It’s official: the Canada Line opens Monday, August 17
August 4, 2009
It’s official: the Canada Line opens Monday, August 17
August 4, 2009
As you may have heard already, the Canada Line has an opening date: Monday, August 17!
We’re already planning a huge celebration for the day, where you’ll be able ride the Canada Line for free from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m.
I’ll have more details to you as things fall into place — but in the meantime, how about a quick poll?
P.S. Check the Canada Line section of the TransLink site for info like travel times, bikes, and more!
Fantastic! I look forward to trying out the train on the 17th.
Is it possible to run short turn #100 trolleybuses from Marpole to Main?
With the new trolley wires running the distance and the surplus of available trolleybuses caused by the absence of trolleybuses on Cambie, it seems like it can be done (with a set of right turn trolley-wires onto 65th avenue off Main street) and would take the edge off the full distance #100s running from Airport Station to 22nd Street Station.
hrmm… YVR part free until 2010, and no published costs yet. This is gonna get interesting.
Are they still keeping the airport loop station or are they rerouting those busses through richmond-brighouse?
And the final question would be is there going to be a way to get to the airport without paying the Addfare for the canada line.
No published costs? Do you mean the airport fare? It’s $2.50 to enter the YVR island and $2.50 to exit it — the Vancouver Sun has reported it already.
Also, here’s the full list of bus service changes related to Canada Line: Airport Loop will be closing, and the 100 service will travel west only as far as Marpole Loop—to get to the airport you need to hop on the Canada Line at Marine Drive station.
Sadly, I don’t actually think there’s a way to get to the airport without the Canada Line addfare, once bus service has changed. Correct me if I’m wrong though.
Also, Mike, I’m not sure if I answered your question with the above info… let me know if you wanted something more there?
The #10, #17, and #3 will terminate at Marine Dr. Station starting in September, so there will already be augmented service along Marine Drive between Marpole and Main Street.
I assume I’ll be there opening day, it’s just too bad I wasn’t lucky enough to win that draw for an early ride. I wonder how long the lineups at stations will be, similar to what you see at downtown SkyTrain stations during the Celebration of Light?
It’s tough to estimate, since it’s a Monday. But I’d say it’ll be pretty busy, in general…. just from the recent past, a ton of people came out to the Golden Ears Bridge celebration, although that was on a weekend. And Millennium Line’s opening was definitely busy busy.
Ouch I hate the free bit-been waiting for it to open for a faster commute but my ride home will be during the freetime so prolly quicker to bus home that day… Does this mean it won’t even start to run till one or is my morning commute going to get to have skytrain fun?
I remember the free day when the 98BLine service was introduced.
The bus door opens in Richmond to board, but hardly anyone got off! Nearly everyone just stayed on… It’s one of the reasons I support user pay instead of FREE transit.
Being free, I expect a number of groups (kids/seniors) that will be scheduling outtings for that event. I think it’s apprpriate for TransLink to post a warning.
I expect something similar to total chaos like the Golden Ears for crowds. On the other hand, it also shows how much support there is for a badly needed system.
Kaelendra: It won’t be open to the public until 1pm, sadly. There’s an opening ceremony with the Provincial and federal reps in the morning to officially open the Line.
;-): Yep, we are planning for big crowds! If you do hear of kids/seniors planning group outings, do let me know — would be good to get kind of a ballpark on who might attend.
Cool I’m definitely going to be there on both opening day and the first day of revenue service.
So when will the 98 B-Line, 488, 490, 491, 492, 496 routes be discontinued? Aug 17 or Sept 7.
September 7.
Just a bit of clarification Jhen, will the Canada Line only accept the public at 1 pm on Monday, or is 1 pm – 9 pm simply the free ride period, with actual Canada Line service starting earlier?
Tsushima:
Sure. 1pm – 9pm is the free ride period for the public. Before 1pm, Canada Line is *not* in official service, although trains will be rolling around — various dignitaries will be riding it to the opening ceremony, which, to my knowledge, is not actually a public event.
So the public can’t get on the Canada Line until 1pm, basically! But after that you have a 8h window to ride for free. Service closes down at 9pm, and then opens the next morning at regular Canada Line hours, for revenue service. The Canada Line site should have more info on the opening times etc.
Hope this clarifies things!
Can’t wait for you guys to post lots of pics and videos on here while I’m hiding behind my textbooks in Minnesota. Hopefully I can ride it either this Christmas or next Summer when I come back for a visit.
I voted No but only because I already rode it!
I’m looking online and I see that the last train from downtown to Richmond is at 1:15 am and the first N10 bus is at 2:09 am, then running every half hour. Are there any plans run an additional bus between these two services.
For those of you that were lucky enough to ride the new trains, did you notice if the air-conditioning gives off a migraine-inducing 10500hz hum like the markII trains?
Jennifer, while those rates were published in the sun, they are not posted on the site, and it says pricing will be announced closer the the date.
I’m not opposed to the addfare, just mentioning that it is not officially published, and a relatively sneaky, but effective, way of getting people to use it before charging fees.
Awesome! I can’t wait to ride the Line on the 17th…I hope to bring some friends along and also take some pictures and vids of the train and stations. o(=^_^=)o
I don’t mind the AddFare being applied to everyone but airport employees and Sea Island residents, but to me it kinda feels unfair to the rest if we like want to visit the airport and its stations and stuff.
