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Canada line service to YVR is gradually returning to normal.

The SkyTrain system is on snow watch as snow is falling in Metro Vancouver.

West Van Transit’s #251 is only going as far north as Mathers — not Queen’s.

Please remember to dress for cold weather and expect to wait longer than usual between buses and — in extreme cases — some stalls on SkyTrain related to the weather as well.

Canada Line has an issue on the portion to YVR-Airport. a shuttle train is running between Templeton and Bridgeport stations: customers going to the airport may experience some delays as a result.

West Vancouver Transit – #251 Queen’s is on snow route, travelling along Marine drive to 25th, then up only as far as Mathers and then back to 11th — so anyone living above Mathers will not have service for the time being.

Looks like there could be some more issues as the morning unfolds, so please remember to dress for the elements and wear appropriate footwear: expect that there will be delays between buses and on SkyTrain.

Good morning!

Snow is falling in many parts of Metro Vancouver, but it’s not affecting bus service at this time. All buses are on regular routing.

SkyTrain has its snow plan in effect, so that SkyTrain Attendants are watching the situation and may start riding the Millennium Line trains if the snow gets heavier.

Things could change during the day, so we remind everyone to dress for the elements with proper footwear and expect that there could be some delays between buses and even diversions at times, if road conditions dictate.

Happy New Year All!

Here is the New Years schedule for your Translink services…

Celebrate safely!

Come on and take a FREE RIDE!

TransLink longer service Dec. 31 and it’s free after 5!

Once again this year, TransLink is making it easier for people to get home safely from New Year’s Eve celebrations, with enhanced and extended late-night transit service on New Year’s Eve.

From 5pm until the close of service (nearly 5am January 1^st), public transit is free on all modes.

SkyTrain will run an extra hour, so the last departure from Waterfront Station is at 2:05 a.m. (Canada Line to YVR-Airport), 2:15 a.m. (to Richmond-Brighouse) and 2:16 a.m. (Expo/Millennium Lines). The last SeaBus leaves Lonsdale Quay at 2:06 a.m. and Waterfront at 2:20 a.m.

Buses will run on the Saturday schedule, but extend late-night service on certain routes, and in some cases, the “regular” route will overlap with the complementing NightBuses. This will provide more capacity on those routes and provide more opportunity for people to choose public transit. Details of those service extensions can be found at http://www.translink.ca/en/Schedules-and-Maps/Holiday-Service.aspx. This information is subject to change, but updated information is on the TransLink Trip Planner at www.translink.ca. The Trip Planner is an excellent resource for customers to plan ahead and be aware of when the last buses run.

On Sunday, Jan. 1, all service will run on the sunday/holiday schedule. Service will return to the usual weekday schedule on Monday, Jan. 2, except for West Coast Express, which will not run that day at all; and all service will be back to normal on Tuesday, Jan. 3.

TransLink and its 7,000+ employees and their families with everyone all the very best for 2012!

Effective immediately, BC Ferries will operate its Tsawwassen mid-island sailings from Departure Bay in Nanaimo instead of Duke Point. This change to the route will continue until further notice.

At 2:50 pm today, the Coastal Inspiration experienced a hard landing upon arrival at Duke Point terminal. The terminal berth sustained significant damage and the vessel’s port side doors were also damaged.  The vessel will be pulled from service and replaced by another vessel.   There were two minor injuries to passengers and one minor injury to a crew member on board the vessel, as a result of the hard landing at Duke Point. 

BC Ferries is investigating the cause of the hard landing.

The following regular mid-island – Tsawwassen schedule will be in effect starting tomorrow, Wed., December 21:

Shuttle bus service has been set up between Departure Bay and Duke Point until further notice.

Regularly scheduled service, including the extra holiday sailings, will be in effect on the Departure Bay – Horseshoe Bay route.

For traffic updates or more information please call us toll free at 1-888-BCFERRY (223-3779), check our website at www.bcferries.com or go to mobile.bcferries.com on your mobile device.

We apologize for any inconvenience experienced as a result of this sailing delay.

Here is the very latest from Translink’s Drew Snider:

Due to the police investigation, Coquitlam Station bus loop is currently CLOSED. Buses are currently boarding:

  *   at temporary bus stops on southbound Lougheed Highway
  *   at temporary stops on eastbound Barnet Highway
  *   Community Shuttles are boarding on northbound Pinetree
  *   the park and ride is currently closed — we’ll let you know if it reopens\
  *   West Coast Express foot passengers may access the station but the kiss-and-ride area is also closed, so they’ll have to walk in from the road.

