TransLink has announced the approval of two new major bus routes that will serve commuters in Vancouver’s East Fraser Lands (the River District), the North Shore, and Burnaby.
Commencing April 6, the new services will connect North Shore and River District residents directly to the SkyTrain at Metrotown Station. Both routes were accepted as part of the 2019 Transit Network Review, which consulted riders on new ways TransLink could optimize the transit system for customers. The full Transit Network Review consulted on proposed changes to 12 routes in 2019; these are the first two to have their proposals implemented.
In total, there were 4,000 surveys completed for the two new routes. TransLink notes that, "Nearly 80 per cent of respondents said they would be likely to use the Willingdon Express, and two-thirds of respondents said they would be likely to use the River District service."
The two new routes are:
- 31 River District/Metrotown – A new service operating between Metrotown Station and the River District. This new route will serve the River District’s growing levels of residential and commercial development by providing a direct bus connection to SkyTrain.
- 222 Willingdon Express – This new route provides an express service connecting Phibbs Exchange in North Vancouver to Metrotown in Burnaby via Willingdon Avenue. This will be a limited-stop service with only six stops on the entire route. It will serve key transit hubs such as Phibbs Exchange, the Kootenay Bus Loop, Brentwood Town Centre SkyTrain Station, BCIT, and Metrotown. The demand for this route was identified as part of the Integrated North Shore Transportation Planning Project (INSTPP).
“These new routes will make a big difference for students at BCIT and Capilano University, as well as residents in the River District, Burnaby, and the North Shore. This is part of our important commitment to deliver on the Mayors’ 10-Year Vision and provide more and better transit services to customers across the region," said Kevin Desmond, CEO, TransLink.
These two new routes and other transit expansion projects are funded through the Mayors’ 10-Year Vision.
