TransLink to Double Bus Service Through New 10-Year Plan

"Transport 2050: 10-Year Priorities" has been approved by the Mayors’ Council and TransLink’s Board of Directors as the region’s new decade-long list of transportation priorities for Metro Vancouver.

This plan prioritizes the first 10 years of actions originally outlined in Transport 2050.

TransLink will implement an increase in local bus service and continue expanding the SkyTrain network, while also introducing Bus Rapid Transit technology to the region. Bus Rapid Transit will bring zero-emission buses to fully traffic-separated corridors with dedicated stations for passengers to board.

“We are at a critical time to invest in our future. We have heard through the most robust community engagement in TransLink’s history that we need to act with both ambition and urgency," said Kevin Quinn, CEO of TransLink. "Transport 2050: 10-Year Priorities will bring historic actions to combat climate change, reduce congestion, and improve livability in this region.”

Priorities include:

• Up to nine new traffic-separated Bus Rapid Transit lines.
• More than doubling bus service over 2022 levels.
• Building the Burnaby Mountain Gondola to Simon Fraser University.
• Extending the Millennium Line from Arbutus to the University of British Columbia.
• Increasing HandyDART service by 60 per cent and providing 24-hour service.
• Immediately advancing a business case to determine the best rapid transit technology on the Metrotown to Park Royal corridor, while delivering better bus service in the short term.
• Exploring other potential SkyTrain extensions, including to Newton in Surrey and to Port Coquitlam.
• Building 450 kilometres of new traffic-separated cycling paths including bike networks in every Metro Vancouver Urban Centre.
• Introducing 200 new bike lockers and six new bike parkades.
• Increasing SeaBus service start and end times to match SkyTrain’s service hours.

"Transport 2050: 10-Year Priorities" received public support, with 85% of respondents providing positive feedback about the proposal’s transit improvements during the public engagement period. 

"Transport 2050: 10-Year Priorities" is estimated to cost $21 billion over 10 years and will need new revenue sources and investments from all levels of government to deliver. It will be delivered in phases and funded through a series of future investment plans.