Latest news with #DaveGordon
Scoop
6 days ago
- Scoop
Auckland Trains Up And Running After Winter Upgrade
Monday, 14 July 2025, 10:53 am Press Release: KiwiRail Another successful partial rail closure complete as network readies for CRL . Auckland rail services are back up and running following a successful partial closure to progress significant upgrades across the metro network in preparation for the City Rail Link (CRL) opening in 2026. Around 400 team members worked night and day over the school holidays to upgrade and renew rail infrastructure at priority locations on Auckland's railway system. KiwiRail and our partners used the partial closure, which affected passengers on the Southern Line south of Puhinui, to continue to prepare the network for the more frequent trains the CRL will bring to the region. 'KiwiRail teams worked at more than a dozen sites in locations such as Homai, Te Mahia, and Takanini stations in south Auckland to rebuild foundations under rail lines and install new drainage,' said Dave Gordon, KiwiRail Chief Metro and Capital Programme Officer. 'KiwiRail would like to thank our neighbours living near these locations for their understanding as we undertake this critical 24/7 work. 'Our thanks also extend to the travelling public for their flexibility during this year's series of full and partial rail closures. When trains aren't running on parts of the network, our teams can remove the rail and sleepers and do the substantive work to the foundations and drainage which gives confidence that the network can support the additional trains CRL will enable.' CRL will mean more train services across Auckland – not just the city centre – and shorter journey times. Upgrades and renewals are happening at priority areas across the rail network to get it ready for this change in 2026. KiwiRail's Rail Network Rebuild (RNR) programme to upgrade and renew rail foundations and drainage is in its final stages. RNR work will continue for priority areas throughout the September/October school holidays, alongside some weekend work starting later this month in suburbs including Parnell and Newmarket. Other work happening across the network includes cable and fibre installations, signalling upgrades, level crossing investigation work and the ongoing construction of the new Drury stations. KiwiRail is continuing to upgrade drainage around Henderson Station in west Auckland so it can install new tracks and extend the platform before CRL opens next year. Auckland Transport has recently finished its project to install new lifts and escalators in the station. More information about the range of rail improvement work in Auckland is available at: Where KiwiRail is working For more information on where KiwiRail is working, clickhere: Notes: The City Rail Link will bring Auckland closer together · City Rail Link will double the number of Aucklanders within a 30-minute train journey to the central city and increase rail capacity by at least 50 per cent on its opening day. · It will also significantly cut journey times – for example Henderson to the city centre in just 35 minutes (save 24 minutes). Another example is Maungawhau Station (formerly Mt Eden) to Waitematā (Britomart) in under 10 minutes, which is about half the current time. · Trains will run more frequently - every four minutes through the central city, every six minutes at least from all stations north of Puhinui on the Southern and Eastern Lines, every 8 minutes on the Western Line from Henderson and every 10 from Pukekohe. © Scoop Media
Vancouver Sun
04-07-2025
- Automotive
- Vancouver Sun
Why bespoke transit could be the answer to Canada's traffic woes
Traffic congestion is reaching crisis levels across Canada's largest urban regions, threatening the economy and eroding quality of life for millions. From Toronto's notorious Highway 401 bottleneck — costing commuters over three million hours of delay each year — to traffic jams in Montreal and Vancouver, the country's major corridors are consistently among the worst in North America. One upstart, Argo, hopes to mitigate the problem with a made-in-Canada public transit concept. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Argo integrates with existing transit lines and fare systems, an approach that could serve as a template for municipalities from coast to coast, supporting federal and provincial goals to cut emissions, boost economic productivity, and improve access to jobs, health care and education. Argo's new busing line allows users to request a transit ride near their location, with an app or phone call. Argo's smart routing system groups passengers going the same way. The rider is then taken to an existing transit connection, or close to their final destination — all under one standard fare. In the three months since launching its service in Bradford West Gwillimbury, Ont., Argo doubled ridership, having now replaced all fixed bus routes once operated by a private contractor. This summer, Argo will roll out a 12-month pilot in Brampton, Ont., complementing an existing transit network with Brampton Transit and GO lines. Praveen Arichandran speaks to the National Post's Dave Gordon about Argo Corporation, the Toronto-based publicly traded company he co-founded last year. With degrees in computer engineering and economics from the University of Waterloo, Arichandran previously