Canada Line opening: first train!
Canada Line opening: first train!
The Buzzer is blogging (and Tweeting) via BlackBerry from the Canada Line opening all day today! See the full opening event schedule here, and share your own Canada Line opening stories in this post. Note: responses to comments and email will be limited today as I am out and about.
Whoa! We just finished the first end-to-end Canada Line run!
Premier Campbell and Minister Day gave speeches on the YVR platform, cut the ribbon to open the station with a host of other dignitaries, and we were off in two trains from YVR.
We stopped at Bridgeport and Broadway-City Hall to pick up the councils from Vancouver and Richmond. And we stopped at Olympic Village to pick up Olympic and Paralympic athletes.
It was so crowded with the media and dignitaries onboard, so I stayed in the back and kept out of the way. The horn on the train was honked several times though, by Minister Day and more!
At Waterfront, we were met by a welcome from the Vancouver Board of Trade. More speeches were given. And more media!
Since we had two trains too, they entered Waterfront and took up both tracks. This’ll make more sense when you see the station, but just trust me, it’s cool.
I find it interesting how the C-Line trains have horns! Wonder if the Mark I and II trains have horns too.
Wow, looks very busy! Yes, the Mark I and II trains do have horns, Ive honked them before when I was younger.
Did all the dignitaries pay their two-zone fare?
@Jamey: Yes, the MK-I and II’s have horns.
Why isn’t Translink’s Trip planner or Google Transit including results for the Canada Line? It’s still saying “take the 98” from Richmond into Vancouver.
Kind of makes it counter-productive to not let riders plan ahead…
@Matthew: The Trip Planner and Google Transit will not show the Canada Line option until September 7th. I think that is because that is when the rest of the system integrates with the Canada Line. Just change the date to September 7th on the Trip Planner and you will see the Canada Line option and the new maps for the bus routes that are changing.
@Brandon: Thanks for the info!
How come there was a media preview granted for the Sun and Globe papersand not for the trad free commuter papers like 24 hours?
Arlo: Well, the trains weren’t in official revenue service yesterday, so everybody rode for free all day :)
Derek: Do you mean that 24 hours and Metro didn’t come to the special event above, or that they didn’t do special preview features on the Line? I guess I can answer both of those questions: I’m pretty sure they were at the special event above, since there was a ton of media there. As well, media outlets generally know to contact our media relations people to get access and write the stories they are after, so if they wanted to do previews I’m sure we would have facilitated it.
I love the Canada Line!