Wednesday, December 21, 2011
No Deep Integration with U.S.A., you gotta be kidding!
.
B.C. allies back Blaine Amtrak station
By Jeff Nagel
Surrey North Delta Leader - News
December 20, 2011.
Visit Source for additional links.
Amtrak trains pass through White Rock but don't stop. Years of lobbying have failed there, but a new campaign is underway to create an Amtrak stop in nearby Blaine, just steps from the Peace Arch.
Efforts to get a White Rock stop for Amtrak passenger trains have so far failed, but a new push is now on to use Blaine's historic train station just a short stroll across the border. The idea is that Canadians – particularly from cities like Surrey, Langley and Abbotsford – could park near the Peace Arch border and board trains there to Seattle.
"It would have heavy Canadian usage as they could cross the border by foot or bike even," predicts Bill Becht, one of the Blaine residents behind the campaign to restore the shuttered station.
The issue has become urgent in Blaine since BNSF Railway applied for a permit to demolish the old station building.
The city has postponed the decision one year while the building's significance is assessed."I just want to get more awareness and hopefully there will be a groundswell of support," Becht said. "Tearing a historic train station down is an asinine thing to do."
He thinks Canadians will be key allies in the fight.The current Vancouver-Seattle service, which has no intermediary stops north of Bellingham, is much less convenient for the 600,000-plus South of Fraser residents who must first get to Vancouver's Main Street train station to board Amtrak or else wait in border lines and drive to Bellingham to connect.
Surrey resident Gordon Hall notes Amtrak's morning trains leave Vancouver too early for anyone from Surrey to get to the station on public transit. "If we could park north of the border, walk to customs and get on the morning train headed south, then return on the evening train, it would work very well," he said.
Numerous Canadian supporters have already posted on the blainestation.com website. "This concept would bring hundreds of BC residents into Blaine for travel to Seattle and further," predicted White Rock's Christy Grant.
"We would love to take the train south but driving to downtown Vancouver or Bellingham doesn't make sense," added Bill Hughes. "It would be far more efficient and convenient to use my Nexus pass to cross the border and hop on a train to Seattle, or points south, than to catch a plane from Vancouver International Airport where I would have to spend two hours or so clearing security," wrote Kane Scott.
Metro Vancouver residents also suggested TransLink buses run an extra eight blocks east from White Rock to the Peace Arch to support the service. Others said the stop may even reduce pollution and lineups at the Peace Arch crossing.
Amtrak now runs two daily trains in each direction between Vancouver and Seattle. Amtrak has opposed adding another stop because it would lengthen run times.
A proposed stop in White Rock was even more challenging because of the need for passengers to clear customs – a problem that would not exist in Blaine. "They'd have a leg up there," White Rock Mayor Wayne Baldwin said. "But it's certainly not going to be a cakewalk."
He noted hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent to upgrade the passenger rail line to reduce the travel time.
Blaine's old train station is near the intersection of Marine Drive and Peace Portal Drive.
[See map and photos at source.]
Source:
http://www.tricitynews.com/news/135967553.html
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BC Mary question: BC Rail was successful in promoting the economic wellbeing of British Columbia, from Vancouver northward to the top of the province. CN came along and switched the focus from provincial prosperity to private profit-making. That's our history ...
So how are we to read this push southward? How does this improve British Columbia's economic future? It's offered so innocently: merely a "convenience" for shoppers in the lower mainland of B.C. ... but in BC Rail terms ... B.C. is being railroaded one giant step toward closer integration with the U.S. economy.
Why would we want to do that?
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
B.C. allies back Blaine Amtrak station
By Jeff Nagel
Surrey North Delta Leader - News
December 20, 2011.
Visit Source for additional links.
Amtrak trains pass through White Rock but don't stop. Years of lobbying have failed there, but a new campaign is underway to create an Amtrak stop in nearby Blaine, just steps from the Peace Arch.
Efforts to get a White Rock stop for Amtrak passenger trains have so far failed, but a new push is now on to use Blaine's historic train station just a short stroll across the border. The idea is that Canadians – particularly from cities like Surrey, Langley and Abbotsford – could park near the Peace Arch border and board trains there to Seattle.
"It would have heavy Canadian usage as they could cross the border by foot or bike even," predicts Bill Becht, one of the Blaine residents behind the campaign to restore the shuttered station.
