Global BC has been given an exclusive first ride on the soon-to-be-opened Evergreen Sky Train line.
The 11-kilometer line will connect Coquitlam and Port Moody to the Lougheed SkyTrain Station in Burnaby.
Global BC’s reporter Ted Field was the first TV reporter to ride the rails.
WATCH: Evergreen Line time lapse
One of the highlights was a trip through the long-delayed tunnel. In September, the province said the line was over 90 per cent complete, but the project was delayed by construction problems including multiple sink holes that popped up in the vicinity of the line, forcing street closures and concerns from neighbours.
Minister Responsible for Translink Peter Fassbender isn’t giving an exact date for the opening, but says it will be an early Christmas present for people in the Tri-Cities.
READ MORE: Evergreen Line to open before Christmas
The official timeline given by the B.C. government has the Evergreen Line launching before Christmas, but no specific date has been given.
Last week, Port Moody Mayor Mike Clay said the Evergreen Line was opening on Nov. 20. He then backtracked on his statement, saying he was only ‘joking.’
The $1.43 billion, 11-kilometre line will link the neighbourhoods of Burnaby, Port Moody and Coquitlam to Vancouver. Translink estimates that when the line is operational, it will carry 70,000 passengers and remove 40,000 cars from the road every day by 2021.
WATCH: New Evergreen SkyTrain Line