TransLink provides supplemental service as rail stoppage halts West Coast Express

TransLink says it will provide additional bus service as a rail disruption has put the brakes on the West Coast Express (WCE).

The WCE is a major commuter rail service that travels westbound to Downtown Vancouver on weekday mornings, and eastbound to Mission City on weekday afternoons and evenings.

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With a major stoppage now underway at Canada’s two major railways, after Canada Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) and Teamsters Canada Rail Conference failed to reach an agreement Wednesday night, communities are now faced with the impacts this will have on local systems.

In the Lower Mainland, TransLink has said the WCE would not be able to run because the service operates on rail that is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), noting it “cannot operate without CPKC’s dispatchers and rail workers.”

West Coast Express service is suspended due to an ongoing nationwide labour dispute at CPKC.
Other travel options are available, including supplemental bus service. Please check https://t.co/fGW8C941TO for more information.

— News from TransLink (@TransLinkNews) August 22, 2024

“Depending on the station customers take the West Coast Express to and from, the best option might be different,” TransLink said in a statement Wednesday.

TransLinks says it is providing the following service to assist commuters through the disruption:

At Mission City or Port Haney stations:

• Supplemental bus service will be provided to connect customers to and from SkyTrain at Coquitlam Central Station.
• This supplemental bus service will leave from Mission City Station in the morning at 5:25, 5:55, 6:25, 6:55, and 7:25 a.m.
• Buses will then leave from Port Haney Station at approximately 5:53, 6:23, 6:53, 7:23, and 7:53 a.m. Times may vary depending on traffic.
• In the afternoon, the return buses will leave from Coquitlam Central Station at 4:50, 5:20, 5:50, 6:30, and 7:20 p.m.

At Port Coquitlam, Pitt Meadows, or Maple Meadows stations:

• The R3, Route 701, or 791 are the best alternatives to connect to SkyTrain at Coquitlam Central Station.
• Customers at Port Coquitlam Station could also take routes 159, 160, 173, 174, or 175 to connect with SkyTrain.

At Port Moody or Coquitlam Central stations:

• Taking the Millennium Line and transferring to the Expo Line at Commercial-Broadway Station is the best alternative.

TransLink says over 3,000 customers take the WCE each day.

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