Mudslide onto CP railway disrupts West Coast Express commuter rail service
UPDATE at 9:20 a.m. Friday: TransLink has indicated that regular service on the West Coast Express will resume on Friday afternoon, following the service disruptions on Thursday evening and Friday morning.
ORIGINAL STORY:
Prolonged torrential rainfall triggered a mudslide onto Canadian Pacific Kansas City railway tracks in Maple Ridge on Thursday afternoon.
The slide has halted freight train traffic along the busy corridor and forced the suspension of TransLink’s West Coast Express commuter rail line service during Thursday evening’s peak period.
All eastbound return trips on the West Coast Express on Thursday were cancelled, with TransLink advising commuters to take the SkyTrain to Coquitlam Central Station, where additional bus service transported passengers to the remaining West Coast Express stations.
According to the public transit authority, the track disruption is located near Port Haney Station in Maple Ridge.
The service impacts are expected to continue into Friday morning. As a result, westbound West Coast Express trips during the morning peak will depart from Maple Meadows Station. Extra buses from Mission City and Port Haney stations will carry passengers westbound to Maple Meadows.
Route map of the West Coast Express commuter rail line. (TransLink)
Earlier in the day, the federal government’s meteorological agency issued an orange warning for rainfall in parts of Metro Vancouver, with 130 mm expected. The Fraser Valley Regional District has also issued a state of local emergency for select areas, while the provincial government’s River Forecast Centre issued a flood watch for select areas of the South Coast.
Mudslides have also occurred elsewhere in the region, including at the 1900 block of Pipeline Road in Coquitlam. According to the City of Coquitlam, this incident impacted four homes and two industrial properties, and necessitated the deployment of search and rescue crews.