BURNABY, B.C. – The Evergreen extension, which will bring rapid transit service between Coquitlam, Port Moody, Burnaby and Vancouver, officially opened this month.
The extension, its stations and public plazas created an estimated 8,000 direct and indirect jobs during construction. The project is now complete and trains have started taking passengers. The opening celebration at Coquitlam Central Station was launched with an inaugural ride by representatives of the project’s partners along the Evergreen extension.
"The completion of the greatly anticipated Evergreen extension has been made possible by the efforts of so many people, and seeing the trains go into service today is good news for the province of B.C.," said B.C. Premier Christy Clark in a statement. "By adding Evergreen to Metro Vancouver’s SkyTrain system, we’re able to provide transit riders with more travel options and get people to their destination faster."
Round-the-clock efforts by people involved in many aspects of the project allowed for the Evergreen extension to open under budget. The $1.4-billion project has been delivered between $70 million and $85 million under the budget set in 2008, a release reads.
The extension will carry 70,000 people per day by 2021, reducing traffic congestion in the growing cities of Coquitlam, Port Moody and Burnaby.
The Government of Canada, the Government of British Columbia and TransLink funded the project.
Now that construction is complete, TransLink will be responsible for operating the extension.
The 11-kilometre Evergreen extension runs fully separated from traffic with seven stations that include bus connections, parking (Moody Centre, Coquitlam Central and Lafarge Lake-Douglas stations) and bicycle facilities.
Evergreen will provide frequent SkyTrain service, connecting Coquitlam City Centre through Port Moody to Lougheed Town Centre in about 15 minutes.
With the Evergreen extension now open to the public, Metro Vancouver’s SkyTrain system is the longest fully automated and driverless rapid transit system in the world, the release indicates.
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The Evergreen line extension will now provide rapid transit service between Coquitlam, Port Moody, Burnaby and Vancouver.
Photo: Province of B.C.
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The $1.4-billion Evergreen extension opened this month in Vancouver and was delivered between $70 million and $85 million under the budget set in 2008.
Photo: Province of B.C."
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