User:Geo Swan/Friends of the Olympic Line
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The Friends of the Olympic Line is a group of transit enthusiasts who are advocating Vancouver running a regular streetcar service along an old railway right of way between Main Street–Science World Station on the SkyTrain and Granville Island, a neighbourhood home to upscale boutiques, restaurants and condominiums.[1][2][3]
From 1998 through 2012 a group of hobbyists ran heritage streetcars along the 1.1 miles (1.8 km) route, during the summer.[4] That service was aimed at tourists.
As a demonstration the improvements were made to the track and route prior to the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.[4] Those improvements cost $8.5 million CAD. Two borrowed modern streetcars provided service on the line for two months, carrying 550,000 riders. They ran every 6 minutes, for 18 hours a day. During this period the route was called "Olympic Line".
2012 was the last summer volunteers ran heritage streetcars, and the most recent Vancouver budget contained $400,000 to decommission the line at some time between 2015 and 2018.[1][2][3]
On October 13, 2014, Metro Vancouver, reported that Friends of the Olympic Line called on Vancouver City Council to commit $5 million to incorporate a refurbished line into Vancouver's transit authority.[1] The organization has called for the line to be extended to Main Street–Science World Station.
The group has announced plans to make the expansion of the line an election issue.[2] News Radio 1130 asserted Mayor Gregor Robertson opposed restoration of the service during his last election. However, CBC News and the Globe and Mail have quoted Robertson supporting restoring streetcars to Vancouver's transit solutions in 2010, when he opened the Olympic Line.[4][5]
See also
[edit]References
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Emily Jackson (2014-10-13). "Streetcar enthusiasts lobby Vancouver politicians for Olympic Line". Metro Vancouver. Archived from the original on 2014-10-18. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
The group called Friends of the Olympic Line is calling on politicians from all parties to commit $5 million to re-animate the line known as both the Downtown Historic Railway and the Olympic Line.
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Shannon Brennan, Martin MacMahon (2014-10-14). "Municipal politicians urged to bring streetcars back to False Creek: A group wants it to be an election issue". News 1130. Archived from the original on 2014-10-18. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
Mayor Gregor Robertson dismissed a similar idea in the last election, saying it would be too expensive.
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"Politics of Fear – Vancouver Earmarks $400K to Dismantantle the Olympic Line!". Rail for the Valley. 2014-10-08. Archived from the original on 2014-10-18.
Vision Vancouver has earmarked $400,000 in their next capital plan to dismantle the False Creek heritage railway, commonly known as the Olympic Line.
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"Vancouver's free streetcar makes first run to Granville Island". CBC News. January 21, 2010. Archived from the original on 2014-09-03. Retrieved 2014-08-30.
Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson, who was on hand for opening of the line, said he hopes streetcars will one day return to Vancouver permanently as part of a proposal to extend the route all the way from Stanley Park in the West End to Arbutus Avenue on the West Side.
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Ian Bailey (2010-02-25). "Robertson sees momentum for transit funding". Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 2014-08-27. Retrieved 2014-10-18.
Among the projects deserving of support, Mr. Robertson said, is the Canada streetcar line between the Olympic Village station and Granville Island. He said yesterday he wants the provincial government and TransLink, the regional transit agency, to support and sustain the current line and its expansion.