Oh, and Jhenifer, one question…^_^” On the 18th and onwards after the Line officially opens on the 17th, is the Line itself fully available for us to take when we commute to Vancouver/YVR?
:( I won’t be able to ride the line on opening day unfortunatly. I’ll be coming back to YVR on the 19th, so I’ll get to ride it then.
Jhenifer: Here’s a poll I think you should do: what Canada Line Station do you want to visit the most on opening day? Thoughts?
I wish I was in town to ride it, but I’ll just have to wait. And I have one general question: why is the Canada Line coloured light blue on the map? Why not colour it red? That would make more sense, as it is the Canada line, and the Expo line is already blue…
Perfect timing… almost. Gotta meet my dad at the airport. His flight gets in at 9 pm. Doh!
@Dennis
Ah yes, that’s right. There will be augmented service along Marine Drive when the line opens. Never mind that, then. It seemed like a good idea at the time.
There’s a few questions that need to be answered, however.
1. Will there be alternate ways to get to Sea Island without taking the Canada line?
If yes, will any alternative bus service reach the terminal?
2. Will riders be charged any increased fare for any such bus service?
3. How will south terminal users be affected? Will they have bus service that does not require them to pay an extra fare?
I am super excited about this! Also, it is smart to have a two week period from Aug. 17th to Sept. 7th for everyone to get used to the new line.
[…] Rees’s blog] A Burrard bike-lane breakthrough in local transportation culture [Price Tags] It’s official: the Canada Line opens Monday, August 17 [The Buzzer Blog] Review lets Liberals dodge transit decisions [The Vancouver Sun] Doomed shelter […]
I’m definitely going to be riding it the first day, right after work! Unfortunately, that’s probably the only time I’ll probably get to ride the C-Line :(
I live out in Surrey, and I can’t figure out how I can integrate the C-Line in my commute without being late for work! haha
Rvie: yes, from Aug 18 on the Canada Line will officially be in revenue service and you can take it to the airport!
Mike: the air conditioning on the Canada Line trains doesn’t have a hum, as far as I could tell. The hum on the new Mark IIs has already been noted as a problem and SkyTrain isworking to fix it!
Ashton: Somebody else asked about this on the Buzzer blog once, and here’s the answer I got from my contact at InTransitBC (that’s the company actually building the Canada Line):
Similarly the line on the map follows the same colours. I guess Canada doesn’t have to automatically mean red?
Awesome! I can’t wait to try it. Planning to be on it on the 17th. :)
Jhen, do you know if students with the upass will have to pay the addfare for the airport?
Kevin: As far as I know, yes, U-Pass holders do pay the addfare.
Joy, Jimbo, Bryan, everyone else: can’t wait to see you on the Line!
Joy, btw, I just clicked your link and that raspberry yogurt you have up on your blog looks amaaaazing.
When does the bike path open under the Canada Line Bridge? Aug 17th as well?
It will open a few days before, I believe. The date hasn’t been officially confirmed yet.
Jhenifer.
What passes are good for the YVR portion? I was told none of the passes would be good. ex. U-Pass, TransLink employer pass, BC Disability Pass. The regular employer pass, CNIB etc. Can i get confirmation on this?
Dan: I actually don’t have those exact answers right now. I only knew the answer to the U-Pass one.
When can we start signing up for lockers on the C-line? From what I understand, in Richmond there will be lockers at Brighouse, Lansdowne and Bridgeport stations, This information does not come from the Trankslink site, but from the Richmond City official site by reading RFPs for servicing the bike lockers. Why is there not more information about this on the Translink site?
Also, when will we know details about the frequency of service for feeder bus routes?
Jhenifer,
i’m surprised that the U-pass needs an add-fare to the airport (or any pass for that matter). Without an alternative bus option, it means that there is no way to travel to sea island on a pass without paying extra, which defeats the purpose of the pass in the first place. I understand the passes are not accepted on WCE, but there are alternative ways to get out to the tri-cities and maple ridge using a pass, etc without taking WCE. For this reason I’m against the add-fare to the airport.
Also, I’ve got to say that I am also suprised at the 20 minute headways on the brances after 11pm – I thought the diea of automated trains for was to allow higher frequencies. At 20 minutes, it means buses need to be timed with the trains in Richmond, train schedules need to be posted, and who would want to pay and extra $2.50 and then have to wait for up to 20 minutes for a train to or from the airport? Only the O-train will have less frequent trains in the evening than Canada Line in Richmond and to the airport.
Some answers:
The last #10 southbound trip leaves downtown (from Homer at Pender) at 1:32 am. For customers travelling to a destination in Vancouver, that fills the gap between the last Canada Line train and the first N10 trip. Customers heading to Richmond will have to wait for the 2:09 departure of the N10.
Enabling legislation is required to implement AddFare; so for now, it is deferred. There actually is a mention of AddFare that can be found via the Canada Line main page on the TransLink web site. More details will be passed along once the AddFare is fully approved and enshrined.
The C92 will be the primary service to Sea Island/Burkeville. The C90 provides a few peak-hour trips to the Sea Island North area. The N10 NightBus will provide the only bus service to YVR, and only during the wee hours when Canada Line is not operating.
Standard TransLink fares will apply for bus service to Sea Island. The Canada Line YVR AddFare will apply only to Canada Line travel.