served as Tesla's head of growth, and on Facebook's international growth team. He was named to Forbes' global '30 Under 30' list in 2019, and served as a key adviser to TikTok. What's unique about Argo? We are building a future where public transit is more convenient than driving, but as affordable as taking the bus. We fully integrate with existing transit lines and fare systems, so that integration lets us deliver faster deployments, lower costs and a better quality of service. We're dynamically routing our vehicles and grouping riders intelligently. I think more broadly for society, that means a future where access to jobs, health care, education and our loved ones is democratized, and not just limited to those who can afford car payments, real estate next to major transit lines, or those mobile enough to walk to the bus stop and wait in the cold for the bus. Argo vehicles are fully electric and wheelchair accessible with an 18-passenger capacity. How would a rider save time or money with Argo? With traditional public transit, half of the time spent in transit is spent on 10 per cent of the distance. This is the 'first and last mile' problem, of getting to and from a fixed route transit line, and waiting for the bus or the train. With a typical ride share service, you get picked up directly at your door with a private driver, but the cost of that is prohibitive for most people to rely on for day-to-day mobility. So our smart routing technology dynamically routes the buses, and groups riders efficiently, so people can get picked up near their door, while still paying a standard transit fare, with the economics of traditional public transit. How would Argo work in areas underserved by traditional public transit, and how do you integrate with those existing transit networks? There are places in the city where public transit is less prevalent. That's exactly the problem that our solution is best for. So regardless of whether there's a high level of existing public transit lines in the area or a very low level, our system can dynamically route and pick people up near their door. And if it's an area with sparse existing transit coverage, then our system can carry the full burden of the transit experience … we'll take them all the way to their final destination. This is a solution for municipalities where a transit line needs to run every 20 minutes, though there isn't enough demand. In areas where there are existing high capacity transit lines, then we'll focus more on solving that 'first and last mile,' and feeding people into those transit lines. It's a hard technical problem to solve, because you need the hardware, the software, the routing, the operations, the supply, demand management. There's a lot of technical complexity to building a system like this. But you need a place where you can bridge the technical talent that can build something like this with a public-sector ecosystem that is willing to invest in innovation. We work to partner with all levels of government in order to make that happen. We're in active conversations with many other transit agencies to ensure that we can collaborate and solve this problem together. How would Argo scale to larger municipalities? It does require a combination of world-class technology talent, and a public-sector ecosystem willing to invest in that innovation. We've brought home some of the top executives and engineers from leading consumer technology and mobility companies. But in order to scale both through Canada and globally, we're really excited to partner with all levels of Canadian government as we build a global standard for modern transportation infrastructure. What kind of investment will governments offer? The Ontario Ministry of Transportation has said publicly it'll spend $100 billion in the next decade on transportation infrastructure, and we believe that investment in innovation and solutions, like Argo, can deliver to the taxpayer extremely high ROI. The municipality is already spending in partnership with the provincial and federal government, on transit infrastructure. So the value for the dollar, both from a capital perspective and an operational perspective, is more efficient than the alternatives, and can get reduced congestion, and help people have increased levels of access. Can you describe the success so far? Even the most robust transit networks in the country, for many people, aren't accessible. Those who have mobility issues, and have trouble getting to the bus stop. Those who work off hours and on fixed route systems, have reduced service levels. Even a healthy and active 25-year-old in a major city would find walking to the bus stop in the peak of winter, waiting for a bus, a major limiting factor to their mobility. So in BWG (Bradford West Gwillimbury), we've seen so many inspiring examples of people who previously were isolated from their communities, finally being able to participate in society. There's a personal support worker who used to ride rideshare to and from work every day. She now can get to and from work for $1 each way, which is the transit fare, but now she can take her clients, many of whom have dementia or mobility issues, and have just been isolated in their homes for months at a time and just don't have the ability to leave their homes. Now she's taking them to the park, into the community centre and out to the mall. There's teachers who've been taking their special-needs kids out into town, just swimming in the community centre. There's parents with disabilities. There's a woman we met who has epilepsy who can't drive, who can finally take her kids around town. There's small business owners, a gentleman who produces honey locally, who now offers free delivery within the community during Argo service hours. How does Canada win with Argo? We are built and headquartered in Canada, so we're repatriating several high-profile global technology executives and engineers. We're creating a solution to a global challenge that Canada can export. This interview has been edited for brevity. This is the latest in a National Post series on How Canada Wins. Read earlier instalments here. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
Edmonton Journal
04-07-2025
- Business
- Edmonton Journal
Why bespoke transit could be the answer to Canada's traffic woes
Article content Traffic congestion is reaching crisis levels across Canada's largest urban regions, threatening the economy and eroding quality of life for millions. From Toronto's notorious Highway 401 bottleneck — costing commuters over three million hours of delay each year — to traffic jams in Montreal and Vancouver, the country's major corridors are consistently among the worst in North America. Article content Article content One upstart, Argo, hopes to mitigate the problem with a made-in-Canada public transit concept. Article content Article content Article content Argo integrates with existing transit lines and fare systems, an approach that could serve as a template for municipalities from coast to coast, supporting federal and provincial goals to cut emissions, boost economic productivity, and improve access to jobs, health care and education. Article content Argo's new busing line allows users to request a transit ride near their location, with an app or phone call. Argo's smart routing system groups passengers going the same way. The rider is then taken to an existing transit connection, or close to their final destination — all under one standard fare. Article content In the three months since launching its service in Bradford West Gwillimbury, Ont., Argo doubled ridership, having now replaced all fixed bus routes once operated by a private contractor. Article content Article content This summer, Argo will roll out a 12-month pilot in Brampton, Ont., complementing an existing transit network with Brampton Transit and GO lines. Article content Praveen Arichandran speaks to the National Post's Dave Gordon about Argo Corporation, the Toronto-based publicly traded company he co-founded last year. With degrees in computer engineering and economics from the University of Waterloo, Arichandran previously served as Tesla's head of growth, and on Facebook's international growth team. He was named to Forbes' global '30 Under 30' list in 2019, and served as a key adviser to TikTok. Article content What's unique about Argo? Article content We are building a future where public transit is more convenient than driving, but as affordable as taking the bus. We fully integrate with existing transit lines and fare systems, so that integration lets us deliver faster deployments, lower costs and a better quality of service. We're dynamically routing our vehicles and grouping riders intelligently. Article content I think more broadly for society, that means a future where access to jobs, health care, education and our loved ones is democratized, and not just limited to those who can afford car payments, real estate next to major transit lines, or those mobile enough to walk to the bus stop and wait in the cold for the bus. Argo vehicles are fully electric and wheelchair accessible with an 18-passenger capacity. Article content How would a rider save time or money with Argo? Article content With traditional public transit, half of the time spent in transit is spent on 10 per cent of the distance. This is the 'first and last mile' problem, of getting to and from a fixed route transit line, and waiting for the bus or the train. Article content With a typical ride share service, you get picked up directly at your door with a private driver, but the cost of that is prohibitive for most people to rely on for day-to-day mobility. So our smart routing technology dynamically routes the buses, and groups riders efficiently, so people can get picked up near their door, while still paying a standard transit fare, with the economics of traditional public transit. Article content Article content How would Argo work in areas underserved by traditional public transit, and how do you integrate with those existing transit networks? Article content There are places in the city where public transit is less prevalent. That's exactly the problem that our solution is best for. So regardless of whether there's a high level of existing public transit lines in the area or a very low level, our system can dynamically route and pick people up near their door. And if it's an area with sparse existing transit coverage, then our system can carry the full burden of the transit experience … we'll take them all the way to their final destination. Article content This is a solution for municipalities where a transit line needs to run every 20 minutes, though there isn't enough demand. In areas where there are existing high capacity transit lines, then we'll focus more on solving that 'first and last mile,' and feeding people into those transit lines. Article content Article content It's a hard technical problem to solve, because you need the hardware, the software, the routing, the operations, the supply, demand management. There's a lot of technical complexity to building a system like this. Article content But you need a place where you can bridge the technical talent that can build something like this with a public-sector ecosystem that is willing to invest in innovation. Article content We work to partner with all levels of government in order to make that happen. We're in active conversations with many other transit agencies to ensure that we can collaborate and solve this problem together. Article content How would Argo scale to larger municipalities? Article content It does require a combination of world-class technology talent, and a public-sector ecosystem willing to invest in that innovation. We've brought home some of the top executives and engineers from leading consumer technology and mobility companies. But in order to scale both through Canada and globally, we're really excited to partner with all levels of Canadian government as we build a global standard for modern transportation infrastructure.
Scoop
27-05-2025
- Scoop
King's Birthday Rail Closure – Critical Upgrades To Prepare For CRL
Press Release – Auckland Transport The work is happening across the Auckland rail network to get ready for the opening of the City Rail Link (CRL) in 2026. Major rail upgrades to bring more frequent and reliable services mean no trains will be running from Friday 30 May to Monday 2 June, say Auckland Transport and KiwiRail. The work is happening across the Auckland rail network to get ready for the opening of the City Rail Link (CRL) in 2026. This four-day closure is part of KiwiRail's ongoing Rail Network Rebuild programme. AT and CRL Limited also have work underway this weekend while trains aren't running. No trains will operate during this period, including on Friday 30 May, a standard weekday. To support passengers, AT will operate frequent all-stop rail replacement bus services (RBE, RBW, RBS, and RBO) across all lines. These buses, which will stop at or near all train stations and are designed to keep our regular rail passengers moving while trains can't run. Aucklanders are also encouraged to use regular scheduled buses like the #18 New Lynn to City Centre, or #70 Panmure to City Centre. 'This work has been timed by KiwiRail to coincide with a long weekend and reduce the impact as much as possible, but we know it's inconvenient for passengers,' says Stacey van der Putten, AT's Director of Public Transport and Active Modes. 'We're doing everything we can to keep people moving and the major upgrade work will make it possible for trains every 5-8 minutes across much of the rail network and cuts in journey times.' 'The work we're doing now will unlock the full benefits of the City Rail Link and transform how people move around Auckland.' 'Our teams will be working day and night this holiday weekend to get as much renewal and upgrade work completed as possible', said Dave Gordon, KiwiRail's Chief Metro & Capital Programme Officer. 'We're pulling out the stops to ensure Auckland's rail system is in top operational shape for the City Rail Link next year. Our continued thanks to Aucklanders for their patience as we undertake this critical work'. No passenger or freight trains will be running in the Auckland region over King's Birthday weekend and the Matariki holiday weekend. RNR works will continue on priority areas on the Southern Line between Papakura and Wiri during these times and upgrades of the rail infrastructure around Henderson Station will continue. Further rail closures planned for June and July There will be two further rail closures during June and July to enable KiwiRail and CRL Limited to upgrade Auckland's rail infrastructure and facilities, including disruptive work that needs to happen when trains aren't running, and some stations are closed. A full rail closure is planned for the extended Matariki weekend – from Friday 20 to Monday 23 June. There is also a partial rail closure scheduled for the winter school holidays, from Saturday 28 June to Sunday 13 July. During these school holidays: There will be no trains running south of Puhinui Station and reduced frequencies on all other lines except the Onehunga Line. The Western Line will be a single line running, which allows construction work on one set of tracks at a time, while trains continue running on a second set, between Henderson and Swanson. KiwiRail will use this time to build a third platform and additional tracks at Henderson Station. As a reminder, especially during single line running – your safety is a priority to us. Before crossing train tracks, follow all safety signage and do not cross when the lights are on. This work will enable more frequent trains for Western Line passengers when CRL opens in 2026. Passengers are encouraged to visit the AT website for detailed information on replacement bus routes, station-specific maps, and journey planning tools. Auckland Transport thanks all passengers for their patience and support as we continue to invest in a modern, high-capacity rail system for Auckland.
