VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Commuter rail service West Coast Express has expanded service to and from Vancouver as of Monday, June 19, thanks to introduction of a trainset with a newly refurbished locomotive.
It marks the first time WCE has offered five weekday round trips since 2020. The new equipment will make two round trips daily, adding a trip with a 5:55 a.m. weekday departure from Mission City and a 4:20 p.m. departure from Vancouver’s Waterfront station.
“Over the last several months, we’ve seen ridership on the service steadily increase and we’re taking steps to keep it a reliable transit experience for our customers across the region,” Kevin Quinn, CEO of transit agency TransLink, said in a press release.
Brad West, chair of the Mayors’ Council on Regional Transportation, said that restoring West Coast Express service to pre-pandemic levels “is welcome news for the commuters throughout Metro Vancouver who rely on this important service each week. As we look to the future, maintaining and improving public transit across our region is vital to meet the demands of our growing communities.”
Schedules and other information are available at the TransLink website.
WCE’s five EMD F59PHI locomotives and one F59PH are receiving refurbished prime movers to extend their lifespan by 15 years, while all seven of the service’s locomotives (the other is an MPI MP36PH-3C) are receiving new head-end power units to reduce emissions, improve energy efficiency, and allow operation of longer trains. The C$20.9 million project includes $10.2 million in federal funding, $9.2 million from the province of British Columbia, and $1.5 from transit agency TransLink, according to a British Columbia press release. The locomotives are being refurbished one at a time to avoid service disruptions. The project is projected to be complete in 2026.
I know they are talking about what to do with the abandoned line from Victoria to Courtenay, but Victoria is seeing a 25% increase in cruise traffic in 2023. I would like to think there are some opportunities there.