Logically, it should have been branded as red. We have the Millennium Line branded as yellow, the Expo Line as dark blue, and now we also have another blue and it’s called the CANADA Line? Red is an entirely different tone and would have been ideal for the maps….train livery too, not really a fan of the hot-rod scheme.
The whole “reflect the west coast environment of mountains, sea” could be applied to ANYTHING in the region. We could have used that to brand the Expo and Millennium Lines as well.
As for the trains themselves, it’s a shame the same careful thought to design wasn’t given to the Canada Line train interiors as what Translink did for the new generation Mark II cars. We’re getting two new trains this year; one looks world-class and an improvement from what we alread have, the other looks like an afterthought and a downgrade.
I’ve been to a few open houses, and it seems that the rather short platforms are always the most common questions…from overhearing conversations between the public and staff. And it really is shortsighted.
Not a fan of the name “Canada Line” either, as it’s supposedly because the federal government is doling out money for the project…the same could be said for the Evergreen Line and numerous other projects, yet we don’t label them as “Canada ____.” It’s a rather ridiculous name: think America Line or China Line or British Line or Australia Line, etc. There were obviously political reasons for not to name it the “Olympic Line”, as some would then think it’s being built just for the 2010 Games, even though it would have been the most logical and better sounding choice with the Expo Line named after our World’s Fair and the Millennium Line built at the turn of the millennium.
End rant. Nevertheless, I’m still excited that it’s going to open soon. Hopefully, the Evergreen Line will actually be branded as GREEN.
The September bus schedules are online, though the PDF ones haven’t been updated yet. For example, the 403 in the afternoon peak goes from 5 trips per hour to 6 trips per hour.
Jhenifer: Will any of the current bus service using the Knight Street Bridge (430, 405, 407) be cut or rerouted after the Canada Line opens?
It looks like the Knight street bridge services are staying intact. Plugging today’s date into the bus scheduling website and then plugging in a mid-September date should allow you to see if frequency has been adjusted. I did that yesterday and discovered that my local bus, the #33 in Vancouver, is finally going to run after 6:45PM and will have increased frequency at peak times in September.
I was one of the first people to question the light blue colour for Canada Line, especially at Waterfront station where a grey sign directs passengers to the water and a blue sign points toward the street. There was never a problem seeing the SeaBus route against a blue background before so I don’t see why anyone felt it should be changed to grey.
We don’t really need to worry about running out of colours any time soon. If our provincial government insists on building with SkyTrain or similarly overpriced technology, it’ll be 100 years before there’s any real network of lines here in Metro Vancouver.
@ David: I completely agree with you (and others) about the colour scheme changes/confusion. As for the colour of the trains… Only ten or so years ago, every bus/train/seabus was painted with the same livery — why so many different schemes now (old red/blue, new blue/yellow, WCE purple/yellow, express coach yellow with a little blue, now C-line blue/green, etc.)? I do like most of the colours, I just think it’s a bit weird that there isn’t a system-wide colour scheme. Can anyone tell me why all the different colours? Do other major transit systems have mostly a single colour scheme, or is it more common to have colour/”branding” variations within a system?
Speaking of confusing, has anyone else noticed that people are shortening the name of Vancouver City Centre Station to VCC Station because it is too long to say? :P
David, there’s nothing wrong with SkyTrain or SkyTrain-like technology like what the Canada Line uses. The region needs a high-speed, high frequency, and high capacity rail transit backbone just like any other city in the world. Fully grade separated lines is what the Vancouver region needs in order for these transit backbones to become competitive against car travel times along the same route. There’s a place for ground level LRT and streetcar, but only for secondary routes in the region that serve to complement our SkyTrain backbone and not as the backbones themselves. Cities in Europe already have backbones in place, most commonly subways, and they also build LRT to complement these backbones, to funnel ridership into backbones, and to serve secondary routes and corridors.
Unfortunately, our region started taking transit seriously far too late, with our first modern rapid transit rail line in the 1980’s. We have a lot of catching up to do with regards to finishing a regional transit backbone: but we have to build it right. Build it right or don’t built it at all. An LRT system would no doubt be cheaper, but it fails in being competitively faster than the car being mostly in the street in most corridors and having to abide local traffic speeds as it’s in the street, unlike SkyTrain with its fully grade separated track enabling it to reach maximum speeds. I could not fathom ground level light rail for the Expo Line from Waterfront to Surrey, and how much longer it would take to travel compared to SkyTrain.
Speed is the main factor for getting people out of their cars and into transit, along with sensible station locations like the 16 stations for the Canada Line that balance speed and convenience. I know countless Calgarians, Edmontonians, and Portlanders that would prefer our SkyTrain any day with its superior speed (a result of being fully grade separated) and higher frequency (as a result of shorter but more frequent trains with automation) than LRT.
As for the Canada Line’s colours, branding was done by InTransitBC and they didn’t seem to have thought about their chosen colours conflicting with the brands for existing Translink services. In other words, they didn’t really think regionally with regards to branding…it was more of a corporate branding.
While the 430 continue to be serve across the Knight Bridge, it will be making a detour to Bridgeport station as part of it’s route between Richmond Centre and Metrotown. I think this will be additional unwanted time (10-15 min?)to the trip. I will be boycotting the 430 after September 7.
I think the 430 route should remain the same as it is today.
@reva: I think the new Canada Line station Vancouver City Centre has a naming problem. You can’t shorten it to “VCC” because it sounds too close the Millenium station Vancouver Community College – Clark.
I totally agree with you kc about the value of “grade separation”, especially on the current lines. If Coquitlam wants an at grade solution Evergreen like they were pushing for 3 years ago, let them have it.
Everytime there is a parade, party, protest or Critical Mass, I’m glad to see minimial impact to the Expo, Millenium and soon the Canada Line.
@ ;-) : re: VCC — My thoughts exactly!
Reva, I agree with you about the branding scheme confusion. I think it has more to do with regional transit being branded with BC Transit colours, then Translink was created and they made their own colour scheme, and it wasn’t until lately that Translink developed a solid/final branding scheme….though it’s quite odd how the new Nova Buses are light grey while the new New Flyer’s are charcoal grey. The difference in colour schemes for the express suburban buses is justified.
The colour branding we’re referring to mainly has to do with maps, not the train livery.
With regards to branding and signage, Translink really needs to look at cities like Hong Kong and London for quality examples and inspiration. The signage for Hong Kong’s MTR is amazingly coherent, clear, informative, and well-positioned…Translink’s new signage scheme is an overall improvement, though the maps at the stations seem to be a bit disoriented with the 99 B-Line not highlighted with a different colour to show its importance and difference from local bus routes…the land mass shapes depicted are also embarrassingly inaccurate. As for London, the Docklands Light Railway (a fully grade separated automated light rail system) is operated privately…quite similar to the Canada Line. But, the DLR branding is also consistent with the branding of the Underground and Overground. Note the blue/red colour scheme in the picture below, which is consistent with the branding of the trains and buses in London, and the logo is also branded in the same way (the big “O” with “DLR”):
http://www.newham.com/files/p.789.img.jpg
Signage/wayfinding with Translink’s services is quickly improving, but I’m appalled by the signage for the Canada Line. It’s a completely different design, many signs are poorly positioned, and it isn’t clear.
For starters, big signs but ridiculously small font: text on the signs should be seen from far away. Why would anyone have such a big sign but such tiny text? The station name signs is one of many problems with font size (here’s a picture of the Lansdowne Station name signs):
http://www.seataf.com/blogs/canadaline/2009-04-17/images/KICX2500.jpg
Secondly, Canada Line signs are inconsistent and misleading. For instance, some signs label the train direction as “YVR/Richmond ->”…some will think the same train will take you to both locations, when that’s certainly not the case.
Thirdly, different colours and differet size font on signs gives passengers a sense of importance of the wayfinding message. For instance, the picture below. “Designated Waiting Area” might as well be the name of the station, being written and designed in the exact same way as the station name sign next to it.
http://img41.imageshack.us/img41/4600/img2767i.jpg
Translink got it right with the Millennium Line signage (different size font: font that is larger means more importance; different colours on signs highlights the importance of the wayfinding message). Good examples (Translink signage on the Millennium Line and new recently installed signage at Waterfront Station:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rickie22/29627648/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/paradigm4/486197520/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/paradigm4/486197004/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/paradigm4/486192398/
http://www.seataf.com/blogs/canadaline/2009-08-04/images/IMG_3392.jpg
http://www.seataf.com/blogs/canadaline/2009-08-04/images/IMG_3393.jpg
Now compare that with InTransitBC’s Canada Line signs:
http://img22.imageshack.us/img22/5698/img2747q.jpg
http://img22.imageshack.us/img22/2149/img2749lxh.jpg
The dark blue “Way Out” stickers on the signs look quite odd:
http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/7121/img2755l.jpg
I agree about the Vancouver City Centre Station name being confused for the other station called VCC. Logically, it should have been named “Vancouver Central” or maybe “West Georgia”…and had the station entrance been located on Robson, as originally planned, call it “Robson Station”.
One other thing, the folks at InTransitBC installed the wrong wayfinding signs at Vancouver City Centre Station’s platform level. The sign closest to you in the picture below indicates there is an escalator, where there obviously isn’t one, while the sign behind is missing the escalator symbol as there actually is an escalator. The signs have been switched around!
http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/7241/img2764upl.jpg
Re: VCC — you are right, and internally the station is being called “VCS” to help clarify what station we’re talking about.
I think that, considering the magnitude and complexity of a project like the Canada Line, things like paint colours and signage (which are relatively easily replaceable over time, in the grand scheme of things) are pretty small potatoes.
Hey Jhenifer, do people that use FastTrax passes as well as monthly and employee passes also have to pay the AddFare if they want to take the Line to the airport?
Oh, please continue the 100 all the way to Granville street. There are so many people who live in that area who work in Richmond or work in East Vancouver. Having to catch the 10 and then the 100 is just going to be so bothersome, compared to hopping on the 100. Couldn’t they just continue the 100 up the road another couple kilometres. So senseless.
I have to agree with “Annoyed” about extending the 100 a little further. Tons of folks live in that neighbourhood (bordered by 70th/Granville/Marine/Oak), ridership was very high on most routes to & from there all day long when I lived there 3 years ago.
With the opening of the Canada Line, these are the bus routes being taken away from this neighbourhood: the #98, 490, 491, 496 (all cancelled); the #17 (no longer serving Marpole Loop); the #100 (terminating at Marpole Loop only, not making the Hudson/70th/Granville part anymore). The only bus left is the #10, which I understand will be running every 9 minutes instead of every 10.
