Sunday, September 27, 2026
Monday, September 21, 2026
Why Seattle Built THREE Downtowns
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Auf_m-cV6mQ
Some might sat that there are several parts to the overall downtown area.
Chicago has one big downtown area with a few key sections. NYC has Midtown and Lower Manhattan as its two main areas. Boston has the area around the Custom+House+Tower and City Hall, plus the Prudential+Center part of town.
Monday, September 14, 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
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.
Monday, August 31, 2026
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
VMV and BCMV
What is the Vancouver Mind Virus and the BC Mind Virus?
Sometimes, it can be a provincial backwater approach to things. Other times, its a total Half-A$$ED attempt towards getting something done in backwards BC.
Its taken the City of Vancouver a very long time to surpass half a million residents. Its amazing that Vancouver finally surpassed having 3 quarters of a million people.
https://worldpopulationreview.com/cities/canada/vancouver 751,644
It remains to be seen if Vancouver will ever have more people than Winnipeg. Indeed, Winnipeg, like Edmonton and Calgary don't have something like a Burnaby next to them, or a Surrey & Coquitlam close by. While Vancouver barely makes it into the top 10 biggest cities in Canada, Greater Vancouver is still the 3rd largest urban region in Canada. However, so much of the urban scale and infrastructure is being heled back.
The biggest cities in Canada don't have anything like a VMV to thwart or impeded their scale. Thus, Toronto, Calgary, Montreal & Edmonton all have taller buildings than stunted Vancouver. Edmonton and Montreal, like Seattle and Perth, WA are allowed to have wider bridges. Most major cities around the world have longer trains than what's in provincial Vancouver.
Is there a Canadian Mind Virus (CMV)? Of course not officially. Fortunately, nothing like a CMV ever made it to Australia. Otherwise something absurd like provincial Trade Barriers could have really thwarted things down under.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/interprovincial-trade-barriers-9.7323970
https://www.mnp.ca/en/insights/directory/what-are-the-barriers-to-interprovincial-trade-in-canada
Despite Canada being surrounded by water on 3 sides, there is no blue on the national flag. Fortunately, nothing like a CMV ever got Australia, NZ, the UK, France and even the US to remove blue from their flags.
Of course the flags of England, Switzerland and Japan have no blue in them, but blue is still a very nice color to behold.
Nothing on the scale of the 10 lane Narrows_Bridge_(Perth) is allowed in Vancouver, Victoria or Kelowna. Certainly, nothing like the Sir_Leo_Hielscher_Bridges exists in Halifax. Even Boston and Montreal don't have a 12 lane crossing like the Gateway_Bridges.
Despite Australia having fewer people than Canada, its been able to exist on a larger scale in some ways. Its like there is still a plan to have a big country down under.
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.
| Train length |
|
|---|
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.
Sunday, August 30, 2026
Vancouver SkyTrain-Canada Line - Richmond–Brighouse to Waterfront
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdJ9tXAF5s0
Its very sad that a line which opened in 2009 with only 2 car trains, is still only using 2 car trains in 2026. The logic was to save money on construction, so instead of designing the stations to accommodate at least 5 car trains, there is only enough level clearance for 2.5 car trains, someday. The stations could have been designed with enough level clearance to eventually become doubleted in length. Unfortunately, its like a BC Mind Virus (BCMV) got in the way. The BCMV keeps thwarting so much infrastructure in Canada's most western province.
For at least the past decade, there should have already been three, 20 m cars forming a 60 m train. Despite the absurd stations having a level clarence of only 50 m, Selective_door_operation could enable 3 car trains, not just some 2.5 car joke of a train. Even if the platforms can't ever be lengthened by 5-10 m, a 3 car train could still mostly have access to a 50 m station. Then with SDO, an extra car at both ends of the middle 3 cars would become a 5 car train.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_door_operation#International_variations
It just would have been so much better if the stations were at least 60 m from the start. 80 m would have been better, but 100 m stations would almost look like a big city train. Unfortunately, the VMC & BCMV mindset keeps reducing the urban scale of things.
Some other examples are the LGB and the Iron Bridge. The OSB and the KSB...
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.
Friday, August 28, 2026
Surrey, BC
https://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?cityID=2&status=15
https://skyscraperpage.com/b132164/surrey/centre-block 47 office stories?
As originally proposed, Surrey could have had an office tower that would even be noticeable if it were in Calgary or Seattle.
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/10275-city-parkway-surrey-centre-block-office-towers
"Originally, the East Tower was to be 47 storeys while the West Tower was to be 19 storeys. City staff say the two towers are now planned to be 45 storeys and 17 storeys, although architectural plans indicate the East Tower will be 42 storeys." https://storeys.com/surrey-centre-block-office-tower
If this reduction does happen, Surrey still might be the first city in BC to have an office tower over 40 floors and Burnaby over 45 office stories. Never mind the first 50 story office tower in BC, its difficult enough just to get office floors above 39 storis in BC.
At the very least, Surrey still might have an office tower that might rival the tallest in Bellevue,_Washington.
Vancouver has heled back the urban scale of BC almost since the beginning. That's because for over a century, practically anything big in BC was in provincial Vancouver. But Vancouver or the VMV, can't stop Surrey, Burnaby and Coquitlam from rivaling some of the things in Vancouver, such as taller buildings.
Vancouver, BC
https://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?cityID=1&status=15
No 40 story office towers on the horizon within the city limits.
https://skyscraperpage.com/b106925/vancouver/the-stack
https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/the-stack/35667 162.3 m / 533 ft Floors 38 https://www.skydb.net/building/134386807/the-stack/
https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/harbour-centre/4144 , https://www.skydb.net/building/357382467/harbour-centre/
https://skyscraperpage.com/b63/vancouver/royal-centre
https://www.skydb.net/building/469710364/
https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/id/4396 138 m / 453 ft Floors 35
In accordance with an unofficial provincial backwater mentality or VMV agenda, Vancouver was able to hold back the urban scale of BC for most of its history. However, Vancouver wasn't able to prevent Burnaby, Surrey and Coquitlam from constructing taller buildings.
Never mind Calgary and Seattle, strict Vancouver has only permitted 2 buildings to be taller than the 2 tallest in Bellevue,_Washington.
Atlanta
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ljG1ow2HcE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5hnleKu18k
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXTaT0aLvLQ
How The Southeast Is Slowly Turning Into America's Next Mega-City https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYlA_e2hjGE
Monday, August 24, 2026
BRT in backwards BC
Of course Greater Vancouver really needs a big city BRT network, but unless a proper series of bus and bike bridges are built, its all just a Half-A$$ED joke of an attempt.
https://www.pattullobridgereplacement.ca/about/projectoverview Of course the new bridge opened without any express bus lanes, especially no BRT corridor. Yet, Skytrain isn't a 24hr system, but a bus can be.
https://www.railforthevalley.com/tag/brt
Stockholm, SV
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockholm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockholm#Public_transportation
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockholm_Metro Unfortunatly, provincial Vancouver isn't allowed to have proper long big city type trains like in Stockholm or the Montreal Metro.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockholm_Metro#Rolling_stock
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SL_C30 , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SL_C20