Canada Line since 2009
The Canada_Line opened with 2 car trains and is still running just 2 car trains. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1ouk0VifwM&t=817s
https://thecanadaline.com/station-history No reasonable attempt was made to make sure that the stations could eventually accommodate at least 5 car trains.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada_Line#Stations The inadequate 50 m stations can only accommodate a 2.5 car train, not a 5 car train.
https://globalnews.ca/news/5778392/canada-line-10-year-anniversary/
https://buzzer.translink.ca/2024/08/skytrains-canada-line-marks-15th-anniversary/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada_Line#Technology
https://www.atkinsrealis.com/en/projects/the-canada-line
https://thetyee.ca/News/2025/01/31/Canada-Line-New-Stop-Years-Making/
https://www.bb-gi.com/investment/canada-line/
Airport to Downtown Vancouver Transit Guide (Don't Take a Taxi!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bNYrJhUgu0
This $9 Train Saves You $40 at Vancouver Airport (YVR to Canada Place) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxUpww86dow
Fortunately, the REM trains in Montreal can accommodate 4 car trains, as does the Skyline_(Honolulu).
The big mistake for all 3 of the Skytrain lines was not having all of the stations to be capable of accommodating 6-8 car trains. Plus, allowing for a future level station clearance of 153 m-160 m. That would have allowed Greater Vancouver to start of with short REM & Skyline type trains, with the capability to eventually have trains as long as those on the Montreal_Metro.
Proper big city transportation infrastructure is so difficult to plan and build in backwards BC.
Friday, August 7, 2026
3 Ways to the JFK Airport
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YG1aRLZwihA
Of course Vancouver opted to have the shortest airport train possible. The 2 car YVR-Canada+Line.
Friday, June 26, 2026
Is LA's Airport Train Actually Useful?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-9O8UYX3FQ
Ideally, an airport line can run from the city to the airport station. Sometimes, the airport station is just a stop on a larger line.
Was Hawaii's $10 Billion Metro Worth It?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7nTfPpOZlo
Hawaii’s New Metro Just Got Better https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8feC5Eabeyw Airport in 2025
Honolulu doesn't specifically have an airport line from downtown. Eventually, one can go from downtown to the airport station and further west. Sometimes, the generic airport station is just a stop on a larger line, as will be the case in Honolulu.
The Boston Logan Airport is almost right beside downtown. BART to SFO is just south of the city.
Thursday, June 25, 2026
What will the future train station at the Calgary Airport Look Like?
How To Get from Vancouver (YVR) Airport to Vancouver City Center - Downtown
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VPFqSyi1Z4
The Canada_Line could also be called Line 3 or the C-Line, but it isn't for some reason. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YVR-Airport_station
Its not just an airport line, but a line between Vancouver and Richmond.
L.A. has the C_Line_(Los_Angeles_Metro) to the LAX/Metro_Transit_Center. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinki_Sharyo_P3010
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SkyLink_(Los_Angeles_International_Airport)
Calgary has the CTrain , witch will eventually reach the airport.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CTrain#Spur_line_to_Calgary_International_Airport
Monday, June 1, 2026
Yaletown–Roundhouse station's fare gate capacity increased by 66%
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/skytrain-yaletown-roundhouse-station-additional-fare-gates-completed
The Canada line is such a watered down version of what should have been a proper big city airport and ferry rapid transit link. Just because this infrastructure project had to be scaled down during its first phase, the stations still could have been designed to eventually accommodate 5-6 car trains. Unfortunately, the stations were only designed to accommodate a 2.5 car train. While this perfectly fits in with the inept urban transportation mentality and especially fits in with the BC congestive transportation agenda, this is another sad result.
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/skytrain-yaletown-roundhouse-station-fare-gate-expansion
Despite being downtown with several condominiums around, the Yaletown-Roundhouse_station is too small for an inner-city station.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yaletown-Roundhouse_station#Station_information
There is barely enough level clarence beyond the short platform for another car. To remedy this inadequate situation, this line needs to have three full-size cars, not just some eventual 2.5 car joke of a train.
https://www.eke-electronics.com/automatic-selective-door-operation-asdo
Then eventually, once people got used to a 3 car train, an extra car could be added at each end, resulting in a 5 car train. Its a workaround that can eventually enable the 3rd line or the C Line to run 3-5 cars trains to meet demand.
Then the Exp. Line and Mil. Line, or what could become A & B lines with standard 5 car trains. However, during the busy times, a 7 car train could be possible with selective-door-operation technology.
It would have been better to have just built all of the Skytrain stations long enough for 5 car trains in the first place, with enough level track clearance for 10 car trains eventually.
