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Buses, boats, trains, and planes all delayed by BC's winter weather

Megan Devlin
Megan Devlin
|
Jan 6 2022, 8:09 pm
Buses, boats, trains, and planes all delayed by BC's winter weather

From transit woes to cancelled ferry sailings to flight delays, travelling in BC this week has been one messy experience as the West Coast gets hammered with snow and freezing rain.

Metro Vancouverites woke up to a blanket of fresh snow Thursday morning, and the weather will turn to freezing rain later Thursday afternoon, according to Environment Canada.

Many buses got stuck in the snow during the Wednesday evening commute, leading to headaches for transit users.

TikTok user @downielieve counted 12 stuck buses at an intersection on King Edward Avenue on Wednesday.

@downielive I guess weā€™re doing this every yearā€¦ #Canada #snowday #fyp #vancouver ā™¬ original sound – DownieLive

TransLink spokesperson Dan Mountain told Daily Hive that buses are equipped with Three Peaks Mountain Snowflake and M&S ratings, which were chosen because they perform best in typical Metro Vancouver winter conditions.

TransLink also sprays trolley wires with de-icer and swaps out 60-foot buses for the more agile 40-foot ones in snowy conditions. Buses also get “snow socks” to go up steep hills to UBC, SFU, and the North Shore.

“Our buses are only as good as the roads they drive on ā€“ and layers of ice, large piles of unplowed snow, or traffic congestion caused by road conditions greatly slow down bus service,” Mountain said. “We are in constant communication with each Metro Vancouver municipality to advise which roads we need the most help with to keep bus service running smoothly for our customers.”

Translink also tweeted that ice buildup on the tracks was causing SkyTrain delays on Thursday.

“Due to ice buildup on the SkyBridge, Expo Line is experiencing longer wait times. We have de-icing trains out on the system addressing the issues and we thank customers for their patience.

BC Ferries also announced some smaller Vancouver Island routes had cancellations — but the larger routes between the Lower Mainland and the Island are still running.

“Prepare for deteriorating conditions and allow extra time to travel safely to BC Ferries terminals,” the ferry operator tweeted.

The Vancouver International Airport also announced delays due to low visibility and winter weather on Wednesday evening.

“Due to snow in the region, we are advising passengers to leave extra time to get to YVR. Please check with your airline for the latest flight info. Drive safe or take the Canada Line,” YVR said in a tweet on Thursday.

Environment Canada predicts rain will start Thursday afternoon and taper off Friday morning. Then, the temperature is expected to drop below freezing and winds could gust up to 70 kilometres per hour.

Metro Vancouver is currently under a winter storm warning.

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