West Coast Express

The West Coast Express Template:Reporting mark is a commuter railway serving the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. It is owned and operated by the region's transit authority, TransLink. Opened in 1995, it provides a link between Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley Regional District and is the only commuter railway in Western Canada. In Template:American transit ridership, the system had a ridership of Template:American transit ridership, or about Template:American transit ridership per weekday as of Template:American transit ridership.

Service is provided between Downtown Vancouver and the municipalities of Port Moody, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Pitt Meadows, Maple Ridge, and Mission. Along its route, several stations interchange with the SkyTrain metropolitan rail system as well as local bus services. Additionally, Waterfront station in Downtown Vancouver provides a connection to the SeaBus passenger ferry.

History

Service on the West Coast Express began on November 1, 1995, under the management of BC Transit. It was transferred to TransLink on April 1, 1999, the successor to BC Transit's operations in Greater Vancouver.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 1997, an onboard education program called the "Brain Train" was introduced; for a fee, passengers in a dedicated car would listen to weekly lectures from a Capilano College instructor in various subjects, including foreign languages and public speaking.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Operation

Passengers waiting to board at Coquitlam Central station

The West Coast Express operates from Monday to Friday (excluding holidays) with five trains per day running from Mission to Vancouver in the morning peak hours (5:25Template:NbspamTemplate:Snd7:25Template:Nbspam) and returning to Mission in the evening peak (3:50Template:NbsppmTemplate:Snd6:20Template:Nbsppm).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A one-way trip takes 75 minutes, which is faster than driving to Downtown Vancouver.

The commuter railway is owned by TransLink, the transportation authority of the Metro Vancouver region. Metro Vancouver Transit Police officers and transit security officers conduct random fare inspections within the Fare Paid Zones at stations and on board trains. People caught without valid fare are removed from the train and may be fined $173. Contracted commissionaires provide station attendant services and a security presence, even checking fares on occasion at stations. Commissionaires do not conduct fare enforcement.

Supplementary bus service

Rail service is supplemented by TransLink's 701 bus route, which runs four eastbound and four westbound trips per weekday—one in the morning, one in the afternoon, and two in the evening—between Coquitlam Central station and Mission City station.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> As with the West Coast Express itself, this bus service does not run on weekends and holidays. TransLink's regular one-zone adult/concession fare rates apply to these trips. The eastbound bus makes regular stops until it reaches Haney Place Exchange in Maple Ridge and then runs non-stop for about 26 minutes to Mission City station. This process is reversed for westbound buses. The entire one-way route is completed in 60 to 70 minutes.

Prior services

"TrainBuses" at Waterfront station

Until December 30, 2016, the West Coast Express ran coach-style "TrainBus" service, which provided additional service when trains were not running. The TrainBus service provided two buses, one from Port Haney station in Maple Ridge and one from Mission City station, to Vancouver in the morning (after all westbound trains had departed) and five buses eastbound (two mid-day, and three after all eastbound trains had departed Waterfront), three of which extended to Mission, stopping only at West Coast Express stations.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> This service was replaced by the 701 bus service.

Map

TransLink major network lines as of late 2016

Stations

Station	Municipality	Zone	Year	Connection(s)
Mission City	Mission	Zone 5	1995	Template:Rail-interchange CFV buses
Port Haney	Maple Ridge	Zone 4	1995
Maple Meadows	Maple Ridge	Zone 4	1995
Pitt Meadows	Pitt Meadows	Zone 4	1995
Port Coquitlam	Port Coquitlam	Zone 3	1995
Coquitlam Central	Coquitlam	Zone 3	1995	Template:Plainlist
Moody Centre	Port Moody	Zone 3	2016Template:Efn	Template:Rint Millennium Line
Waterfront	Vancouver	Zone 1	1995	Template:Plainlist

Ridership

West Coast Express ridership by year

Year	2016<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	2017<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	2018<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	2019<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	2020<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Trips (millions)	2.5	2.3	2.5	2.6	0.8Template:Efn

Fares

Use of the Compass Card on the West Coast Express began on June 8, 2015, along with new card vending machines. Existing paper fares were honoured until July 24, 2015.<ref name="fares" />

West Coast Express fares can also be used as a three-zone fare on other TransLink services. A one-way fare expires 120 minutes from the time of purchase; all other fares work as an all-day pass.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> See TransLink Fares for more information on the pricing of the West Coast Express' fares.