Saturday, May 30, 2026
Philadelphia's Airport Train
Philly’s Airport Train is a Little Weird https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tH1zcTLOCM0 Traveling from Terminal A at Philadelphia Airport to 30th Street, in Center City on the SEPTA Airport line takes under 30 minutes.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airport_Line_(SEPTA)
https://www.phl.org/getting-around/public-transportation
https://www.reddit.com/r/transit/comments/1gf0pz3/why_isnt_the_septa_airport_line_rapid_transit/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia_International_Airport#Ground_transportation
Wednesday, May 6, 2026
West Broadway at Cambie Street
Sunday, May 3, 2026
What is Happening with Lansdowne Mall in Richmond?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9_GQWyo8h0
Boston and Las_Vegas allow much taller buildings than what's permitted in Richmond. Those cities don't use their airport as an excuse to have stumps. Even San_Diego has taller towers than Richmond.
Despite New_Orleans being on a delta, it has much taller buildings than Richmond as well.
Boston & LV have longer trains, while N.O. never totally got rid of their streetcars like Richmond had.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lansdowne_station_(SkyTrain) A little 2 car joke of a train that's expected to do the job of what a big size or at least medium size city can do.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rseau_express_metropolitain#Rolling_stock 4 cars.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skyline_(Honolulu) 4 cars.
Fortunately, Montreal & Honolulu opted to not have something like a 2 car YVR-C Line joke of a train.
When stations can't easily be extended, Selective_door_operation can turn a 4 car rain into a 6 car train.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_door_operation#International_variations
Unfortunately, the YVR-Canada_Line wasn't designed to have 4 or 5 car trains. The stations were only designed to just accommodate a 2.5 car train. However, with Selective_door_operation, a 2.5 car train could become a 4.5 car train. Perhaps, even a 5 car train with 3 full-length cars accessing the station platform. To still be running a 2 car train to Richmond and a Richmond-Delta tunnel that's still only 2 lanes each way, is a very sad joke.
So much more should have been done between 1986 and 2010. Especially, since 2010 and 2026.
https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2026/05/02/expo-86-40-years-later-the-memories-live-on
Everything is so much more difficult & costly to do in backwards BC.
Tuesday, March 10, 2026
Future of partially built parkade at Vancouver International Airport still up in the air
Such a waste of money, yet the YVR end of the Canada Line is a single track joke.
Tuesday, November 25, 2025
Airport Rail Links
The Transit Every Airport Needs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YeVZVluQWI&t=247s
https://www.upexpress.com/en/about-up/things-are-looking-up Its only a two and three car train, when it should be between 4-6 cars, depending upon the time of day. https://www.torontopearson.com/en/transportation-and-parking/up-express
At least it's not a perpetual 2 car train joke that is the YVR-Canada Line. The eventual airport REM line should consist of 4 car trains, but the entire REM should eventually have 6 car trains.
Somehow, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane & Perth all are able to have longer trains to the airport. The 10 car SFO-BART trains are pretty cool.
Thursday, November 6, 2025
Expect noise, vibration during upcoming Massey Tunnel replacement
https://www.delta-optimist.com/local-news/expect-noise-vibration-during-upcoming-massey-tunnel-replacement-11436394 This B$ should have been done a few decades ago.
A 10 lane bridge with 2 bus lanes, 2 HOV lanes & 2 wide shoulder-emergency lanes, plus at least 3 general lanes each way, could have been a nice wide crossing. Some 12 lanes, including the 2 emergency lanes. Plus, a provision for at least 2 LRT tracks.
Instead, it's a 3 lane each way tunnel with the 4th being a bus lane. No HOV lanes and no emergency lanes & especially, no train tube section.
So, just like the YVR-Canada (embarrassment) Line, this new 8 lane tunnel will eventually require some major upgrades.
Eventually, a YVR-Canada Line bridge or tunnel will have to be built so that someday, trains can go between the airport and the ferry terminal. Such a train crossing should be parallel to the new highway tunnel. A new train tunnel or bridge should have at least 3 tracks, 2 rapid bus lanes and 2 bike lanes and sidewalks. Then the bus lanes in the highway tunnel could become HOV lanes.
