Free transit today in Metro Vancouver due to SkyTrain shutdown

Dec 19 2017, 11:18 pm

UPDATE at 12:10 p.m. – SkyTrain’s Expo Line is resuming regular service. Free transit on all services applies for the entire day.

EARLIER:

Travel on all modes of Metro Vancouver’s public transit network will be free for the duration of the day due to ongoing major service disruptions with the Expo Line.

TransLink is providing riders with free fares on all buses, SkyTrain (Expo Line, Millennium Line and Canada Line), SeaBus and the West Coast Express.

Critical fibre-optic communications cables were damaged at 11 p.m. Thursday evening near Main Street-Science World Station while crews were performing track grinding maintenance. Sparks from the grinding landed on a birds nest below the track, causing a fire that destroyed a metre span of the cables.

Crews are working on repairing the damage, which has disrupted service with trains turning around at Joyce-Collingwood Station. Trains are not moving any further west.

  • UPDATE at 10:45 a.m. – Expo Line trains are now running to Commercial-Broadway Station. However, trains are not going any further west; still no trains to downtown at this time.

TransLink hopes to have regular service resume later this morning or early afternoon.

“We know this will cause a major inconvenience to our customers, and our dedicated people are doing everything they can to get service up and running as quickly as safely possible,” said Colleen Brennan, Vice President Communications and Customer Engagement.

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Alternative routes and tips for commutes during service disruption

  • Passengers leaving from SkyTrain stations in Surrey should consider other transit routes (buses to Richmond, then take the Canada Line) if they need to get downtown.
  • People who must take the Expo line from Surrey should consider transferring at Columbia Station onto the Millennium Line to continue their journey.
  • Avoid Commercial-Broadway Station, one of the busiest SkyTrain stations.
  • From Expo Line, take the #100 bus from 22nd Street Station to Canada Line.
  • Take the #49 bus from Metrotown Station to the Canada Line.
  • Take #41 or #43 buses from Joyce Street to the Canada Line.
  • Take #25 bus from Nanaimo Street to the Canada Line.
  • Try to avoid the major stations and busiest bus routes. Try a bus route heading west along the Hastings corridor to downtown.
DH Vancouver StaffDH Vancouver Staff

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