Canada Line Waterfront platform
The Canada Line is reaching capacity with commuters feeling squeezed in on the ride between Vancouver and Richmond.
On average, the line carries close to 94,000 passengers per day which falls short of TransLink‘s prediction of 100,000 riders. TransLink had estimated that the Canada Line would reach capacity by 2013, but could make that number next year.
TransLink is looking at ways to adjust service to accommodate all the riders on the line. Currently, 14 out of 20 two-car trains are in service, running with a headway of three and a half minutes; although an extra two trains enter service during rush hour. TransLink plans to run 16 two-car trains with a headway of just under three and a half minutes going into 2011.
The Canada Line opened to the public on August 17th, 2009 and has provided an alternate route between Vancouver, Richmond and the airport. Unlike the Expo and Millennium Lines, the Canada Line utilizes different technology provided by Rotem, a subsidiary of Hyundai. Most notable of the system are the shorter trains — these are limited in length to two cars each due to the decreased size of the station platforms.
Source: The Vancouver Sun
