Commuters between Vancouver and the North Shore were left facing major delays Thursday afternoon, after SeaBus service was suspended due to flooding.
TransLink was forced to suspend service after a burst pipe caused major flooding at Waterfront Station around 1:30 p.m.
The transit agency implemented a bus bridge over the Lions Gate Bridge as an interim measure, before SeaBus service was restored around 4 p.m.
SkyTrain and West Coast Express service was not affected by the flooding, Lovegreen said.
Elsewhere on the system, transit riders were experiencing significant delays due to snow and icy conditions.
Both the Expo and Millennium SkyTrain lines were operating “slower than normal” due to the snowy conditions, TransLink said.
The bus system was experiencing heavier impacts due to traffic and snow, and Lovegreen said there had been some issues with the speed of snow removal earlier in the day.
“Our buses are only as good as the roads they drive on,” TransLink spokesperson Tina Lovegreen said.
“So that’s why we’re in communication with municipalities to prioritize those bus routes, to be able to clear those roads so our buses can keep going. This morning we did see some delays and problem areas particularly in the North Shore, Burnaby, Port Coquitlam and New Westminster.”
Ahead of rush hour Thurssday afternoon, TransLink’s advisory alert website listed more than 130 alerts, including trip cancellations and detours.
As of 3 p.m., TransLink warned that passengers boarding the 99 B-Line at Commercial-Broadway Station were looking at delays of up to one hour due to road conditions.
Transit passengers are being advised to dress warmly and to build extra time into their commute.
Passengers are also advised to monitor TransLink’s Twitter account, or to use the transit system’s Next Bus feature.