West Coast Express

This article is about Commuter Rail in Canada. For other uses, see West Coast Express (disambiguation).

West Coast Express
The West Coast Express at Waterfront Station.
Background
Owner	TransLink
Locale	Lower Mainland, British Columbia, Canada
Transit type	Commuter Rail
Number of lines	1
Number of stations	8
Daily ridership	10,500
Operation
Began operation	November 1, 1995
Operator(s)	Canadian Pacific Railway Via Rail
Reporting marks	WCEX
Technical
System length	69 km
Track gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) (standard gauge)
System map SeaBus 0:00 Waterfront(SkyTrain) 0:25 Port Moody 0:30 Coquitlam Central 0:36 Port Coquitlam 0:46 Pitt Meadows 0:50 Maple Meadows 0:56 Port Haney Albion(2011) 1:13 Mission City

West Coast Express (reporting mark WCEX) is the interregional commuter railway in British Columbia, Canada. Opened in 1995, it links Mission, Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows, Port Coquitlam, Coquitlam, and Port Moody with Waterfront Station in Downtown Vancouver, where it interchanges with SkyTrain rapid transit, SeaBus and other public transportation services.

Operation

The West Coast Express operates from Monday to Friday excluding holidays, with five trains per day running from Mission to Vancouver in the morning peak hours and returning to Mission in the evening peak. A one-way trip the length of the line takes 73 minutes, which is faster and more reliable than driving to Downtown Vancouver. In addition, there are two buses (called the "TrainBus") which operate from Mission to Vancouver in the morning (after all the trains depart) and five returning to Mission in the evening (two prior, and three after all trains leave Vancouver eastbound), stopping at all West Coast Express stations. There are also three Trainbus departures in each direction on Saturdays and two on Sundays. The commuter railway is operated by TransLink, the transportation authority of the Metro Vancouver region, and a member of Canadian Urban Transit Association. The South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority Police Service, as well as Transit Security Officers conduct random fare inspections on board trains. Persons caught without valid fare can be removed from the train, and/or fined $173. Contracted Commissionaires can be found providing a security prescence and even checking fares on occasion at some stations, but do not conduct enforcement. Enforcement of fares and other conduct regulations are conducted by the South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority Police Service and Transit Security.

Equipment

Each train consists of a General Motors/ EMD F59PHI diesel-electric locomotive and between five and ten Bombardier BiLevel passenger carriages. West Coast Express also operates a MPI MP36PH-3C for backup. The total fleet of passenger coaches is 44. Each passenger carriage has a seating capacity of 144 people. Like many commuter railways, West Coast Express uses push-pull operation; instead of moving the locomotive to the other end of the train, it is simply controlled remotely from a second cab in the last passenger carriage, allowing the train to run 'backwards'; this occurs during mornings, as during afternoons the locomotive is at the front of train. Passenger amenities include washrooms, a cappuccino bar, power outlets, wheelchair accessibility, and space for bicycles.

The carriages and locomotives are maintained by Via Rail, and the train tracks belong to the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) who is also the operator of the service. Track time is negotiated with the CPR, which balances the use by the West Coast Express with its mainstay freight operation.

Map

Passengers wait to load at Coquitlam Central Station

The map is scaled relative to the shorter SkyTrain and SeaBus services.

• Purple represents the West Coast Express route and stops
• Dark blue represents the Expo Line
• Yellow represents the Millennium Line
• Light blue represents the SeaBus
• The Canada Line, which opened in August 2009, is not shown on the map, but runs between the Vancouver Airport and Richmond to Vancouver's Waterfront Station, where the West Coast Express arrives, along with the Seabus and other Skytrain lines.

West Coast Express fares

West Coast Express "TrainBuses"

From Waterfront Station, effective November 2010:

Destination	Port Moody, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam	Pitt Meadows, Maple Meadows, Port Haney	Mission City
Adult fare (one way)	$6.75	$8.25	$11.25
Adult fare (return)	$12.50	$15.50	$21.00
Adult fare (Weekly)	$58.00	$70.50	$97.50
Adult fare (28-day)	$178.75	$217.00	$298.50

West Coast Express fares can also be used as a three-zone fare on other TransLink services. A one-way fare expires three hours from the time of purchase, all other fares work as an all-day pass. See TransLink Fares for more information on the pricing of the West Coast Express' fare.

Fleet

Bi-level Coaches at Waterfront Station

Manufacturer	Model	Numbers	Notes
Bombardier Transportation	Bi-level Coach VI	37
General Motors	F59PHI locomotives	5
Motive Power, Inc.	MP36PH-3C	1	Arrived Dec 2006

Denotes wheelchair access

Future of the West Coast Express

TransLink has been roundly criticized for the low ridership of the West Coast Express. TransLink's 2009 Capital Plan included $28 million for 7 more Coaches, upgrades to the Waterfront and Mission stations, as well as platform extensions to handle longer trains. TransLink has also proposed a number of other improvements to West Coast Express service, three of the key improvements being:

• Upgrades to the Port Haney passenger drop-off (in planning process)
• Maple Meadows Park and Ride expansion (in planning process)
• New station location in the Albion area (implementation in 2011-2012)

Plans for a new station in northern Burnaby have been indefinitely scrapped.

The contract with CP Rail for using the mainline from Mission to Vancouver and operating the trains expires in 2015. TransLink will renegotiate the deal.

Accident

On Monday, July 18, 2011 at just after 7:10am, a westbound West Coast Express collided with a person on the tracks at Coquitlam Central Station . Police confirmed that the death was not suspicious. According to Translink, this is the first time in the train's 16 year operation that someone has been hit at Coquitlam Central.

External links

• West Coast Express official site
• TransLink's official site
• Rail pictures