 More information to come…

TransLink services over Christmas and New Year’s

Extended late-night service and free rides on Dec. 31

Enhanced service for post-Christmas shoppers and extended late-night service on New Year’s Eve are two of the special transit services being offered over the Christmas/New Year’s season this year.

Friday, Dec. 23 – regular schedule on all modes except West Coast Express. Afternoon trains will leave Waterfront Station at 1, 3, 4:20, 5:30 and 6:20 p.m. and the 12:55 TrainBus is cancelled.

Saturday, Dec. 24 – all modes will run their normal Saturday schedules, although SkyTrain will provide enhanced service on the Expo/Millennium Lines for the last-minute shopping rush.

Christmas Day – since that is a Sunday, all modes will run the Sunday/Holiday schedule, although some bus routes will adjust their schedules to reflect historic Christmas Day travel patterns. You can check the TransLink Trip Planner or find a list of individual routes at http://www.translink.ca/~/media/documents/schedules_and_maps/holiday_svc/christmas%20day%20schedule%20adjustments.ashx

Boxing Day (Monday, Dec. 26) – since this is a statutory holiday, you only need a one-zone ticket for travel through all three zones.

Buses – will run on the Sunday/Holiday schedule but with enhanced service on routes serving major shopping areas.

SkyTrain – will run the Saturday morning start-and-finish times – first train leaving King George Station at 6:08 a.m., last train leaving Waterfront at 1:16 a.m. – but will run additional trains at midday to accommodate shoppers.

SeaBus – will run on the Sunday/Holiday schedule, but will extend service so that the last ferry leaves Lonsdale Quay at 1 a.m. and Waterfront at 1:22 a.m. Buses will run additional trips to meet the last SeaBus and SkyTrain trips.

West Coast Express will not run Monday, Dec. 26 or Tuesday, Dec. 27. Normal service will resume Wednesday, Dec. 28

Tuesday, Dec. 27-Friday, Dec. 30 – normal service on all modes except West Coast Express (as noted above).

Saturday, Dec. 31 – TRANSIT SERVICE IS FREE from 5 p.m. until the close of service

Buses – will run on the Saturday schedule, but extend late-night service on certain routes. Details of those service extensions can be found at http://www.translink.ca/~/media/documents/schedules_and_maps/holiday_svc/new%20years%20eve%20additional%20bus%20service.ashx

SkyTrain and SeaBus – will run on the Saturday schedule, but will extend service one hour, so the last SkyTrain leaves Waterfront at 2:05 a.m. (Canada Line to YVR-Airport), 2:15 a.m. (to Richmond-Brighouse) and 2:16 a.m. (Expo/Millennium Lines) and the last SeaBus leaves Lonsdale Quay at 2:06 a.m. and Waterfront at 2:20 a.m.

Sunday, Jan. 1 – ALL SERVICE WILL RUN ON THE SUNDAY/HOLIDAY SCHEDULE

Monday, Jan. 2 – ALL SERVICE WILL RUN ON THE USUAL WEEKDAY SCHEDULE except West Coast Express, which will not run that day at all.

Tuesday, Jan. 3 – all service will return to the normal weekday schedule.

This information is subject to change, so people should check the TransLink Trip Planner at www.translink.ca for up-to-date schedules.

We should remind people that West Coast Express will run the second of its two Santa Trains on Saturday, Dec. 17, leaving Mission at 10 a.m. and returning from Waterfront at 5 p.m. The price for a return ticket is one new, unwrapped toy, to be donated to the Christmas bureaux in the communities served by West Coast Express.

I apologize for the title, I just couldn’t resist….Counting cars continues today on the Alex Fraser and Queensborough Bridges…expect lengthy delays….here is the latest from Translink.

traffic counting team will be stationed on the Queensborough and Alex Fraser Bridges on Tuesday, Oct. 25. They will be manually counting the number and types of vehicles passing a given point, along with the number of persons in each vehicle.

The counting will take place from 6 a.m. and continue into the evening.

Future counting locations will be at:

            Oct. 26                        Oak St. Bridge; Westminster Hwy west of No. 8 Rd.; Hwy 1 east of Taylor Way (North Vancouver)

            Oct. 27                        Arthur Laing Bridge

            Oct. 28                        Marine Drive, east of Taylor Way (West Vancouver)

These manual counts are part of TransLink’s Screenline survey, which is taken every few years to plot the movements of vehicles throughout Metro Vancouver and provide a picture of road use. This information is invaluable for planners, as they develop an efficient integrated transportation system that makes most efficient use possible of public resources.

