It's going to be an interesting duel this fall between Finch West LRT and the Deux-Montagnes REM...
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Went up to Finch Avenue, a long fear I have had is that the new light rail would be slower than the buses it replaced, and it seems like that may well be the case.

So many decision makers in Toronto are drivers that they don’t realize that people might take public transit because it’s fast

The numbers are there in plain sight for everyone to see on the ETSAB reports. 9,000/day, against projections of 31,500.

I'm not saying it won't get there eventually, but if you want to defend the Valley Line, then I think you'd better start talking to other fellow Edmontonians instead of me. (3/3)

If it's not the speed guidelines, it's b/c the signal priority system is not aggressive enough in giving trains the green light right away, so they slow down.

No matter what you say, I think it does affect travel time competitiveness, and has (accordingly) affected the ridership outcome. (2/3)

I watched your linked video and it shows me exactly what I remember: VL trains are signed to slow across many intersections, and down to 30 km/h at station approaches—presumably for the ped X-ings @ each end that don't have bells/gates. On most other railways trains can enter at full speed. (1/3)

Alright, what is your conclusion then?

What I know is consultants use all sorts of complex population + traffic models to get ridership targets, which justify billions of $ in funding.

Clearly, dedicated lanes and even a full railway ROW (as on 66-75 St-Davies) don't get you to the targets in YEG.

For what it's worth I have been to Edmonton and ridden Valley Line (Aug 2024); I saw that there was signal priority, but it seemed a bit watered down (i.e. only programmed to activate if trains running late, like on Toronto Line 5). I experienced a couple of long red light waits at Bonnie Doon (2/2)

RE this, it's long been known that Valley Line will stop at red lights; this was admitted by city planners and Councillors when they were questioned in 2015 during the Metro Line crisis (see: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/... - I just updated our release to add this link and the appropriate quote)

(1/2)

TBH I see Edmonton is not really talking about this (waiting for VL West first?), which is why I'm not even sending this to Edmonton media; if they find it, I'll let them talk!

But I do think the current data begs question whether designing more like original LRT lines would've been better! 🤔 (2/2)

Not countering that at all! My main goal is to contextualize this for people in my metro area (Surrey/Vancouver, BC) who are once again considering an LRT.

Valley Line is now 35-40% of YEG's LRT system length but has just 15% of the ridership, so it doesn't seem like a great model for us 🤔 (1/2)

Not good: Valley Line LRT in #Edmonton is not even seeing 10,000 riders per day. After 2 years, it has completely failed to meet ridership targets.

Adding to a string of LRT failures across Canada. Is this really what we'd want in #SurreyBC? #surreypoli #bcpoli
skytrainforsurrey.org/2025/10/26/e...

I've put together a wider scale map covering the inner suburbs.

One of the things immediately evident is the weakness of the Millennium Line compared to the other lines, with its route on a wide suburban boulevard and paralleling a major freeway as well as the forced transfer travel time impact

STATEMENT: 37,000 #SFU students and faculty let down as #TransLink investment plan fails to include the #SFUGondola project. 3 more years of delay for a project that is needed NOW would be unacceptable.

#GiveStudentsALift #BurnabyBC #bcpoli #TransLink
@movementyvr.bsky.social

TransLink is about to open Capstan Way Station in #RichmondBC, the first new SkyTrain station in the region in 8 years! 🚇🚇🚇

I can't wait for the next 8 stations to open on the #buildSLS in Surrey and Langley!

NOTE TO MEDIA: I would love to speak with you on this!

Come find me at the Blue Grouse Gondola ribbon cutting ceremony at 4PM at the Grouse base station! I will be in attendance and wearing maroon-red/SFU colours!

STATEMENT: Grouse Gondola opening shows us that #SFUGondola progress is way too slow!

#GiveStudentsALift #BurnabyBC #bcpoli #TransLink @movementyvr.bsky.social

In #LangleyBC this evening checking out the display boards for the Surrey Langley SkyTrain extension!

It's so cool seeing the final pieces come together on a transit project I had significant involvement in, and ofc saying hi to the project team 😊 #buildSLS

The sheer pedestrian volume makes that right turn arguably useless anyway 🤷

The Burnaby Mountain Gondola is the highest rapid transit priority in #TransLink investment plan going to @mayorscouncil.bsky.social tomorrow. If it could be approved, we would finally get #SFUGondola by 2028!

Students have waited far too long for this! #GiveStudentsALift #SFU #BurnabyBC #bcpoli

It's quite an old pic now because of how long we've been waiting for the #SFUGondola 😅 but there is good news as TransLink's 2025 Investment Plan going to Mayors' Council tomorrow makes it the highest priority!

If approved we will, hopefully, finally get gondola by 2028! #GiveStudentsALift

It's not winter until we see "The March of the Students" up Burnaby Mountain, when the buses fail.

(pic courtesy @daryldc.bsky.social)