Could they keep the Hudson/70th/Granville part of the #100 route to serve the locals in that neighbourhood? It would help feed lots of folks to the Canada Line. Perhaps also extend the #16 down Granville all the way to Marpole Loop instead of terminating at 63rd? That would be a big help for Marpole residents who want to get home from downtown without being jammed in or passed up by full #10s.
Also, will Translink consider increasing frequency of the #10 and/or #100 if demand is apparent even after the Canada Line opens?
I’m all for the Canada Line, it’s very exciting and much needed, but I don’t like the idea of cancelling other transit service in order to force people to take the train (because there are few or no other choices) so that the ridership numbers promised to the C-Line’s operating company will be guaranteed. The line is built. People will take it. You don’t have to put the squeeze on them to make them. JMHO. Thanks.
Eliminating the 491 & 496 bus services during rush hour is a monumental mistake. I understand the desire to substantiate ridership on the Canada Line by funneling people onto it, but the large & growing populations in Steveston & West Richmond will now require TWICE the time and many more transit connections to get to their work in Vancouver!! Has the airport been informed of this decision? One part of the Canada Line benefit was supposedly to remove vehicle traffic from the airport-owned Arthur Laing Bridge, but by removing the 491 496 express buses it will only encourage more people from West Richmond back into their cars and using that bridge!
Being a Steveston resident, I can’t speak as well about the 488, 490, 492, etc. services and changes, but I’m very upset about the plans to cancel the 491 & 496 buses outright. Anyone else so affected speak up too!!
The 100 bus westbound stops at Marpole Loop Bay 6, then proceeds west on SW Marine, turns up Granville Street, right on 70th, right on Hudson, back to Marpole Loop Bay 2, where it terminates. Furthermore, its frequency will increase as well.
Here’s the map for September:
http://www.translink.ca/~/media/Documents/Schedules%20and%20Route%20Maps/58/routemap/r100.ashx
I forgot to add the the afternoon peak routing for the 100 along 71st Ave. remains the same.
According to the schedule, the 430 stop at Bridgeport Station will add between 4-5 minutes to the trip eastbound and about 5 minutes westbound.
I agree with Stevestonmatt. I take the 351/352/354 from South Surrey every morning. Now, imagine this:
It’s 6 o’clock in the morning, you wait for a bus that’s already full, just barely getting a seat. Then, once you’re all settled in, you’re forced to get off a nice cozy bus and transfer to the Canada Line… Not at the first station when the trains are empty, but a few stations in, so trains are going to be pretty packed by the time they get to Bridgeport Station. It takes 20 minutes to get to Waterfront Station, then transfer again to the Expo Line to get to Burrard. Kind of exessive don’t you think?
From what I understand, Translink mentioned that it would save 5 minutes on commute time. That quote is based on getting into the downtown core. What about those who work in the business district of downtown (Burrard area). These two transfers seem like they would save much time. I know Translink said that the 351 service would increase, but doing that won’t really save time. All I see is that they’re trying pack people into the Canada Line.
Sorry… just my little rant.
Thanks for the 430 clarification of 5 minutes. Although I’m skeptical it can be done when passengers are unloading and loading from a busy station, as well as getting in/out with the traffic lights.
I remember not long ago at 98BLine open houses, many Granville residents and businesses made Translink promise to reduce service bus service (especially suburban routes) as a traffic calming measure. As part of the promise the neighbourhoods forced Translink to explore suburban service on Oak and put the Canada Line down Cambie.
Now that the promise is being made, I’m surprised the Granville corridor wants to preserve the old service. If there is interest to have service down Granville, would they also support having Bus only lanes from Marpole to the Granville bridge? I remember going to meetings that last 2, 3 or more nights listening to opposition to various 98 BLine plan options.
Annoyed, Reva:
In fact, the #100 route will be maintained to Granville/70th/Hudson. Although it is terminating at Marpole Loop, it will still be serving the Marpole area in a clockwise loop (here’s a route map). Maintaining the #100 service in this area was a direct response to the public consultation where residents/employees in the area requested that we keep it. (I think Sungsu also describes this info in his comment too.)
Rvie: I don’t know about the FastTrax passes, sorry! When more info is confirmed about the addfare I will be sure to have all the details.
Muiz Motani:
I’m still waiting to hear back about the bike lockers, but regarding the frequency of service for feeder routes, the current bus timetables are available on the TransLink web site, via the trip planner and the Schedules and Maps section. These will still be in effect for the first
three weeks of Canada Line service. The updated bus timetables for Sept 7 – Dec 13 will be available via the trip planner and the special bus integration information page no later than Aug 24, and then from the Schedules and Maps section starting Sept 7.
@ Jhenifer & Sungsu re: #100 routing: Thanks for the info, that is good to hear. And thanks for the map links too.
Why can’t they offer free ride on a Sunday, but on Monday when everybody needs to go to work.
After a tired day, imagine the downtown folks have to fight their way back home amongst the free-ride groups. They are just creating unnecessary tension.
I remember when the Millenium Line had a weekend free ride, there was a passport program where everyone had to get off at each station to get a stamp.
