TransLink adds more trains to its Canada Line fleet
Credit to Author: Jennifer Saltman| Date: Tue, 21 Jan 2020 20:56:14 +0000
Four new trains went into service on the Canada Line on Tuesday, making room for an extra 800 passengers during the morning and afternoon rush hours.
The boost to service is part of the TransLink Mayors’ Council’s 10-year transportation plan for the region, and eight more two-car trains are expected to be added to the fleet sometime later this year.
“Since its inception in 2009, the Canada Line has made a profound impact on Richmond,” said Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie. “Our city is a diverse and vibrant community. The Canada Line has played a key role in our strategic growth and furthered our commitment to environmental sustainability.”
The four new trains will result in a 15 per cent increase in service. Once all trains are running, service will have been increased by 35 per cent over 2019, and frequency will be increased by up to one minute during peak hours. Trains now run every six minutes during peak between Vancouver International Airport or Richmond-Brighouse and Waterfront.
Capacity will be increased by 25 per cent, meaning trains can carry an extra 1,500 or so passengers during peak times.
TransLink CEO Kevin Desmond said some of the remaining cars are still being manufactured, and some are already in Metro Vancouver. All new cars go through testing and commissioning before they are put into service.
The total cost of the cars is $88 million, with half of the funding coming from the federal government, 33 per cent from the province and the rest from TransLink.
Also as part of the 10-year plan, the line’s operations and maintenance centre was upgraded and new escalators were installed at three stations: Yaletown-Roundhouse, Vancouver City Centre and Waterfront. The $36-million cost of those upgrades was also shared between the federal and provincial governments, and TransLink.
The Canada Line had more than 50 million boardings last year, and there were more than 150,000 trips taken on the line on an average weekday, a three-per-cent increase over 2018.