Scoop
27-05-2025
- Scoop
King's Birthday Rail Closure - Critical Upgrades To Prepare For CRL
Major rail upgrades to bring more frequent and reliable services mean no trains will be running from Friday 30 May to Monday 2 June, say Auckland Transport and KiwiRail. The work is happening across the Auckland rail network to get ready for the opening of the City Rail Link (CRL) in 2026. This four-day closure is part of KiwiRail's ongoing Rail Network Rebuild programme. AT and CRL Limited also have work underway this weekend while trains aren't running. No trains will operate during this period, including on Friday 30 May, a standard weekday. To support passengers, AT will operate frequent all-stop rail replacement bus services (RBE, RBW, RBS, and RBO) across all lines. These buses, which will stop at or near all train stations and are designed to keep our regular rail passengers moving while trains can't run. Aucklanders are also encouraged to use regular scheduled buses like the #18 New Lynn to City Centre, or #70 Panmure to City Centre. 'This work has been timed by KiwiRail to coincide with a long weekend and reduce the impact as much as possible, but we know it's inconvenient for passengers,' says Stacey van der Putten, AT's Director of Public Transport and Active Modes. 'We're doing everything we can to keep people moving and the major upgrade work will make it possible for trains every 5-8 minutes across much of the rail network and cuts in journey times." 'The work we're doing now will unlock the full benefits of the City Rail Link and transform how people move around Auckland." "Our teams will be working day and night this holiday weekend to get as much renewal and upgrade work completed as possible", said Dave Gordon, KiwiRail's Chief Metro & Capital Programme Officer. "We're pulling out the stops to ensure Auckland's rail system is in top operational shape for the City Rail Link next year. Our continued thanks to Aucklanders for their patience as we undertake this critical work". No passenger or freight trains will be running in the Auckland region over King's Birthday weekend and the Matariki holiday weekend. RNR works will continue on priority areas on the Southern Line between Papakura and Wiri during these times and upgrades of the rail infrastructure around Henderson Station will continue. Further rail closures planned for June and July There will be two further rail closures during June and July to enable KiwiRail and CRL Limited to upgrade Auckland's rail infrastructure and facilities, including disruptive work that needs to happen when trains aren't running, and some stations are closed. A full rail closure is planned for the extended Matariki weekend – from Friday 20 to Monday 23 June. There is also a partial rail closure scheduled for the winter school holidays, from Saturday 28 June to Sunday 13 July. During these school holidays: There will be no trains running south of Puhinui Station and reduced frequencies on all other lines except the Onehunga Line. The Western Line will be a single line running, which allows construction work on one set of tracks at a time, while trains continue running on a second set, between Henderson and Swanson. KiwiRail will use this time to build a third platform and additional tracks at Henderson Station. As a reminder, especially during single line running - your safety is a priority to us. Before crossing train tracks, follow all safety signage and do not cross when the lights are on. This work will enable more frequent trains for Western Line passengers when CRL opens in 2026. Passengers are encouraged to visit the AT website for detailed information on replacement bus routes, station-specific maps, and journey planning tools. Auckland Transport thanks all passengers for their patience and support as we continue to invest in a modern, high-capacity rail system for Auckland.
