New Westminster to endorse TransLink's new BRT route to Marine Drive Station

City of New Westminster to endorse TransLink's new Bus Rapid Transit route to Marine Drive Station

Map of the Marine Drive/Marine Way corridor between Marine Drive Station and 22nd Street Station (left) and the R3 RapidBus (right). (Google Maps | TransLink)

The future high-frequency, fast arterial bus route between the Canada Line’s Marine Drive Station in South Vancouver and the Expo Line’s 22nd Street Station in New Westminster should be Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), according to City of New Westminster staff.

Next week, New Westminster City Council is expected to approve City staff’s recommendation to support the implementation of BRT along the Marine Drive and Marine Way corridor through Vancouver and Burnaby, and work with TransLink to prioritize the planning for such a service.

Municipal governments across the region are being asked to formalize their support for the various projects ahead of the Mayors’ Council meeting in late October, when TransLink’s first batch of public transit expansion projects under the 10-year prioritizes starting in 2025 is finalized.

According to City staff, TransLink and the Mayors’ Council are expected to select three or four BRT routes for implementation within the first five years of the 10-year priorities. Additional routes will be implemented later.

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As the proposed service’s easternmost terminus is 22nd Street Station, the BRT’s route within New Westminster will only be about 0.5 km long from the municipal border with Burnaby. Nevertheless, the City is indicating its formal support to TransLink, as it would not only be a higher-quality bus service, but also support the municipality’s plan to turn the area around 22nd Street Station into a high-density, mixed-use, transit-oriented neighbourhood.

Out of TransLink’s nine proposed BRT routes across the region within the 10-year priorities, this particular route running along the northern perimeter of the Fraser River is the only service that enters New Westminster’s jurisdiction.

marine drive marine way vancouver burnaby new westminster f

Map of the Marine Drive/Marine Way corridor between Marine Drive Station and 22nd Street Station (left) and the R3 RapidBus (right). (Google Maps | TransLink)

BRT along the Marine Drive/Marine Way corridor between Marine Drive Station and 22nd Street Station will most importantly require the approvals of the city councils of Vancouver, and Burnaby.

Vancouver City Council has already indicated its support for a high-frequency, fast arterial bus route along the corridor, but it has expressed specific support for RapidBus instead of BRT.

The new BRT typology as envisioned by TransLink will come with a high degree of bus priority measures, including fully traffic separated and dedicated bus-only lanes along the entire length of the BRT routes. In contrast, the existing RapidBus typology has fewer bus-priority measures, and generally operates as a higher frequency, limited-stop express bus route. BRT is seen as an evolution of the existing RapidBus (B-Line) service standard.

Next week, Burnaby City Council is expected to endorse City of Burnaby staff’s recommendation to prioritize their support for the proposed BRT route linking Park Royal in West Vancouver, North Vancouver, Brentwood, BCIT, and Metrotown via the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge, Hastings Street, and Willingdon Avenue.

Burnaby will also benefit from being directly served by three other proposed BRT routes, including the BRT along the Marine Drive/Marine Way corridor, but City staff are only asking their City Council to explicitly support the BRT route between the North Shore and Metrotown at this time.

Other municipalities such as Delta, Maple Ridge, and Richmond have also made their positions known on the respective BRT projects that run through their jurisdictions. In particular, the City of Richmond is opposed to BRT between Richmond-Brighouse Station and Metrotown via the Knight Street Bridge, and instead prefers a RapidBus service using HOV lanes.

This is the full list of TransLink’s proposed 11 new RapidBus routes under the 10-year priorities:

New RapidBus routes in the first five years:
1. Langley to Haney Place via 200th Street
2. Downtown Vancouver to Lonsdale via Lions Gate Bridge
3. Marine Drive Station to 22nd Street Station via Marine Drive/Marine Way
4. R1 King George Boulevard route extension from Newton to White Rock
5. Richmond Centre to Metrotown via Knight Street Bridge, Victoria Drive, and 49th Avenue
New RapidBus routes for the second five years:
1. Downtown Vancouver to Ambleside via Lions Gate Bridge
2. Carvolth exchange to Scott Road Station via 96 Avenue
3. Commercial Drive/Victoria Drive
4. Langley to White Rock via 24th Avenue
5. New Westminster Station to Brentwood Town Centre Station via Canada Way
6. Newton to Guildford via 152nd Street

This is the full list of TransLink’s proposed nine BRT routes under the 10-year priorities:

RapidBus to BRT upgrade: R3 Lougheed Highway (Coquitlam Central Station to Haney Place in Maple Ridge)
RapidBus to BRT upgrade: R5 Hastings Street (Burrard Station to SFU Burnaby)
RapidBus to BRT upgrade: R6 Scott Road (Scott Road Station to Newton exchange). R6 will be launched in early 2024 before its potential eventual upgrade to BRT.
New BRT: Surrey to White Rock via King George Boulevard
New BRT: Langley to Haney Place in Maple Ridge via 200th Street, Golden Ears Bridge, and Lougheed Highway
New BRT: Marine Drive Station to 22nd Street Station via Marine Drive/Marine Way
New BRT: Richmond Centre to Metrotown via Knight Street Bridge, Victoria Drive, and 49th Avenue
New BRT: Downtown Vancouver to Lonsdale via Lions Gate Bridge
New BRT: Metrotown to Park Royal via Ironworkers Memorial Bridge

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