I don’t really mind the 491/496 buses being cancelled, but I do agree to the fact that the 410s are gonna get really crowded, despite service being augmented. Mind you, I’ve talked to a couple of people that rode the 491/496 with me to their workplaces in Downtown Vancouver and most of them hardly ever drive at all…
Why will there be so few bus stops northbound on #3 road? #403 will only stop at Brighouse, Alderbridge, Aberdeen, Capstan, then Bridgeport? What is the point of having a bus northbound then? Those are essentially the Skytrain stops! I understand the bike lane is an obstacle, but it can’t possibly be a priority over bus stops. Shouldn’t there be additional stops at at least Ackroyd, Lansdowne, Leslie like they do southbound?
@Henry: You can always catch the 430… It skips the stations between Bridgeport and Richmond Centre…
Yes I agree with the service duplication issue on No 3…., while Translink is minimizing the duplication in Vancouver, sounds like No 3 is getting the duplicated service. ?????
When I lived in Coquitlam, I used to take the 152 to work in the West End. It was highly convinient for me. One bus and bam! I’m at Davie and Burrard in front of my office.
Then the millennium line opened. I now had to transfer twice to get to where I needed to go. Forget that. I quickly switched to my car to get to work. A couple people I know are actually taking Greyhound downtown! I think it’s pretty pathetic when Greyhound is doing a better job of getting people downtown than the local bus service (and at better fares too!). (On a side note, service on a few central Coquitlam bus routes actually DECREASED as a result of the Millennium line!)
The same thing will sadly happen to users of the current express bus service to Vancouver; from all areas. Folks out of South Surrey won’t bother being bumped around when they once had a way to get to Downtown directly. They’ll move back into their cars once they realize what a farce the transfer is going to be.
If I had the money, I’d be starting up an express bus service of my own out of White Rock at $5 a head.
;-): There is going to be a passport for this opening too! Stay tuned for all the details though…
Jhenifer and the rest of you folks,
On the skyscraper forums I’ve been reading about numerous people complaining about lack of service along the Granville corridor (express service that is) to cater to the three private schools along that route.
Furthermore, UBC students are also complaining about lack of service and having to make “additional transfers”
I’d like to point out that #480 is still the ONLY bus that will cross the Fraser and take the Granville corridor up to 41st Ave. This transfer can be made by South of Fraser commuters at Bridgeport station where the #480 will service.
All the private school kids can also make the transfer to #480 here as well. The 480 gets off Granville at 41st so one can always transfer to #10 at 41st Avenue for faster service.
I can’t believe how many people overlooked the route the 480 takes.
@ ;-) huh? I said why there will be so FEW bus stops northbound #3 road. People don’t only need to get downtown or the 4 richmond stations. Buses and community shuttles are supposed to provide stops short distances apart, especially along #3 where there are so many businesses.
@ Christina: Any time big changes are made people will complain. But it is a very legitimate complaint. People don’t like to transfer – so transferring by #480 scares them especially when the sign on the bus says UBC. You should know that half of the people on #98s get off at Broadway, and I think we can all agree that the #99 will now be as crazy as ever. With no alternatives to travel from Richmond to north of 41st, everybody is now forced to transfer and nobody likes that. At least before you could go down Oak or Granville.
But it doesn’t even end there. A bus lane was built on Russ Baker to serve #491, #496, and #C92. Now it’s only for a #C92?! A bus lane for a community shuttle?? really? No transit crossing 2 road or Dinsmore bridges? No buses crossing Arthur Laing? In the whole Metro Vancouver, only the Port Mann doesn’t have a bus going across. And now we add 3 more bridges that connect the Airport, Vancouver, and Richmond. That makes a lot of sense.
@ Henry:
I don’t see why the #480 UBC would scare most people?
A loty of the private school kids are familiar with the route the #480 takes.
Furthermore, it’d help big time as well if on the side bar by the front doors the bus says “Via Granville to 41st” or something along those lines.
That way commuters WILL have an alternative for semi-express service along Granville up to 41st Avenue.
The reason a lot of people get off the 98 at Broadway is to transfer to the 99, 9, 16, and 17 buses. Many of those will now transfer at Cambie instead of Granville.
@Christina: I don’t know why it scares people either, but I used to take 480 every day and I see people not getting on it, or when they get on it they have no idea where it’s going or where to get off. That’s just the reality. I’m sure people who knows the city enough would be able to take advantage of the route. The reality is that there were VERY FEW people who got off at ANY of the #480 stops on Granville or 41st, not even when the bus was full. Most people getting onto 480 either goes to UBC or W.Blvd which isn’t the point in this discussion anyway. And really, I rarely see private school kids getting on or off 480 on Granville. But it would definitely help if the #480 says “via Granville”.
The main point is although 480 goes through a portion of Granville, it is horribly slow when it has to go through the congestion before the bridge in peak hours. Think about it – during peak hours which bridge would you rather drive on if you are going to Granville? I’d take Arthur Laing any day. It even has a bus lane on Russ Baker AND before Arthur Laing. It only makes sense if there is ONE alternative (i.e. 491 or 496) to at least Broadway. Maybe it’s too expensive to keep the expresses down Granville – the best thing would be if the #10 goes to Bridgeport station too instead of Marpole. But that can’t happen either since they are trolleys…
This just goes back to my numerous accounts of standing at 49th or 70th waiting for ANY bus to take me across the bridge to Richmond. Even though Skytrain is faster, it doesn’t make any sense for any person in west richmond to have to go east THAT MUCH for Skytrain and go back west that much for a location in Van. west. People would rather drive if the route seems so much longer in distance.
If there is a fear to use the 480 service, it could be wheather they are allowed to get off in Vancouver. I’ve seen many waiting for the 98, but the 491/496 is waiting at the stop.
