Hey Ock, when I saw this, I thought of JTA and you.
Vancouver ends historic interurban operation over safety concerns
(http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~wyatt/alltime/pics/vancouver-DHR1207.jpg)
VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Two years after it ceased operations, British Columbia's Downtown Historic Railway is dropping its trolley poles for good after the city of Vancouver raised concerns about safety. The streetcar line operated between Granville Island and Cambie Station from 1998 to 2012.
A memo from Peter Judd, general manager of engineering services for the city, says the historic streetcar did not provide a reliable transportation option and thus should not be restarted, the Free Daily News reports. A series of accidents involving the streetcar railroad have also raised concerns for the city. The memo continues by saying the city should remain focused on its Broadway rapid transit operation.
The news disappointed members of the Transit Museum Society, which operated the service for the city, and even a member of the Vancouver city council.
"This service wasn't performing a transit function, it was not needed by Granville Island or tourism interests. It was really just a novelty, a really beautiful and wonderful one," councilor Geoff Meggs tells the newspaper.
Two former British Columbia Electric Railway interurban cars were used on the line, No. 1207 and No. 1231. No. 1207 was built in New Westminster in 1905 and is the only British Columbia-built streetcar in existence today. A Seattle resident owns the car and the memo suggests it should be sent back south, much to the dismay of transit fans. The St. Louis Car Co. built No. 1231 in 1912.
While support for the historic streetcar operation has evaporated in Vancouver, other cities in North America are embracing the concept of old streetcars on new streets. Some of the biggest operations are in New Orleans, Boston and San Francisco.
Thanks my friend. I saw this about a week ago and started poking about looking for the why.
Bad Route
Accident rate seems to have more to do with local drivers and lack of crew training.
Not much connectivity
Rather like a weekend tourist ride from Water and Lee to Springfield Park. Fzzzzzzz.
Vancouver IS looking at streetcar seriously as expansion of the Skytrain network will be costly to the tune of several billion $$. Streetcar can do the same thing for a fraction of the cost of Skytrain unless they move the new Skytrain route to ground level. The real comparison of system capabilities was demonstrated during the Vancouver Olympics where a tiny mile long modern streetcar line with just two cars carried ½ million+ riders during the games - something it took the Jacksonville Skyway 10 years to accomplish. Pretty clear that streetcar is a preferred mode.
I believe I know the guy in Oregon that owns that car, be cool if we could get it here!
Is there any news with the Adam St. Station railroad cars that are next to the stadium? Just bumping this because I was looking for some old threads about the streetcar in Savannah and saw this.