TransLink restoring service to the West Coast Express

Ridership on the West Coast Express is getting back on track.

TransLink is restoring service on the 69-kilometre railway route to pre-pandemic levels.

According to TransLink CEO Kevin Quinn, the West Coast Express is being restored to five trains per day for the first time since 2020 — which he notes is thanks to funding from the provincial and federal governments.

The West Coast Express is being restored to pre-COVID service levels with the addition of WCE 907, a refurbished locomotive engine that will enter service on Monday June 19th. @CityNewsVAN pic.twitter.com/UjLQKbpxdW

— John Ackermann ???? (@jackermann) June 16, 2023

Quinn says the refurbished train being added to the route, WCE 907, will “continue for several years.”

Updated service includes a 5:55 a.m. departure from Mission City Station and a 4:20 p.m. train from Waterfront Station.

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Quinn adds TransLink’s entire fleet of locomotive engines will be refurbished as part of a multi-year operation, called the West Coast Fleet Refurbishment Project.

“The West Coast Express has been moving thousands of Metro Vancouver residents for nearly 30 years and we are pleased to put five trains back in service for the first time since 2020.”

“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,” he said.

TransLink Mayors’ Council Chair Brad West was among those who went to Ottawa requesting federal support for transit operations, and he says this announcement is “welcome news” for Metro Vancouver commuters.

“As we look to the future, maintaining and improving public transit across our region is vital to meet the demands of our growing communities.”

Quinn says, while West Coast Express ridership declined during the pandemic, boardings last month exceeded 116,000, which is a 55 per cent increase from numbers in May 2022.

WCE 907 is set to start service on Monday, June 19.