Counters wear high-visibility garments, and while they take every effort not to impede the flow of traffic, drivers should be aware of their locations so they do not present a visual distraction. TransLink apologizes for any inconvenience.

• Adjust your personal commute – Ask yourself: do you have to be in the office by 9? Can you leave before or after the traditional afternoon rush hour (4 – 6 p.m.)? If you can avoid those “peak-of-the-peak” times, even by half an hour, that can make a big difference and help those who do need to go at those times. The busiest transit spots are:
  • Commercial/Broadway bus stops have extremely long lineups for the 99 B-Line from about 8:15 – 8:45 a.m. but only a short wait immediately before or after. At that time, B-Line buses run about 2 minutes apart, and with a capacity of around 100 passengers, the wait is not very long.
  • Commercial/Broadway Platforms 3 & 4 (upstairs on the south side of Broadway) see a steady build-up of passengers between 7 and 8 am and then the heaviest loads between 8 – 8:45 a.m. before the rush begins tapering off to normal daytime volumes by about 9:30 a.m.
  • Production Way/University crowds hit their peak between 8 and 9 a.m. with students going to SFU
  • Brighouse sees its heaviest crowds between 7:30 and 8:30 a.m.

• There’s often more than one way… Check out your route options with the TransLink Trip Planner (www.translink.ca) because they might work better than your normal choice, for example:
  • The Broadway Corridor is one of the most-used transit corridors in all of North America, so over the years, TransLink has developed east-west routes worth choosing instead, such as:
    • #84 (from VCC-Clark Station via Olympic Village Station)
    • #25 (from Brentwood via Nanaimo and King Edward; rush-hour frequency between Nanaimo and King Edward has been improved as of Sept. 5)
    • #33 (from 29^th Ave. Station via King Edward Station; rush-hour frequency has been improved as of Sept. 5)
    • #41 (from Joyce via Oakridge-41^st Station)

• #49 (from Metrotown via Langara-49^th Ave. Station).
• If you’re driving to the Tri-Cities from Surrey or Langley or connecting to Highway #1 eastbound from anywhere north of the Fraser River, you might find the trip is faster and less congested over the Golden Ears Bridge (even with paying the toll, you’ll save money in the long run in gas and car costs).
• Google Transit is integrated into TransLink’s web site, providing all your road and transit options.

• Get up-to-the-minute information – TransLink has a variety of customer information tools that can help you find out the best way to go:
  • Twitter - @translink
  • By phone – 604-953-3333
  • Next Bus – text the 5-digit bus stop code to 33333 to find out the next 6 scheduled arrivals (for a specific bus stopping at a multi-route stop, add a space and then the route number after the bus stop code)
  • Trip Planner – (through www.translink.ca), enter your starting and finishing points and the time you want to travel and get the best three trip plans, sorted by time or walking distance.
  • Real-time info – get real-time transit information from TransLink’s new mobile information site, m.translink.ca.

Hello Everyone!

It’s that time of year again, where fireworks light up Vancouver’s English Bay. Big crowds are expected, and the best idea for spectators is to leave the car at home. What will you need to know? Here’s the lates from Translink Spokesperson Drew Snider.

“Once again this year, the Celebration of Light will light up the sky over the city of Vancouver on July 30, August 3 and August 6. And once again, TransLink’s family of companies is prepared to handle the literally tens of thousands of people expected to gather on the shores of English Bay.

 With motor vehicle traffic severely restricted in the West End, Coast Mountain Bus Company will re-route its services away from the West End. Buses that normally travel into the West End will go no further than Burrard and Davie as of 7:30pm; the #5 Robson will go as far as Robson and Denman and then return via Denman and Georgia. Note that eastbound service will use Georgia Street, rather than Robson.

 Starting at 9pm, #22 Macdonald/Knight will route away from Burrard Bridge and Cornwall Avenue, using 4^th Avenue between Granville Bridge and Macdonald in both directions.

 In Richmond, additional buses will be staged at Bridgeport SkyTrain Station to handle crowds coming off the Canada Line: these will supplement service as deemed necessary by transit supervisors on the scene.

 West Vancouver Transit will stage approximately 15 additional buses along Georgia near Denman, to be used as required.

 SkyTrain Expo/Millennium Line will operate at rush hour service levels from late afternoon throughout the evening on each date until crowds are cleared after the event. The last Expo Line train will leave Waterfront at 1:16am, however, trains will continue running so that all customers already in the station at that time may get home.  

 SkyTrain Canada Line will operate rush-hour service until 10pm, then increase service until 1 am, with additional extra trains on standby if needed”.

So there you go! Enjoy the fireworks everyone, and be safe!

M