C-TRAN sets launch date for The Vine

Construction of The Vine stop at Turtle Place in downtown Vancouver. Image courtesy C-TRAN

The Vine, the area’s first bus rapid transit (BRT) system, will begin service on Sunday, January 8, 2017. The announcement was made during Tuesday night’s C-TRAN Board of Directors meeting.

Operating on 10-minute frequencies much of the day, The Vine will implement a modern, enhanced transit line along the Fourth Plain and Fort Vancouver Way corridors between downtown Vancouver and the Vancouver Mall – C-TRAN’s busiest corridor.

BRT buses will be new 60-foot low-floor hybrids with nearly double the passenger capacity of standard buses, all while providing level boarding for all passengers.

Travel time is projected to be reduced by up to 10 minutes each way.

The January launch will complete a five-year process for developing The Vine, which began with planning and analysis in 2011. The concept evolved as residents, businesses and other community members weighed in.

Construction of the new Vancouver Mall Transit Center (which The Vine will utilize) is ongoing, but is expected to wind down before the end of the year.

C-TRAN will celebrate the new system with a grand opening event on Saturday, January 7. More details about the event will be announced later this fall.

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