Local leaders, visitors, and community members joined C-TRAN in celebrating the grand opening of The Vine on Mill Plain during a ribbon-cutting event on Sept. 30.

The new line officially went into service on Oct. 1.

FTA Administrator Nuria Fernandez, C-TRAN Chief Executive Officer Shawn M. Donaghy, Vancouver Mayor and C-TRAN Board member Anne McEnerny-Ogle, Clark College President Dr. Karin Edwards, and others marked the occasion at the new Mill Plain Transit Center, on the east end of the project corridor.

About The Vine on Mill Plain

The Vine on Mill Plain will serve 37 new stations along a 10-mile corridor between downtown Vancouver and the new transit center, located near Mill Plain at 184th Avenue.

The Vine on Mill Plain replaces C-TRAN’s Route 37, which previously served the Mill Plain corridor.

“The Federal Transit Administration is proud to support The Vine on Mill Plain, which will create exciting opportunities by connecting people in Clark County with jobs and higher education while reducing pollution and congestion along the way,” said Fernandez, whose agency provided more than $30 million in federal funds to support the line. “Thanks to the Biden-Harris Administration’s investments in America, more and more communities are enjoying the benefits of high-quality public transportation.”

The Vine on Mill Plain represents an expansion of The Vine system. The first segment, serving Vancouver’s Fourth Plain corridor, began operating in 2017.

Future Vine corridors are already in planning for Highway 99 and East Fourth Plain/162nd Avenue.

By the end of 2017, ridership on The Vine was 45% higher than the service it replaced. Additional ridership increases followed in 2018 (19%) and 2019 (10%).

In 2019 alone, The Vine carried more than 1.4 million trips. Since The Vine opened, there have been more than 2,000 housing units added within a half-mile of Fourth Plain and roughly $250 million in development value.

To differentiate the two Vine segments operating on Fourth Plain and Mill Plain, C-TRAN will also use color designations.

The Vine on Fourth Plain is known as the Green Line, and Mill Plain will be served by the Red Line. A series of other local route changes will also improve connections at the new Mill Plain Transit Center.