The issue has become urgent in Blaine since BNSF Railway applied for a permit to demolish the old station building.
The city has postponed the decision one year while the building's significance is assessed."I just want to get more awareness and hopefully there will be a groundswell of support," Becht said. "Tearing a historic train station down is an asinine thing to do."
He thinks Canadians will be key allies in the fight.The current Vancouver-Seattle service, which has no intermediary stops north of Bellingham, is much less convenient for the 600,000-plus South of Fraser residents who must first get to Vancouver's Main Street train station to board Amtrak or else wait in border lines and drive to Bellingham to connect.
Surrey resident Gordon Hall notes Amtrak's morning trains leave Vancouver too early for anyone from Surrey to get to the station on public transit. "If we could park north of the border, walk to customs and get on the morning train headed south, then return on the evening train, it would work very well," he said.
Numerous Canadian supporters have already posted on the blainestation.com website. "This concept would bring hundreds of BC residents into Blaine for travel to Seattle and further," predicted White Rock's Christy Grant.
"We would love to take the train south but driving to downtown Vancouver or Bellingham doesn't make sense," added Bill Hughes. "It would be far more efficient and convenient to use my Nexus pass to cross the border and hop on a train to Seattle, or points south, than to catch a plane from Vancouver International Airport where I would have to spend two hours or so clearing security," wrote Kane Scott.
Metro Vancouver residents also suggested TransLink buses run an extra eight blocks east from White Rock to the Peace Arch to support the service. Others said the stop may even reduce pollution and lineups at the Peace Arch crossing.
Amtrak now runs two daily trains in each direction between Vancouver and Seattle. Amtrak has opposed adding another stop because it would lengthen run times.
A proposed stop in White Rock was even more challenging because of the need for passengers to clear customs – a problem that would not exist in Blaine. "They'd have a leg up there," White Rock Mayor Wayne Baldwin said. "But it's certainly not going to be a cakewalk."
He noted hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent to upgrade the passenger rail line to reduce the travel time.
Blaine's old train station is near the intersection of Marine Drive and Peace Portal Drive.
[See map and photos at source.]
Source:
http://www.tricitynews.com/news/135967553.html
"""""""""""""""""""
BC Mary question: BC Rail was successful in promoting the economic wellbeing of British Columbia, from Vancouver northward to the top of the province. CN came along and switched the focus from provincial prosperity to private profit-making. That's our history ...
So how are we to read this push southward? How does this improve British Columbia's economic future? It's offered so innocently: merely a "convenience" for shoppers in the lower mainland of B.C. ... but in BC Rail terms ... B.C. is being railroaded one giant step toward closer integration with the U.S. economy.
Why would we want to do that?
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Comments:
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I grew up in White Rock and train service was a primary source of transit to New Westminster (actually Sapperton) and Vancouver, even though the trip took over 1.5 hours.
Restoring the White Rock station wouldn't work. There would be limited traffic there, and parking costs are high in the small city. If I wanted to go to Seattle, I would be dropped off in Blaine, and save a few dollars off costs from White Rock. In my re-collection, the return fare in 1970 was: $7.
I believe we should support our American friends and help them open the Blaine Station.
Restoring the White Rock station wouldn't work. There would be limited traffic there, and parking costs are high in the small city. If I wanted to go to Seattle, I would be dropped off in Blaine, and save a few dollars off costs from White Rock. In my re-collection, the return fare in 1970 was: $7.
I believe we should support our American friends and help them open the Blaine Station.
# posted by 
: December 23, 2011 at 4:41 a.m.
: December 23, 2011 at 4:41 a.m.
Reading about, Harper gave a speech in New York, at the Council of Foreign Relations. This was Sept 25/2007.
I would say you are right Mary. The dots do connect, for Canada to be a large state of the U.S.
I mentioned this a few years ago, but was thought a radical. However, Harper fully endorsed the N.A.U. at his speech in New York.
I knew the minute border talk with the U.S. started, they are making their move. 2013 is the goal set for the NAU.
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I would say you are right Mary. The dots do connect, for Canada to be a large state of the U.S.
I mentioned this a few years ago, but was thought a radical. However, Harper fully endorsed the N.A.U. at his speech in New York.
I knew the minute border talk with the U.S. started, they are making their move. 2013 is the goal set for the NAU.
# posted by : December 23, 2011 at 5:27 p.m.
: December 23, 2011 at 5:27 p.m. << Home