Template:As of, the lowest adult fare is $5.90 for one or two zones traveled excluding Waterfront station and $7.65 for three zones including Waterfront station. A discount is available for Compass Card users, who are also able to load return and monthly passes.<ref name="fares">Template:Cite web</ref>

Rolling stock

Bi-level coaches at Waterfront station

Type	Manufacturer	Model	Units	Notes
Locomotive	Electro-Motive Diesel	F59PHI	5	Nos. 901–905
Locomotive	MotivePowerIndustries	MP36PH-3C	1	No. 906; backup unit, arrived in December 2006.
Locomotive	Electro-Motive Diesel	F59PH	1	No. 907; backup unit, former GO Transit Locomotive 533, former Larry's Truck Electric 18533, arrived in May 2023.
Rail coach	Bombardier	BiLevel coach VI	44	37 original units, 7 added in 2010

Each train consists of a General Motors/ EMD F59PHI diesel-electric locomotive and between four and ten Bombardier BiLevel passenger coaches. The West Coast Express also operates an MPI MP36PH-3C and EMD F59PH for backup. The total fleet of passenger coaches numbers 44.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Each passenger carriage has a seating capacity of 144 people. Like many commuter railways, the West Coast Express uses push–pull operation; instead of moving the locomotive to the other end of the train, it is controlled remotely from a second cab in the last passenger carriage, allowing the train to run 'backwards'; this occurs during mornings, as during afternoons the locomotive is at the front of train. Passenger amenities include washrooms, power outlets, wheelchair accessibility and space for bicycles.

The coaches and locomotives are maintained by Via Rail and, under the contract, operated by Alstom Transport Canada (formerly Bombardier Transportation) over tracks which belong to the Canadian Pacific Railway. Bombardier began a contract to operate the trains for the next five years, commencing on May 5, 2014.<ref name="Bombardier 24 Dec 2013">Template:Cite news</ref> After May 2014, track time is negotiated between TransLink and the Canadian Pacific Railway, which balances the use by the West Coast Express with its mainstay freight operation.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Future plans

TransLink's 2009 capital plan included upgrades to the Waterfront and Mission stations, and platform extensions to handle longer trains.<ref>TransLink's 2009 Budget and Capital Plan to maintain transportation expansionTemplate:Dead link</ref> In the 2009 10-Year Plan, TransLink also proposed a number of other improvements to West Coast Express service,<ref>2009 10-Year Plan</ref> some of the key improvements being:

• Upgrades to Port Haney station passenger drop-off
• Park and ride expansion at Maple Meadows station

The company committed to maintaining the 2011 service levels to 2014. TransLink has been criticized for the low ridership of the West Coast Express and supports its expansion.<ref name="TransLinkExpansion">Template:Cite news</ref>

A 20-year service agreement between TransLink and the Canadian Pacific Railroad to operate the West Coast Express expired in 2015. Negotiations for renewal were initiated within the time period covered by this Base Plan. A fuller understanding of the future interaction of the service with the Evergreen Line is required, as well as an understanding of the overall market for long distance travel in the corridor. Accordingly, TransLink initiated the development of a West Coast Express Strategy in 2011 to consult with stakeholders and examine the issues. Completion of the strategy is expected in 2012, with subsequent implementation work expected to identify appropriate future service and infrastructure requirements.<ref>2012 Base Plan and Outlook</ref>

A proposal in the 2009 10-Year Plan for a new station in Albion did not appear in the 2012 ten-year plan. Plans for a new station in northern Burnaby to service Simon Fraser University have been indefinitely postponed.

In 2021, the federal and provincial governments announced an upgrade program to extend the life of six of the seven locomotives used for the West Coast Express, with additional upgrades to improve efficiency and allow the future operation of longer trains.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The upgrades are expected to be completed by 2026.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

External links

• Template:Commons category-inline
• West Coast Express official site
• TransLink's official site
• Rail pictures