West Coast Express regular services resume after mudslide

UPDATE AT 10:30 AM THURSDAY: TransLink states regular West Coast Express train services will resume during the Thursday evening peak period, but trains will be moving slower through the mudslide sections.

ORIGINAL STORY:

The West Coast Express (WCE) commuter rail service on Thursday morning has been curtailed after a mudslide on Canadian Pacific’s (CP) railway tracks.

The mudslide occurred late Wednesday afternoon, initially resulting in reduced and cancelled service for yesterday’s commuter rail trains.

During weekdays, the WCE typically runs four trains westbound from Mission City to Waterfront stations during the morning peak period, and four return trains eastbound from Waterfront Station in the evening peak period.

Due to the mudslide, trains currently cannot run between Mission City and Maple Meadows stations, according to TransLink.

Thursday morning’s commuters will still be able to use normal WCE scheduled train service from Maple Meadows Station westbound.

However, commuters travelling from Mission City to Port Haney will be required to use a shuttle bus bridge, which will make stops at Mission City, Port Haney, and Maple Meadows to reach SkyTrain Millennium Line at Coquitlam Central Station. Bus bridge shuttle passengers will connect with SkyTrain, as the bus is not able to reach Maple Meadows Station in time for the WCE departures. Affected commuters are urged to allow for extra travel time.

The mudslide onto CP tracks also means there have been further disruptions to the movement of goods and freight. TransLink leases track time from CP for its WCE operations.

CP and TransLink have not provided an estimated time for when regular track operations will resume. It is not known at this time whether WCE will restart normal operations in time for Thursday evening’s peak direction service eastbound.

In recent days, the region has been inundated by further rounds of heavy rainfall, which significantly increased the risk of flooding, mudslides, and washouts.

Prior to the pandemic, TransLink operated five WCE trains for each of the morning and evening peak periods, but Train 2 operations have been suspended until further notice due to lower ridership.