All aboard – 2010 is the 100th anniversary of the Interurban

Happy New Year!

The following is a Rail for the Valley media release to kick off 2010.

All aboard – 2010 the 100th anniversary of the Interurban

This new year is a particularly special one for advocates of passenger rail for the Fraser Valley. 2010 marks the 100th anniversary of the initial Interurban rail service that used to connect communities from Chilliwack to Vancouver. So far, the anniversary is being commemorated by the Chilliwack Museum with a special year-long Interurban exhibit. The Rail for the Valley campaign is hoping for much more.

“100 years later, we are waiting for light rail service to re-commence,” said Rail for the Valley founder John Buker, “and we have reason to be optimistic about the future, as the movement for passenger rail continues to grow and politicians begin to climb aboard. Looking back at the past year, we’ve made some large strides towards our goal.”

-On April 11 2009, ahead of the provincial elections, Rail for the Valley supporters organized a ‘historic’ Day of Action, holding up banners in support of passenger rail atop Highway 1 overpasses all the way from Chilliwack to Vancouver, on more than 20 overpasses in all  – a feat never before accomplished, thus illustrating the deep and widespread public support for the cause.

[ Coverage and pictures of that event here: http://railforthevalley.wordpress.com/2009/04/13/highway-1-day-of-action-a-soaking-success/
Link to a CTV news article at the time: http://www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20090411/BC_fraser_valley_rail_090411/20090411/?hub=BritishColumbiaHome ]

-During the following election campaign, the BC Liberals announced, through a Rail for the Valley pre-election Questionnaire, support in principle for a demonstration service along the Interurban corridor. (Link here: see page 11/11, BC Liberal response to Q.3.)

-Later in 2009, the South of Fraser Community Rail Task Force, headed by Langley Township Mayor Rick Green, was established to help Fraser Valley communities lobby senior levels of government for such a service in a unified way.

Buker’s message to the public this new year is simple: “100 years ago, the first Chilliwack-Vancouver Interurban rail service began, and it fundamentally shaped the growth of the Fraser Valley. Today, we can rapidly build a new, modern light rail network for the entire Lower Mainland, starting inexpensively with track that already exists, giving the public a real alternative to the automobile. All we need is the political will.“

Rail for the Valley’s latest online petition for passenger rail service, viewable on http://www.railforthevalley.com, has garnered more than 800 signatures so far, including hundreds of thoughtful comments posted in support.

“We must hold our politicians to account on this, or there will be backsliding. Any shift away from the status quo is naturally resisted by political inertia, and we have to be on the highest guard for it. As we pull out of this recession, the price of gasoline will likely jump dramatically again. With the way the Fraser Valley is growing and the rest of the world is changing, we absolutely must see a fundamental shift in priorities away from incremental and exorbitantly expensive Skytrain expansion, and endless highway expansion, towards beginning right now, today, to build light rail infrastructure for the Lower Mainland, for today and for the future,” declared Buker.

The Rail for the Valley Campaign would like to wish the public and all of our supporters a very Happy New Year, and all the best for 2010.

A BCE Interurban leaves Chilliwack station

Getting Valley rail on track – the South of the Fraser Rail Task Force

An article in the Abbotsford News about the South of the Fraser Rail Task Force, headed by Langley Township Mayor Rick Green.

Letters to the Editor of the Abbotsford News are strongly encouraged! (Email newsroom@abbynews.com)

Excerpt:

A regular train service arrives in downtown Abbotsford from Surrey and Langley, collecting passengers and transporting them to other areas of the city or as far east as Chilliwack.

It may sound like a long-term dream for rail enthusiasts, but according to a newly formed group pushing for the service, it could become a reality sooner rather than later.

The South of the Fraser Rail Task Force is currently looking for the backing of Valley municipalities in its push for rail connectivity.

Should that happen, it wants to see a “demonstration project” conducted on the old interurban line, to determine whether the track is a viable long-term option to help link communities.

The group has been put together by Langley Township Mayor Rick Green, and task force member Peter Holt was in Abbotsford on Monday to pitch the group’s case to mayor and council.

(click here for the full article)

Detailed Map

Rail for the Valley supporters – at the Bridge to a Cool Planet rally

Rail for the Valley supporters were part of Saturday’s big Bridge to a Cool Planet Climate Action event in Vancouver. We were even briefly covered on the CTV News.

Special thanks to D’Anne Davis for transportation of banners.

Next Meeting

Friends of Rail for the Valley are meeting at 7pm November 3 Rm A201 UFV Chilliwack. We will be discussing current progress and upcoming events.

You are welcome to join us as a guest or sign up to be a member. Any questions please call 604.703.3650

Interurban exhibit opening at the Chilliwack Museum

October 18 UPDATE: Article in the Province: Inter-Urban exhibit sparks debate

The call for establishing light-rail transit throughout the Fraser Valley is strengthening and now some of its advocates are reaching into the past to show us the future. (read more)

October 13 UPDATE: Chilliwack Times article: ‘More Than Just a Tram’

If you live in Chilliwack or you’re travelling through, a must-see exhibit at the Chilliwack Museum is about to open. The exhibit is called: The British Columbia Electric Railway – More Than Just a Tram. Included is a section documenting our efforts to re-introduce passenger rail service to the line.