https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Richmond-Delta+Tunnel
https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Massey+Tunnel+replacement
https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Richmond+and+Delta
Monday, November 3, 2025
Monday, October 27, 2025
Brisbane Airport Railway Line
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airport_railway_line,_Brisbane
https://www.airtrain.com.au/travel-info/brisbane-airport
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fd/Airtrain_NGR_Indigenous.jpg Being from backwards Vancouver, its sometimes difficult to comprehend the scale of how several cities are able to have longer trains on their airport+line. Then I'm always reminded, that its because they aren't hindered by anything like the Vancouver MV or the BC Mind Virus (BCMV).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brisbane_Airport#Rail
https://www.airtrain.com.au/catch-airtrain-to/brisbane-city/
https://www.airtrain.com.au/travel-info/frequency-and-hours/
https://www.airtrain.com.au/travel-info/network-map/
https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Brisbane+Airport+Railway+Line
Honolulu’s Skyline Rail Expands to West Honolulu, and to a New Airport Station
Even if the widest parts of the H-1 could be 10 or 12 lanes, it would still get plugged up. Nevertheless, being from Vancouver, it's quite impressive to see such a wide H-1 by the airport. If you visit Vancouver from Hawaii, you might think that Vancouver is a big city like Sydney, SF or Seattle. Then you discover that the roads & bridges are much narrower than what's in those cities. The real big surprise is that Vancouver not only has shorter trains than Sydney, SF & Seattle, but even Edmonton. Fortunately, the Skyline to the airport isn't a 2 car joke of a train like Vancouver's airport line is.
https://honolulutransit.org/about/route-map , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skyline_(Honolulu)#Route
https://www.honolulu.gov/dts/skyline
The Airport Segment.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skyline_(Honolulu)#Segment_2:_Airport
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lelepaua_station If only Vancouver's line to the airport could have opened with 4 car trains, then with Selective_door_operation, eventually 6 car trains. Unfortunatly, backwards Vancouver has been stuck with a 2 car YVR train since 2009, but it has the potential to become a 2.5 car joke of a train, someday.
Downtown Honolulu.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skyline_(Honolulu)#Segment_3:_City_Center
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skyline_(Honolulu)#Ala_Moana_extension
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skyline_(Honolulu)#Rolling_stock "The line uses 256 ft (78 m) four-car train sets, each with the capacity to carry nearly 800 passengers..." "Each car is 64 ft (20 m) long, weighs 72,000 lb (33,000 kg), and has 36 seats with a listed total capacity of 195 people, and sits on standard-gauge (1,435 mm) rails."
While the Skyline cars are similar in length to the YVR-Canada-Line cars, they are of a heavier construction. Plus, the trains are twice as long as any on the embarrassingly short Canada+Line trains.
While it took a long time to get the Skyline to the airport, at least the stations were all initially built to accommodate 4 car trains. Unfortunatly, the joke that is the SkyTrain-Canada+Line is still only running 2 car trains and wasn't designed to eventually have 5 car trains. Its difficult to understand why the joke-line stations are only designed to accommodate a 2.5 car train, someday.
Honolulu like Brisbane, are very far away from the Vancouver Mind Virus (VMV) and much warmer. Thus, they are able to have longer trains to the airport, because they can build on a proper big city scale.
https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Brisbane+Airport+Railway+Line
Tuesday, October 21, 2025
Short Trains
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/55/Canada_Line_Train_201807.jpg/960px-Canada_Line_Train_201807.jpg , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada_Line#Route An airport+line connecting Vancouver & Richmond to YVR should have started out with at least 5-6 car trains, then eventually, 8-10 car trains after eventually connecting to the 2 main BC Ferry terminals. However that's a problem, because backwards BC can't seem to allow for proper long-range, bigcity infrastructure planning & development.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_777 Train length 64.98 m (213 ft 2 in)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merseyrail#Fleet
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockholm_Metro
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SL_C30 Train length 70 m (229 ft 7+29⁄32 in)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SL_C20 46.5 m (152 ft 6+45⁄64 in) Unlike Vancouver, Stockholm can run double-length trains. This is possible whenever longer stations are built, or at least have enough level clearance for future expansion.
The Montreal Metro in the 1960s could run ridiculous 3 car trains, but eventually realized that 6 car trains & especially 9 car trains can efficiently more more people. Thus, its a good thing that they planned to have 152.4 m stations right from the start.
While short trains and stations can initially be a cost saving measure, allowing for future level clearance can be more economically efficient, in the long run. Thus, even a tram premetro can eventually be turned into a tram-train.
Unfortunatly, in typical Vancouver fashion, the Canada+Line wasn't designed to have 10 car trains, not even 5 car trains. The 2 billion dollar joke of a train was only designed with a level clearance for 50 m stations that only can accommodate a 2.5 car train. For a line that had to be open by 2009, it's still only running 2 car trains, with no 2.5 car trains in sight as 2025 is winding down.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/35/NorthArmBridge.jpg/960px-NorthArmBridge.jpg A pathetic 2 car train on a bridge that should have 2 bike lanes & 2 sidewalks.
Indeed, just because the Canada Line was designed as if it was only to start out with short premetro train stations, there should have been a long-term plan to eventually have proper big city trains. One of the biggest mistakes for what should be a proper big city metro train, is to design short stations that are almost impossible to double, let alone tripple in length.
https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Canada+Line+is+so+under-built
