West Coast Express returns to pre-pandemic service levels of five trains

West Coast Express returns to pre-pandemic service of five trains

TransLink CEO Kevin Quinn at West Coast Express' Waterfront Station platforms. (TransLink)

Long-haul travellers on the West Coast Express will benefit from fully restored pre-pandemic frequencies starting on Monday, June 19, 2023.

TransLink CEO Kevin Quinn announced today the return of the fifth train, specifically marking the return of the second scheduled departure in each peak direction in both the morning and afternoon peak periods.

West Coast Express commuter rail services were initially severely cut in 2020 upon the sudden onset of the pandemic, before being gradually reinstated over the subsequent years.

Then in 2021, TransLink began a $21 million retrofit of the engines of six of the seven locomotives to extend their lifespan by 15 years, along with energy upgrades to improve energy efficiency, reduce emissions, and allow for the future operation of longer trains with more passenger cars. The budget also included the acquisition of an additional seventh locomotive.

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Quinn says the return of the fifth train is made possible by the completion of the retrofits on the first locomotive.

He notes ridership on the West Coast Express has been steadily rising weekly in recent months. And this past May, a total of 116,000 boardings were recorded on the service, marking the highest ridership levels on the commuter rail since the pandemic, and a 55% increase compared to the same month last year.

“These numbers are certainly encouraging and underscore how vital West Coast Express is to our region’s commuters who want access to viable transportation options in their communities,” said Quinn during the press conference.

“We’ll continue to monitor West Coast Express ridership to help foster further ridership growth.”

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West Coast Express’ commuter rail’s Waterfront Station platforms in downtown Vancouver. (TransLink)

Inside a passenger car of the West Coast Express commuter rail. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

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West Coast Express commuter rail at Coquitlam Central Station. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

While West Coast Express will return to its pre-pandemic frequencies and schedule, the trains are shorter as they continue to have fewer passenger cars due to lower ridership.

By a wide margin, West Coast Express’ ridership recovery has been the slowest to recover out of all of the region’s public transit modes. It has recovered about half of its pre-pandemic ridership, while other services and the regional average are at about or over 80%.

Prior to the pandemic, the commuter rail service was primarily used by downtown Vancouver office workers who lived in the far-flung suburban communities in eastern Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley.

The uptake in semi-remote office work has had a hard impact on the commuter rail’s ridership recovery. Moreover, downtown Vancouver’s public transit ridership recovery has been slower than other areas of the region in terms of percentages, although the ridership in the area in real numbers remains significant.

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