The West Shore could become the test site of a new form of electric rail as support amongst local government grows.
On Monday (June 26) Colwood council voted unanimously to endorse in principle a test proposal by ThinkEco Power Inc. and Penmark which would involve a six-month feasibility program, using a two to three-kilometre stretch of land to build tracks and test a new form of ultra-light, battery-powered train.
Colwood council also directed staff to work with their colleagues in neighbouring municipalities to help identify a potential test site.
Colwood’s support for the proposal follows a move by the Town of View Royal last week.
At that council’s June 20 regular meeting, a similar motion to support in principle and direct staff to look for and report back on suitable potential sites was endorsed 6-1. Coun. Alison MacKenzie opposed the motion over concerns about spending staff time searching for a location she said would likely not end up being within town limits and would have to be closed to the public during the test program.
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Stephen Kong, founder of Vancouver-based ThinkEco Power, said the ultra-light rail system he wants to trial on the West Shore is based on a prototype system currently being tested in Coventry, United Kingdom.
He said the system is battery-powered, with trains being charged in as little as 10 minutes while stopped at a station. Among its benefits over other forms of rail transport are its quiet operation, low vibration, speeds of up to 90 km/h, and seating capacities ranging from 56 to 200 people, depending on train configuration, he said.
“At speeds below 20 km/h, it is actually so quiet it has to have a noise-generating system for safety requirements,” said Kong. “Innovation and game-changing technologies are also being applied to the tracks. The new trackform is evolving very quickly and allows pre-fabricated slabs to be laid on existing roads or trails within weeks instead of years. They also don’t require deep trenches and won’t cause disruption to utility cables. The slabs can also be easily dismantled and moved somewhere else, so it is very portable.”
Testing would involve accelerating the train to its full speed and stopping it repeatedly, as well as track durability testing and public opinion consultation.
Kong said his proposal would have no cost for the involved municipalities, or for the Capital Regional District he also hopes to bring on board, as he feels a section of the Galloping Goose Trail could be an ideal test location, once widened on his company’s dime. Funding for the project is being provided in part by the Canada Infrastructure Bank.
He said his team selected the West Shore as a preferred test site given its geography, potential to benefit from a permanent installation of the system given existing commuter traffic challenges and the recognition the existing E&N rails on the Island Corridor are currently tied up in higher-level discussions with local First Nations.
Both councils showed strong support for the proposal, with several councillors praising it as an innovative approach to addressing the so-called “Colwood crawl.”
“This is exciting, and it is time this region started thinking differently,” said Colwood Coun. Dean Jantzen Monday.
Colwood Coun. Ian Ward, who made the motion Monday, likened the proposed system to Vancouver’s SkyTrain in that skeptics originally viewed it as a “gadget,” but it quickly became the region’s primary people mover.
View Royal Coun. Ron Mattson was even stauncher in his support during that council’s June 20 discussion of the project.
“We have been whining about the traffic on the roads and not having a solution, and here is an option that has been brought to us, and all we are looking at is for a concept to be looked at. How on Earth can you be opposed to doing this?”
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