translink-to-extend-north-shore-rapidbus-route-to-metrotown-starting-in-2027
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TransLink to extend North Shore RapidBus route to Metrotown starting in 2027

Currently, the R2 Marine Drive RapidBus is a west-east route serving the North Shore, running between Park Royal in West Vancouver and Phibbs bus exchange in the District of North Vancouver, with a key connection to the SeaBus terminal and Lonsdale bus exchange. Starting in 2027, TransLink will extend the R2 RapidBus from its existing easternmost terminus of Phibbs bus exchange to Burnaby. Its route will be extended southward, across the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge to provide transfer opportunities with two SkyTrain stations — Brentwood Town Centre Station on the Millennium Line and Metrotown Station, the RapidBus route’s new southern terminus, on the Expo Line. It will also connect with the R5 Hastings Street RapidBus, and provide a new way to reach the BCIT Burnaby campus. This expansion of the R2 service was made possible by a key decision earlier this month, following the endorsement by TransLink’s board and the Mayors’ Council of new measures to increase fares, parking taxes, and property taxes. These changes aim not only to avoid service cuts — offering an interim solution to the transit authority’s fiscal cliff — but also to expand and enhance transit services. In addition to the new revenue raised by TransLink, the provincial government has also committed to providing new interim operating funding of $312 million through 2027. Based on TransLink’s newly released ridership statistics, the existing R2 running between Park Royal and Phibbs bus exchange recorded 1.944 million boardings in 2024, with averages of 5,700 per weekday, 5,000 per Saturday, and 4,000 per Sunday/holiday. This is slightly down from 1.965 million in 2023, with averages of 5,800 per weekday, 5,050 per Saturday, and 4,100 per Sunday/holiday. Currently, the R2 is TransLink’s 42nd busiest bus route out of 195 across Metro Vancouver, and ranks fifth out of the six RapidBus routes. While the precise extended R2 route has yet to be finalized, after making its bridge crossing, the extended RapidBus is expected to run along Hastings Street to reach Willingdon Avenue for the remaining journey to Metrotown. There is already strong ridership demand on the corridor between Phibbs bus exchange and Metrotown via Ironworkers Memorial Bridge, Hastings Street, and Willingdon Avenue. In 2024, the No. 130 Metrotown Station/Phibbs Exchange bus route was TransLink’s 20th busiest, with 3.256 million annual boardings — averaging 10,200 on weekdays, 7,000 on Saturdays, and 5,200 on Sundays/holidays. This is up from 2023, when the route saw 3.181 million boardings, with daily averages of 10,000 on weekdays, 7,100 on Saturdays, and 5,300 on Sundays/holidays. The No. 222 Metrotown Station/Phibbs Exchange — the express bus equivalent of the No. 130, running on the same route with limited stops during peak hours only — recorded about 950,000 annual boardings in 2024, with averages of 3,800 per weekday. This is up from 912,000 in 2023 and 668,000 in 2022. Currently, it is TransLink’s 80th busiest bus route. During optimal traffic conditions without any issues on the bridge crossing, the end-to-end travel times for the No. 130 and No. 222 are currently about 35 minutes and 45 minutes, respectively, during peak hours. Similarly, the end-to-end travel time on the existing R2 within the North Shore is roughly 40 minutes. The funding decision earlier this month also enables TransLink to conduct detailed design and planning work to launch three new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lines. An initial public consultation for the King George Boulevard BRT and Langley-Haney Place BRT was conducted in early 2025. In Summer 2025, TransLink will launch a separate initial public consultation on upgrading the R2 RapidBus to a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) standard, including an opportunity for input for the interim move of extending this RapidBus route to Metrotown. The proposed BRT standard includes dedicated bus-only lanes, traffic signal priority, and other transit-priority measures, along with enhanced passenger amenities such as specialized shelters resembling those found at Light Rail Transit stations. Another public consultation in Fall 2025 will focus on the road design changes to support the King George Boulevard BRT and Langley-Haney Place BRT. TransLink is also expected to consider longer-term rapid transit solutions such as Light Rail Transit and SkyTrain for the route between the North Shore and Metrotown. To better support the R2 RapidBus/BRT and other new and improved bus services, TransLink is also in the process of considering a major expansion and redesign of the bus exchange at Metrotown Station to “potentially increase bus service capacity as our system expands in the coming years.”