Prior to the 98 BLine you could not get off in Vancouver going Southbound. You also could not get on going Northbound.
I dunno about you guys, but there’s always the 10 that goes along the Granville corridor…and the private school kids can transfer to it at Marine Drive station.
I also USED to prefer avoiding taking the #98 downtown or into Vancouver period, I infact prefer sticking to the #488/492 out of Downtown during the Afternoon rush for two reasons:
1) Air conditioned comfort
2) No unloading in Vancouver.
Very few standees if any.
I AM ALSO VERY glad the 60″ artics are gone. Those people on the B-Line really frustrate me because NO ONE MOVES UP THE BACK STEPS, everyone CONGREGATES at the back door. There is standing room up there folks.
With the C-Line coming in, at least there will be room to move.
Will I be able to take the line as if it was in revenue service (aka, straight from VCS to Lansdowne/Kwantlen station?) It’s my final exam of the semester and it would be cool to take the train rather than the 98.
Why is it that all the bus routes are just feeding into SkyTrain and not going downtown. Here are a list of runs I remember Out of the PoCo & Burnaby Garages heading Downtown and was drastically cut by TransLink in 1999 & 2001. We Had the 151, 152, 163, 164, 123, 148, 701, 150. The 169 went to New West Stn. The 99 originally started at Lougheed Stn. But now everything has been cut to SkyTrain or discontinued permanently. And there is no 10 Hastings service after 6:30pm that actually crowds the 16, 20 & 135 service. Now with the 160 Stopping procedures changing it will be more of a headache.
There’s never enough money to operate express bus services to downtown from the burbs, PLUS an M-line or C-line form the burbs to downtown. ALways have to get people in the burbs to take a local bus to a subway, then hop the subway.
People are spoiled and want everything their way all the time, dont know how to make any compromises.
REMEMBER: those express buses get stuck in TRAFFIC and go slower than Clines or M lines.
Andrew: if you’re taking it on Aug 17, the answer is yes, you will be able to take it from VCS to Lansdowne/Kwantlen, as long as you’re travelling between 1pm-9pm. However, considering Aug 17 is a free day and we expect high volumes of people, be prepared for extra travel time—you might encounter a lineup at VCS.
But if you’re taking the train on Aug 18 onward, it should be less busy!
@Dan
There are people jaywalking across Lougheed Highway and the train tracks to Taft avenue to catch either the 177 or the 791 because the “normal” bus service in the Cape Horn area is horrendously bad. There’s no service to Coquitlam Centre! From CENTRAL COQUITLAM! The bus stop at Coleman avenue for the 169 and 159 was removed (yet a bus lane and room for a bus stop still exist along with a pedestrian crosswalk that seemingly goes nowhere! TO further complicate things, 15 minute bus service was decreased to 30 minute service through the Cape Horn area. 152 was moved off Dartmoor and now skips Cape Horn entirely.
Coercing people into riding the Canada Line isn’t going to work. I’ll tell you this much. If I lived in Richmond and needed to get to anywhere south of 41st avenue not along Cambie, the Canada Line would be my last choice. Honestly, the 10 and possibly 100 ought to be run to Bridgeport Station.
Here’s something a lot of people don’t know. The contingency plan for the Olympics if the Canada Line wasn’t built was to run trolleys over a special made transit only bridge at Cambie Street/No. 4 Road to Sea Island Way and over to the airport.
Now suddenly because TransLink signed a contract assuring X riders or they pay for the shortfall, all of that ingenuity goes right out the window. Pack those trains full we got a quota to fill! Get everyone crossing the Fraser using the Canada Line and we win!
By the way, for anyone wanting to use transit from the Airport without paying the fee, here’s how: Take the south terminal shuttle from the main terminal to the south terminal (It’s free), grab the c92 over to Bridgeport Station and take the Canada Line from there.
I get that a lot of people are losing their convenient direct transit routes…. but at the same time, a lot of new people are gaining a direct service, let’s try to keep it in perspective.
No one could seriously expect translink to run bus service that parallels the rapid transit service that they just paid millions of $$ to install, could they? Even if there wasn’t the revenue issue I’m pretty sure no transit agency would build the Canada Line and then continue to operate a redundant bus system.
Just because you have to make a transfer (is the world ending?) doesn’t make TransLink an evil entity out to destroy your life. Change is just hard.
The PDF timetables for September are now posted to the translink.ca site. Here’s an example: http://www.translink.ca/~/media/Documents/Schedules%20and%20Route%20Maps/58/timetables/tt351.ashx
@LB: Thank you! Finally someone here who understands about how change can be hard for all. I know it’s gonna be hard for all of us to adapt to the changes but we will get used to it as time goes by. Me, I’m used to change, and I know and respect that change is important. Without change, everything will be the same over and over again…
@LB: I realize that concurrently running express routes and rapid transit is not feasible. But why does it have to be so cut and dry? Why not a compromise?
Rush hour buses running out of South Delta (601) and (351) South Surrey should continue on to Downtown Vancouver providing pick up and drop offs at Bridgeport and drop off only in Vancouver. There should be more done to encourage park and ride so that service duplication doesn’t occur with the 60X and 35X services.
