Translink, Metro Vancouver’s regional transportation authority, announced that is accelerating the purchase of 28 additional SkyTrain cars for the fully-automated Expo and Millennium Lines.
The additional cars will help relieve rush-hour SkyTrain crowding through more frequent service and higher capacity, at a time when transit use is reaching an all-time high in Metro Vancouver.
Within Phase One of the Mayors’ Council 10-Year Vision, by 2020, 80 new additional cars will be put into operation. By 2019, 56 Bombardier cars will for Expo and Millennium lines be delivered, with a total value of CAD 210 million (EUR 134.55 million). By the end of 2020, Translink will add 24 new Hyundai Rotem cars on Canada Line, valuated at CAD 88 million (EUR 56.4 million). The total value of these 80 new cars is CAD 298 million (EUR 190.9 million), funded through the Public Transit Infrastructure Fund (PTIF). PTIF is funded by the Government of Canada at 50 per cent, Province of British Columbia at 33 per cent and TransLink at 17 per cent.
“With transit ridership continuing to soar in our region, these additional cars will go a long way in providing relief for our customers. More trains and more frequent service will ensure you’re more likely to get a spot on the train during rush hour, and more likely to get a seat during the off-peak periods,” Kevin Desmond, CEO of TransLink said.
Translink expects the additional 80 SkyTrain cars will increase capacity by about 10 per cent for Expo Line, 23 per cent for Millennium Line and 30 per cent for Canada Line. This results in a total of 8,200 additional spaces per peak hour on both directions on all three SkyTrain Lines.
At the end of 2016, Translink exercised options for the purchase of an additional 28 Innovia Metro 300 cars for SkyTrain network, with a value of EUR 67 million. The final delivery is expected in the fourth quarter of 2018.
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