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Preliminary work on plan to dredge Burrard Inlet underway, port says

By Staff The Canadian Press Posted May 20, 2025 8:03 pm 1 min read 2:00 B.C. government supports dredging Burrard Inlet to increase TMX tanker capacity RELATED: In the year since its expansion, the Trans Mountain Pipeline has been moving double the amount of oil. The B.C. government was initially opposed to the project, but as Aaron McArthur reports, it’s now supporting a proposal allowing tankers to carry more oil through B.C. waters – May 8, 2025 The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority says preliminary work on a plan to dredge Burrard Inlet to accommodate fully loaded oil tankers is now underway. It says the project, which was recently floated by Prime Minister Mark Carney, will proceed through permitting processes including consultation with First Nations. A statement issued on Tuesday says the preliminary work that has commenced includes the consultation and field studies. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. The project – which has been criticized by some environmentalists, experts and First Nations – would allow a common class of tankers to pass fully loaded under Vancouver’s Second Narrows Bridge after filling up at the Westridge Marine Terminal in Burnaby. The statement says there’s a “pressing need” to optimize the port in the face of an uncertain and fast-changing global landscape. Trending Now It says the project will improve shipping efficiency in the inlet. Story continues below advertisement Trans Mountain says on its website that Aframax-class tankers generally load to about 80 per cent of capacity to provide clearance in Port Metro Vancouver. British Columbia’s government has said it supports the project, so long as it meets environmental and consultation requirements. &copy 2025 The Canadian Press Sponsored content

bidding-process-to-begin-to-build-new-superport-in-metro-vancouver
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Bidding process to begin to build a new superport in Metro Vancouver

The multi-billion-dollar project to build a major new container terminal in Metro Vancouver is now preparing to enter the construction phase. Vancouver Fraser Port Authority has announced it will begin the bidding process in July 2025 seeking a major construction contractor for the superport project of building Roberts Bank Terminal 2. The project received key approvals from the federal and provincial governments in 2023, with the federal approval of the environmental assessment outlining 370 legally binding conditions. In 2024, the port authority also submitted an application to the federal government’s Fisheries and Oceans Canada related to fish species at risk compliance, with regulators committed to making a decision by no later than October 2026. The port authority calls this superport a “transformational, nation building project that will support Canada’s economic security and trade reliance.” When operational, it will have the capacity to trade over $100 billion worth in goods each year. The new superport capacity provided by Roberts Bank Terminal 2 will boost Metro Vancouver’s overall container handling capacity by an additional 2.4 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) per year. This also doubles the immediate area’s existing container terminal capacity; Deltaport, the first terminal at Roberts Bank, currently has a capacity to handle 2.4 million twenty-foot equivalent container units (TEUs) per year, following a recent expansion of the intermodal railyard. For further contrast, the Centerm container terminal, immediately north of the Downtown Eastside in Vancouver, currently has a capacity for 1.5 million TEUs — up from 900,000 TEUs prior to the full completion of its expansion in 2023. Preliminary artistic rendering of Roberts Bank Terminal 2. (Port of Vancouver) Preliminary artistic rendering of Roberts Bank Terminal 2. (Port of Vancouver) Preliminary artistic rendering of Roberts Bank Terminal 2. (Port of Vancouver) Preliminary artistic rendering of Roberts Bank Terminal 2. (Port of Vancouver) When operational, the new superport will generate over 17,000 well-paying, long-term jobs, and add over $3 billion in GDP annually. This is in addition to over 18,000 jobs during construction. The procurement process starting this summer will begin with the Request For Qualifications (RFQ) for a contractor to achieve the land reclamation component — the creation of about 450 acres of new land, equivalent to nearly half the size of Vancouver’s Stanley Park. This is an expansion of the existing manmade peninsula, where Deltaport, separately operated by Global Containers Terminal, is also located. But it will be a completely different facility under a separate ownership and operation group. Through the RFQ, the port authority will create a shortlist of three qualified construction proponents, inviting them to participate in the Request For Proposals (RFP) process of submitting a detailed bid proposal. Preliminary artistic rendering of Roberts Bank Terminal 2. (Port of Vancouver) Preliminary artistic rendering of Roberts Bank Terminal 2. (Port of Vancouver) Preliminary artistic rendering of Roberts Bank Terminal 2. (Port of Vancouver) Preliminary artistic rendering of Roberts Bank Terminal 2. (Port of Vancouver) Under a progressive design-build contract, the contractor will be responsible for building the marine terminal landmass, wharf structure, berth pocket, widened causeway, expanded tug basin, and environmental mitigation and offsetting projects. At a later date, the port authority will conduct separate bidding processes for other components of the superport, such as the equipment for the container terminal and the ground transportation access infrastructure. During the federal government’s previous environmental assessment process, the port authority estimated the project could carry a total cost of over $2 billion. Following significant market inflation in the cost of construction materials, equipment, and labour since the pandemic, the cost is now likely significantly higher. If all goes as planned with the procurement process and fisheries application, construction mobilization and early works would occur in 2027, with major land reclamation work beginning in 2028. The terminal would begin its operations in the mid-2030s. New cranes arrive at GCT Deltaport container terminal on April 20, 2025. (GCT) New cranes arrive at GCT Deltaport container terminal on April 20, 2025. (GCT)