City of Richmond staff make new plea to support RapidBus to Metrotown

City of Richmond staff make new plea to City Council to support TransLink's proposed RapidBus route to Metrotown

R4 41st Avenue RapidBus at UBC Bus Exchange. (TransLink)

Two weeks after Richmond City Council shot down TransLink’s proposal to create a high-capacity, faster, frequent arterial bus route between Richmond-Brighouse Station in Richmond City Centre and Metrotown Station in Burnaby, City of Richmond staff are asking their elected officials to reconsider the decision.

On October 16, City Council rejected both proposed options of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) with TransLink’s required fully dedicated bus-only lanes, and RapidBus with HOV lanes.

The debate will come to a head again during City Council’s public meeting on Monday, November 6. While City staff are not asking City Council to reconsider their support for BRT, they are recommending the approval in principle for RapidBus.

City staff warn that if the R7 RapidBus project is not supported by the municipal government, the existing level of bus service on the corridor between Richmond and Burnaby via the Knight Street Bridge will remain until at least 2035. TransLink would also redirect its budget for the R7 RapidBus to other RapidBus or BRT projects elsewhere in Metro Vancouver.

TransLink is considering the implementation of up to nine BRT routes and 11 additional RapidBus routes across the region between 2025 and 2035 under its $20-billion, 10-year priorities.

You might also like:

This particular RapidBus service, previously known as the B-Line, has been planned since 2014, when it received initial approval from the Mayors’ Council.

Currently, the corridor is served by the No. 430 bus between Richmond-Brighouse Station and Metrotown Station via the Knight Street Bridge, which saw 1.87 million annual boardings in 2022, making it TransLink’s 33rd busiest bus route out of over 200 bus routes across the region. It averaged 5,600 boardings on weekdays, 4,500 boardings on Saturdays, and 3,700 boardings on Sundays/holidays.

The existing No. 410 bus also indirectly provides another route between Richmond and Burnaby via Queensborough Bridge, running between Richmond-Brighouse Station and 22nd Street Station in New Westminster, with a SkyTrain Expo Line connection to Burnaby. It was TransLink’s 18th busiest bus route in 2022, with 2.83 million annual boardings, and averages of 8,600 boardings per weekday, 6,400 per Saturday, and 5,200 per Sunday/holiday.

According to City staff, the combined ridership of the No. 430 and No. 410 demonstrates the “high demand for a direct bus service between Richmond and Burnaby.”

translink 430 bus route richmond-brighouse metrotown

The route of the existing No. 430 local bus between Richmond-Brighouse Station and Metrotown Station via Knight Street Bridge. (TransLink)

410 bus translink richmond brighouse 22nd street station route

The route of the existing No. 410 local bus between Richmond-Brighouse Station and 22nd Street Station via Queensborough Bridge. (TransLink)

translink rapidbus r2 marine drive north shore

TransLink R2 Marine Drive RapidBus on the North Shore. (TransLink)

“The R7 project objective is to provide a faster, more direct service than today to more people; that fills a geographic gap within the rapid transit network, relieves current crowding and provides capacity for future growth,” state City staff, while also noting that the former 98 B-Line service was the precursor for SkyTrain Canada Line.

“The Canada Line is an example of the proven effectiveness of growing ridership from an express bus service to rail rapid transit. The establishment of the R7 Project in Richmond will help build ridership and support ongoing land use planning for long-term rapid transit between Richmond and Burnaby.”

If City Council approves City staff’s recommendation, it will enable City staff to continue planning the R7 RapidBus with TransLink. With that said, it is also noted that at this point, it is unlikely the R7 RapidBus will be amongst the group of the first major bus service projects for implementation under the 10-year strategies.

According to City staff, TransLink considered three east-west corridors within Richmond for the R7 RapidBus before it reaches the Knight Street Bridge highway. This includes Bridgeport Road, Cambie Road, and Alderbridge Way. Westminster Highway was not considered due to low ridership potential and added route length.

It was deemed that the Cambie Road option would provide the greatest ridership potential, and as a result this is City staff’s recommended east-west street for the bus service. It would also enable a major transfer point between the R7 RapidBus and the regional express buses on Highway 99, which will see future bus corridor improvements.

However, the Cambie Road option would require the construction of new bus-only Highway 99 on- and off-ramps, as an interchange does not exist at this location.

October 2023 proposed options by City of Richmond staff:

translink r7 rapidbus route richmond-brighouse metrotown

The proposed route for the R7 RapidBus between Richmond-Brighouse Station and Metrotown Station. (City of Richmond)

November 2023 proposed options by City of Richmond staff:

r7 rapidbus richmond route terminus options 1

R7 RapidBus route and terminus options in Richmond. (City of Richmond)

r7 rapidbus richmond route terminus options 2

R7 RapidBus route and terminus options in Richmond. (City of Richmond)

But there is less certainty over R7 RapidBus’ Richmond terminus station, which was previously assumed to be Richmond-Brighouse Station.

Although it was previously stated that the 2020-built, off-street bus exchange serving Richmond-Brighouse Station was designed with the B-Line/RapidBus in mind, City staff suggest this bus exchange is now already over capacity.

City staff are now recommending TransLink consider alternate Richmond terminus locations at Aberdeen Station or the future Capstan Station, which will open in early 2024.

The R7 RapidBus terminus at Aberdeen Station or Capstan Station would provide a more direct route to Cambie Road, but there would be far fewer direct bus connections unlike Richmond-Brighouse Station, which is the major transfer point for 10 bus routes, according to City staff. A terminus at these locations would add to travel times, requiring a transfer to the Canada Line to reach a local bus route.

Additionally, City staff note that the major redevelopments at CF Richmond Centre and Lansdowne Mall provide the terminus at Richmond-Brighouse Station with greater longer term ridership potential. But the Richmond-Brighouse Station terminus option adds travel time from Cambie Road, and there is limited bus layover space.

The new Richmond-Brighouse Station bus exchange, and construction progress on The Paramount as of October 7, 2020. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

Artistic rendering of Capstan Station on SkyTrain Canada Line. (Office of McFarlane Biggar Architects & Designers/TransLink)

There is no mention of HOV lanes accompanying a R7 RapidBus service at this time, with City staff instead leaving potential bus priority opportunities for future planning and debate. While both City staff and City Council were opposed last month to BRT with fully dedicated bus-only lanes, City staff were supportive of RapidBus with HOV lanes from the get-go.

Before the end of 2023, TransLink and the Mayors’ Council are expected to finalize the first phase of projects within the first five years of the 10-year priorities.

So far, the municipal governments that have expressed their formal support for at least one RapidBus and/or BRT project include Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster, Delta, Surrey, Maple Ridge, and Langley Township.

In early 2024, the R6 RapidBus in Surrey and Delta, running along Scott Road and 72 Avenue between Scott Road Station and Newton bus exchange, will launch as TransLink’s newest RapidBus service.

You might also like: