Businesses that operate along the Canada Line can expect to benefit from improved service for customers along the transit route.
Starting August 10, there will be more trains and longer peak service along the Canada Line between Vancouver International Airport, Richmond and Vancouver.
Currently 14 trains run during rush hour. Two additional trains will be added August 10.
Weekdays, peak service will start half an hour earlier, at 6:30 a.m., and will run an hour later, until 7 p.m.
On weekends and holidays, peak service levels will continue to start at their regular times (9 a.m. Saturdays and 10 a.m. Sundays and holidays) but will run an hour later each day, until 7 p.m.
The Canada Line was built as part of a public private-partnership with the private partner being InTransitBC – a spinoff of SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. (TSX:SNC).
TransLink contracted InTransitBC to design, build and operate the line for several decades. InTransitBC then contracted Protrans BC to perform the day-to-day operations.
The increase in the number of trains was planned in the initial contract between TransLink and InTransitBC.
“As a planned service lift within the contract, there’s no incremental cost to TransLink,” TransLink spokesman Ken Hardie told Business in Vancouver August 8. “[The boost in service] was in the contract, and the contract was a fixed price contract.”
Glen Korstrom
Twitter: GlenKorstrom