West Coast Express

Encyclopedia : W : WE : WES : West Coast Express

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The West Coast Express has served since 1995 as British Columbia's only interregional commuter railway, linking Mission, Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows, Port Coquitlam, Coquitlam, and Port Moody with Waterfront Station in downtown Vancouver, Canada, where it interchanges with the SkyTrain metro and other public transport services. Future plans for the line include a station in Burnaby North.

Operation

The West Coast Express operates from Monday to Friday only excluding holidays, with five trains per day running from Mission to Vancouver in the morning peak hours and returning to Mission in the evening peak. A one-way trip the length of the line takes 73 minutes, which is faster and more reliable than driving to downtown Vancouver. In addition, one bus (called the "TrainBus") operates from Mission to Vancouver in the morning (after all trains) and returns to Mission in the evening (again, after all trains), stopping at all West Coast Express stations.

The commuter railway is operated by TransLink, the transportation authority of the Greater Vancouver Regional District, and a member of Canadian Urban Transit Association.

Equipment

Each train consists of a General Motors F59PHI diesel-electric locomotive and between four and nine Bombardier BiLevel passenger carriages. The total fleet of passenger coaches is 37. Each passenger carriage has a seating capacity of 144 people. Like many commuter railways, West Coast Express uses push-pull operation; instead of moving the locomotive to the other end of the train, it is simply controlled remotely from a second cab in the last passenger carriage, allowing the train to run 'backwards'. Passenger amenities include a cappuccino bar, power outlets, wheelchair accessibility, and space for bicycles.

Map

• Purple represents the West Coast Express route and stops
• Dark blue represents the Expo Line
• Yellow represents the Millennium Line
• Light blue represents the SeaBus

Fleet

• 37 Bombardier Transportation Bi-level Coach
• General Electric / GE Transportation Systems P42 Genesis

Denotes wheelchair access

List of stations

• Waterfront (for SkyTrain and SeaBus)
• North Burnaby (proposed to open in 2009 or later)
• Port Moody
• Coquitlam Central
• Port Coquitlam
• Pitt Meadows
• Maple Meadows
• Port Haney
• Albion (proposed to open in 2008)
• Mission

Future expansion

TransLink has proposed a number of improvements to West Coast Express service [link], two of the key improvements being:

• Introduction of hourly TrainBus service when trains are not operating, in 2007 or later; and
• Construction of new stations in North Burnaby (2009 or later) and Albion (east of Port Haney; 2008).

External links

• [West Coast Express official site]
• [Translink's official site]

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