News Release For Release: Sunday, August 21, 2011 Contact: Ken Hardie Phone: (604) 453‐4606 _____________________________________________________________________________________________ TransLink reports transit ridership heading for a new record With significant increases in transit trips in the second quarter of 2011, TransLink could well be on track to its tenth annual ridership record in a row, exceeding 2010ʹs mark of 211.3 million passengers.. While company officials are pleased with the results, concern is growing over the ability of the system to meet future demand. Preliminary statistics for the first six months of 2011 report 114.4 million transit trips, four per cent higher than in 2010, when there was a huge spike in passengers during the Olympic Games in February. While February 2011’s passenger count was 28 per cent lower than in 2010, totals have been higher in every other month so far this year, with second quarter ridership higher by over 13 per cent. ‘Boardings’ – the number of times a transit passenger entered or transferred to one of the buses, SeaBuses, SkyTrain cars, or West Coast Express coaches in TransLink’s fleet, totalled 173.6 million in the first six months of the year. Ian Jarvis, TransLink’s CEO, calls the year‐to‐date figures ‘amazing.’ “We’re out‐performing even our Olympics‐year ridership, and it signals all that expansion TransLink delivered from 2005 to 2010 and the effective integration of the Canada Line into the system really hit the mark in terms of making our network a viable travel option for more people.” With the annual back‐to‐work and back‐to‐school crush coming after Labour Day, TransLink is cautioning road, transit and cycling commuters to expect heavier traffic, bigger crowds on transit and longer travel times beginning Tuesday September 6th. Jarvis says the latest transit ridership results send a critical message to the region. “I’m very concerned that we’re seeing this substantial rise in demand by more people for more transit at a time when TransLink has no ability to meaningfully increase capacity. We’re on a solid financial footing to sustain the services we have now and we’re re‐allocating under‐used transit services to times of day and routes where they’ll serve more people. But this rate of growth is a clear signal that we need to start expanding the network again, and that’s what TransLink’s current ‘Moving Forward’ supplemental plan proposes to do. “Otherwise, we’ll lose this momentum and that won’t be good news for anyone on transit, in cars or involved in moving goods or services in Metro Vancouver,” Jarvis says. TransLink’s Moving Forward plan proposes to expand bus services region wide, adding new routes, increasing SeaBus sailings, upgrading SkyTrain stations and funding Metro Vancouver’s share of the Evergreen Line. The expansion, when all in place, would add capacity for an estimated 40 million more transit rides per year by 2021. There would also be additional funding for cycling and the Major Road Network. TransLink Chair Nancy Olewiler says there is solid public support for the improvements, but how to fund them remains ‘a sticking point.’ “At the request of the Mayors’ Council, TransLink will hold another series of public meetings in September, plus other sessions for city councillors across Metro Vancouver, to see if the support is there for an additional $70 million per year in revenue to fund the next round of expansion. “The mayors have proposed a 2 cent per litre increase in gas tax and are working with the Province on a new revenue source, both of which will be needed if we’re going to move now on the improvements. If there’s no decision to start expansion now, TransLink will continue to drive as much performance as possible out of our current transit system. But like Ian (Jarvis), I’m really concerned about falling behind the curve as our region continues to grow,” Olewiler says. Details on the Moving Forward plan and opportunities for public comment are available on‐line at www.translink.ca ‐‐ 30 ‐‐ Editors Note: Backgrounders on year‐to‐date transit ridership, the Moving Forward supplemental plan and the next round of public open houses follow. Backgrounder: 2011 Transit Ridership Update Total Passenger Boardings – January to June* ‐ Bus services 110,196,269 ‐ SeaBus 3,013,945 ‐ Expo / Millennium Lines 39,832,800 ‐ Canada Line 19,185,093 ‐ West Coast Express 1,422,204 Total 173,650,311 Average Weekday Boardings June 2011* ‐ Bus services 757,921 ‐ SeaBus 23,020 ‐ Expo / Millennium Lines 289,460 ‐ Canada Line 136,259 ‐ West Coast Express 11,321 Total 1,217,981 (* Data for May & June are preliminary) Backgrounder: Expansion proposed in the Moving Forward supplemental plan While the regionʹs $400 million share of funding for the Evergreen SkyTrain Line is included in TransLinkʹs Moving Forward supplemental plan, there are additional expansion projects that will improve the network across Metro Vancouver. With most daily commuters leaving their home municipality for their trips to work or school, network improvements in one municipality will benefit people from many others. Regional • Approximately 7 per cent increase in conventional service hours, including a 415,000‐ hour annual increase in bus and SeaBus service, by 2014 to improve services experiencing overcrowding and pass‐ups, growing and U‐Pass‐related demand‐ with approximately half of those hours bound for South of Fraser. • A nearly 9 per cent increase in total transit service hours, including 138,000 new annual rapid transit hours, with the launch of Evergreen Line. • A nearly 10 per cent increase in transit boardings by 2021, representing more than 40 million rides per year, eliminating over 70,000 daily private vehicle trips. • The number of personal vehicles kilometres travelled per capita would decline by 2014, reversing historic trends. • Major Road Network funding would be increased by $10 million per year, and Bike Capital Program funding would be increased by $3 million per year, allowing the region to keep up with multi‐modal network needs and improve safety. South of the Fraser • More than 200,000 additional transit service hours – nearly twice as many as during the last service expansion in 2009 • King George Boulevard B‐Line bus service, connecting White Rock Centre to Guildford via Surrey Central • Highway 1 Bus Rapid Transit from Langley to Lougheed SkyTrain Station via the new Port Mann Bridge (when completed) and to Surrey Central with 10 minute peak hour frequencies • White Rock to Langley bus service • Service improvements along busy and growing corridors such as Queensborough in Richmond, and Fraser Highway • Upgrades to Surrey Central SkyTrain Station Tri‐Cities • The Evergreen Line expected to be operational after successful bidding and a four year construction period. • Quick, frequent (every 3 minutes during peak periods) and reliable connections to Millennium Line and Burnaby and Vancouver o Saves almost 45 minutes a day in travel time compared to driving between Coquitlam City Centre and downtown Vancouver • Strategic investments in additional bus service to accommodate higher demand once the Evergreen Line is launched. • Increased capacity and more frequent service on core routes including those on Pinetree Way and Lougheed Highway. Vancouver, Burnaby & New Westminster • More bus service along corridors experiencing overcrowding and pass‐ups, such as U‐ Pass BC routes, including trouble spots along 4th, 41st and 49th Avenues in Vancouver and Willingdon and Production Way in Burnaby. • Upgrades to Main Street, Metrotown and New Westminster Stations to improve customer accessibility and station capacity for these high growth areas. • Upgrades to Commercial‐Broadway Station to accommodate the increases in passengers due to the Evergreen Line North Shore • SeaBus increased to service every 15 minutes, all day, seven days a week. • Renovations to the SeaBus terminal at Lonsdale Quay to improve safety and passenger waiting areas. • Improved service on Marine Drive to Downtown, SeaBus and Lonsdale Ave. Backgrounder: Public Open House Sessions – Moving Forward Supplemental Plan The following sessions will give the public an opportunity to discuss the transit, road and cycling expansion proposed in the Moving Forward plan and the options to fund them. September 7th – North Shore 6:30 – 7:00pm – Public Open House 7:00pm – 8:30pm – Presentation and Discussion Lonsdale Quay Hotel ‐ 123 Carrie Cates Court, North Vancouver September 8th ‐ Burnaby, Vancouver, Richmond, New Westminster 6:30 – 7:00pm – Public Open House 7:00pm – 8:30pm – Presentation and Discussion Holiday Inn Metrotown, Salon E ‐ 4405 Central Blvd, Burnaby September 14th – South of Fraser 6:30 – 7:00pm – Public Open House 7:00pm – 8:30pm – Presentation and Discussion Guildford Recreation Centre, Multi‐purpose Room ‐ 15105 – 105 Avenue, Surrey September 15th – North East Sector 6:30 – 7:00pm – Public Open House 7:00pm – 8:30pm – Presentation and Discussion Evergreen Cultural Centre, Studio A – 1205 Pinetree Way, Coquitlam .