TransLink is moving to beef up bus service in the Lower Mainland with four new B-Line express routes.
The transit authority says the new routes will guarantee 10-minute-or-better frequency during peak hours, and will run at least 18 hours per day.
Click here to view
However, it could be nearly two years before passengers can take advantage of them, with TransLink pledging to have the lines up and running by the end of 2019.
The routes will run the length of the North Shore, from Surrey to Langley, connect UBC to East Vancouver and link Maple Ridge to Coquitlam.
All of the routes will connect communities to rapid transit, either through the SkyTrain or SeaBus.
The four new routes are:
- Fraser Highway (Surrey Central to Langley Centre)
- Main-Marine (Dundarave to Phibbs Exchange)
- 41st Avenue (Joyce-Collingwood Station to UBC)
- Lougheed Highway (Coquitlam Central Station to Haney Place)
As for where the buses will stop, TransLink says nothing is set in stone yet, and that it will be launching consultations about details of the routes in April.
“We want to start getting some public feedback. So the exact stop locations, many of the different treatments that we want, there are trade-off issues. We need to work very closely with each of the municipalities and hear from the general public,” said TransLink CEO Kevin Desmond.
TransLink has ordered 58 new articulated buses to serve the routes, with money coming from Phase One of the mayors’ council’s 10-year-vision on transit and transportation.
Port Coquitlam Mayor Greg Moore said the new lines will enable people to realistically live in the suburbs without a car.
“If you can live close to a frequent transit network, whether it’s by rail or be it via B-Line, you can save money and you can create more affordability for your household,” said Moore.
Moore said once the exact route for the lines is known, cities can begin adding density along the transit corridors.