Exhibit opening:
At the Chilliwack Museum, 45820 Spadina Ave, Chilliwack
Saturday, October 17, 12:00pm – 2:00pm

B.C. Electric Railway historian Henry Ewert will attend the noon hour opening. Ewert is well known among rail fans and historians for his research and expertise in regards to the BCER. Rail for the Valley will also have a presence at the opening, where we will be handing out pamphlets and gathering petition signatures. Feel free to come by and lend a hand.

Here is the Press Release from the Museum:

On Saturday October 17 the Chilliwack Museum and Archives will open their newest annual exhibit that explores the history of the BC Electric Railway.  The BC Electric Railway: More than Just a Tram looks back at the railway and the impact that it had on all facets of life in the Fraser Valley.

“We are excited that British Columbia Electric Railway historian Henry Ewert will attend the noon hour opening , sharing his thoughts on the history of the company.” Stated museum director, Ron Denman.  “Henry is well known among rail fans and historians for his research and expertise in regards to the BCER”.

In 1907 when the announcement was made that a new rail line was going to be built connecting Chilliwack to Vancouver, Reeve Frederick Kickbush expressed the hopes of local residents when he said, “[The British Columbia Electric Railway] brings us out of darkness into light and the establishing of the tramway will enable us to get out of the bush.” At the time that Kickbush uttered these sentiments, Chilliwack was a small rural community with limited resources for taking products to markets. It took three more years but rail service was finally started on October 1, 1910.

The British Columbia Electric Railway Company was incorporated in 1897 and soon began a vigorous program creating a network of electric rail lines throughout the Lower Mainland. To supply power to the lines, a dam was built at Buntzen Lake, north of the Fraser River and east of Vancouver. By 1910, the company was supplying power to most Fraser Valley communities, and operating an efficient passenger and freight service that played a major role in defining the location and shape of towns located along the line. Chilliwack’s residential, industrial and commercial neighbourhoods were shaped by the path that the railway took through our community. New subdivisions sprang up close to the line and industries, now able to ship fresh products to markets, located beside the line. The passenger service continued until 1950 when the costs of upgrading the now forty year old tracks and rail cars proved to be too much, especially in the face of new forms of transit.

The exhibition will be on display for a year at the Chilliwack Museum on Spadina Ave during our regular operating hours: Mon – Friday 9am – 4:40pm. The opening is from 12:00pm – 2:00pm at the Museum.  For more information contact: Ron Denman, Director (604‐795‐5210)   cm_chin@smartt.com.

News1130 piece on Rail for the Valley

Rail for the Valley made it onto News1130 Radio tonight. Here is the online article:

Light rail groups renew call to scrap SkyTrain expansion

Groups say light rail is a less expensive option

Bruce Claggett TRI-CITIES (NEWS1130) 2009-09-29 19:15

The two groups have called for light-rail in the past (Photo: Courtesy Rail for the Valley)

TRI-CITIES (NEWS1130) – Two community action groups are calling on senior governments to scrap plans for SkyTrain expansion and concentrate on at-grade light rail, which they say is a less expensive option.

The request comes from the community action groups ‘Rail for the Valley’ and the ‘Light Rail Committee’ who are calling for an at-grade light rail system for both Surrey and the Tri-Cities area. They say local mayors, like Surrey’s Dianne Watts, already understand the potential exists to rapidly expand the light rail network using a mixture of track-sharing.

The Light Rail Committee also says the proposed Evergreen expansion is not the wisest choice. The group says the Tri-Cities area would be better off with diesel-electric light rail vehicles, which is something the Committee proposed years ago.

http://www.news1130.com/news/local/more.jsp?content=20090929_220852_2196

RFTV: Party In The Park

Aug 28th, the last Party in the Park for Chilliwack this year. And though it was the last, it most certainly was not the least. In fact, that may have been the best night Chilliwack has seen in years. It was like an outdoor concert, but instead of teens in a mosh pit, there were kids dancing, elderly couples showing off their moves, young and old singing along to the music that the wonderful musicians played that night. That is a night not to be forgotten.

Amidst all of the energy, RFTV set up  a booth with a simple setup and a simple message, ” Rail is the Answer!” In reality, the message was so simple that, apparently, it didn’t need to be said. Almost everybody that came by said they strongly agree and of those people, over 170 of them signed a petition that shows support for passenger rail on the Interurban. There are some that believe that not many people will not use the train. It seems to me, that in Chilliwack, which has been said to be the town least interested, is in fact, very interested.

Chilliwack is a great place, as is the rest of the valley. Passenger rail will only make things better. Lets make rail a reality!

New website

Here is our new website.

Hope you enjoy.

All content on the old website is still accessible, by following this link: http://www.sfu.ca/~jwbuker/rail.

All the content will still be online, but the website will not be updated.