SpongeG
Sep 1, 2007, 11:44 PM
There won’t be any more West Coast Express (WCE) trains anytime soon but, starting Tuesday, people who use the commuter rail service will have five new transit options.
The morning TrainBuses — special highway coaches that stop only at WCE stations — will stop in Port Coquitlam at 10:22 and 11:22 a.m., in Coquitlam at 10:34 and 11:34 a.m. and in Port Moody at 10:42 and 11:42 a.m.; the two trains will arrive at Vancouver’s Waterfront Station at 11:22 a.m. and 12:22 p.m. respectively.
As well, there will be three new times for eastbound TrainBuses in the afternoon and evening; they will leave Waterfront Station at 1:25, 7 and 8 p.m. Their arrival times locally will be:
• Port Moody: 1:59 p.m., 7:34 p.m. and 8:34 p.m.
• Coquitlam: 2:07 p.m., 7:42 p.m. and 8:42 p.m.
• Port Coquitlam: 2:16 p.m., 7:51 p.m. and 8:51 p.m.
The price to ride a TrainBus is the same for a rail commute but the cost to park at a WCE lot will also rise: the rate for a 28-day pass will jump from $15 to $40.
TransLink spokesperson Drew Snider said demand is pushing the need for more WCE availability. According to TransLink surveys, WCE ranks the highest of any TransLink system (including SkyTrain, SeaBus, Coast Mountain Bus), with frequency of service being the main complaint.
Snider said TransLink and WCE officials are now working with the federal government, which recently passed legislation to expand commuter service on CP Rail tracks — a sticking point for years.
“We know the public wants expansion,” Snider said. “We’re in the process at TransLink of working out the long-term picture for transit, for [commuter] rail, for SkyTrain, etc. So how are we going to do it? At what pace are we going to do it? How do we combine it with freight?”
Snider also said the new legislation will enable TransLink to consider putting commuter rail service in other rail corridors.
Meanwhile, on Labour Day (Monday), TransLink will end its seasonal bus routes for 150 White Pine Beach/Coquitlam Station and C26 Buntzen Lake/Coquitlam Station. (Also on Monday, neither WCE trains nor TrainBus will operate because of the holiday.)
But the C36 Port Coquitlam South/Port Coquitlam Station and C40 Meridian/Port Coquitlam Station routes will run more frequently — every 15 minutes during weekday peak periods.
http://www.tricitynews.com/
The morning TrainBuses — special highway coaches that stop only at WCE stations — will stop in Port Coquitlam at 10:22 and 11:22 a.m., in Coquitlam at 10:34 and 11:34 a.m. and in Port Moody at 10:42 and 11:42 a.m.; the two trains will arrive at Vancouver’s Waterfront Station at 11:22 a.m. and 12:22 p.m. respectively.
As well, there will be three new times for eastbound TrainBuses in the afternoon and evening; they will leave Waterfront Station at 1:25, 7 and 8 p.m. Their arrival times locally will be:
• Port Moody: 1:59 p.m., 7:34 p.m. and 8:34 p.m.
• Coquitlam: 2:07 p.m., 7:42 p.m. and 8:42 p.m.
• Port Coquitlam: 2:16 p.m., 7:51 p.m. and 8:51 p.m.
The price to ride a TrainBus is the same for a rail commute but the cost to park at a WCE lot will also rise: the rate for a 28-day pass will jump from $15 to $40.
TransLink spokesperson Drew Snider said demand is pushing the need for more WCE availability. According to TransLink surveys, WCE ranks the highest of any TransLink system (including SkyTrain, SeaBus, Coast Mountain Bus), with frequency of service being the main complaint.
Snider said TransLink and WCE officials are now working with the federal government, which recently passed legislation to expand commuter service on CP Rail tracks — a sticking point for years.
“We know the public wants expansion,” Snider said. “We’re in the process at TransLink of working out the long-term picture for transit, for [commuter] rail, for SkyTrain, etc. So how are we going to do it? At what pace are we going to do it? How do we combine it with freight?”
Snider also said the new legislation will enable TransLink to consider putting commuter rail service in other rail corridors.
Meanwhile, on Labour Day (Monday), TransLink will end its seasonal bus routes for 150 White Pine Beach/Coquitlam Station and C26 Buntzen Lake/Coquitlam Station. (Also on Monday, neither WCE trains nor TrainBus will operate because of the holiday.)
But the C36 Port Coquitlam South/Port Coquitlam Station and C40 Meridian/Port Coquitlam Station routes will run more frequently — every 15 minutes during weekday peak periods.
http://www.tricitynews.com/