Transfers can very often make or break a transit system. It used to take me 1.5 hours to get from Cape Horn to Coquitlam Centre by transit. I could cut that back to one hour but I would have to transfer IN ZONE TWO at Braid Station thus making me pay more money! I now drive a car and when you know all the rat runs, traffic is a non-issue. That same 1.5 hour trip done by car? 7 minutes. When transit allows for 25-30 minutes to get from one area to another 5km away, then I might reconsider transit.
The mistakes being made here are going to irritate the users of these services when their nice quiet bus ride gets interrupted 2/3 of the way in when they have to transfer to the Canada Line and fight for seat space with the locals.
Oh and by the way, whose awful idea was it to make Braid Station zone 2, but Lougheed Station zone 2/3? Someone in the Dawes Hill area needs to take a roundabout way (and deal with all the high schoolers piling the bus at Centennial) via Como Lake just to avoid paying an extra fare.
Dear folks (& Translink) –
The loss of reliable bus service in order to funnel people on the Canada Line is not about petting griping, and many such bus services don’t parallel – or imperil – the Canada Line and that’s the point. Instead of encouraging people onto transit the Canada Line (or, rather, the wanton elimination of previously popular bus/commuter routes) actually makes it more difficult!!
Check out this Facebook Group for more, and sign up:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=109653674631
Perhaps with some public pressure there can be still a compromise!
For months I’ve been excited about the Canada Line – I work at the UPS at the Airport, very close to Templeton station. I previously had to take the 98 or 491 from downtown to Airport station, and walk or ride a bike to work. The C90 comes straight here, but is a very inconvenient service which actually doesn’t benefit the employees of UPS at all, as it only arrives here at around 3:10pm and 4:15pm. So I was quite happy with the fact that I would now be able to ride the Canada line much closer to work and cut my travel time down significantly.
However, hearing about the AddFare combined with the discontinuation of both buses I use, I’m extremely disappointed and upset. I can’t afford to pay $5 a day to get to and from work. I’m already buying a 2 Zone Farecard every month. The C90 is not and has never been a viable option for me, so now I don’t know what to do.
Will the 424 stop anywhere closer to Templeton Station than it does currently? Right now I could take it to shave 5 minutes off my walk, but often I’ve walked that distance faster than the time it would take to wait for the bus.
I hear that YVR employees may be exempt from the AddFare? Is that confirmed? Will that be applicable to me, seeing as I don’t work in the Airport itself, but across the runway?
For the record, I’d like to ride the Canada Line on Monday but I think it will be too busy and I’ll stick to the 98 instead.
Kevin: Sorry to tell you, but the 424 will also be discontinued effective 07 Sept. 2009. In fact, Airport Station will be closed.
Also, I believe that the surcharge for the Airport will not be imposed until sometime in 2010. Presumably after the Olympics.
Kevin:
I don’t have a ton of specific details on the addfare’s exact implementation, but as far as I know, the addfare doesn’t apply to those living or working on Sea Island, so you won’t be paying an extra $5. Everyone who qualifies will get a special card. You might want to check with UPS to see if they have more detail on that.
But yes, as Not Quite mentions, the addfare will not apply until 2010.
Thanks. For some reason I thought the 424 would be running from Bridgeport but I was mistaken.
I was aware the AddFare won’t be implemented right away, but I’m worried about what happens when it is. Hopefully we’ll find out more details as it approches and UPS has info on getting one of those cards.
Is my bus pass good for the Canada Line – i.e. can I travel all the Vancouver stops on a Zone 1 pass? I can’t seem to find this info on the Translink or Canada line sites…
Eliminating the 491 and 496 is a HUGE MISTAKE,you are pushing A LOT of people back to driving their cars, now way people is going from one ride to three, DOUBLING the time…
Alyssa: Yes, your 1-zone pass is valid on all Vancouver stops. That’s if your 1-zone pass is scratched off for Vancouver, though!
The info about the passes is available in the Canada Line fares section on the TransLink website. Here’s the pertinent paragraph:
I’ve lived in Marpole these thirty years, because it’s closest to work – at YVR.
Fifteen minutes, more or less, via the #100, south, west, direct.
City planners are forever urging us folks to live close to work, right? Makes sense, really.
This is like a Black Comedy. Starting September: Go east, about one mile, go south, go west.
“Oh, well,” I kinda chuckled, “looks like they finally figured out how to make the two-zone fare look worth it.”
Then I heard about this YVR Add-Fare.
Essentially, it’s another Zone.
I’m still stunned, as if slapped in the face.
So…two-zones, and YVR Add-fare? From Marpole?There are workers out here who will have to work two hours – of any four they may be lucky enough to get – simply to pay their daily commute.
I’m fortunate. My job’s full-time. I have a car. Guess how I’ll be commuting.
@Eburne: Yes, I too hate living near a zone boundary. In SE Vancouver, I’m 5 minutes to go shopping in Metrotown, or 5 minute to Richmond to work. Can’t win. Tourist who ride the Seabus are also hit with a double zone fare.
The zone boundaries are definitely easier to administer and understand on a map. However with today’s electronic fareboxes, I wish there was a way I could buy a 30 minute transfer (and I don’t mean from a panhandler). Can’t afford the full fare? Give me the option to purchase a half fare for that brief trip.
With regards to driving to YVR, the media mentions some pass are provided to workers to bypass the surcharge. Also in the future I heard, the YVR parking lot shuttles will be eliminated so everyone will need to pay the CLine surcharge to get to the terminal.