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<br />, <br /> <br /> <br />Anderson, WSDOT. Following the tour, NCDA representatives rode the Talgo train, <br />operated by AMTRAK, from Seattle to Vancouver. The trip cost $21 per person <br />(coach fare) and took approximately 3 hours. <br /> <br />Description of West Coast Express (WCE) Commuter Rail Service. <br /> <br />1. TransLink <br /> <br />Translink was created as a result of the Greater Vancouver Transportation <br />Authority Act (1998). It is a regional organization and is not part of the <br />provincial government. TransLink's mandate is to plan and finance a <br />regional transportation system that moves people and goods efficiently <br />and supports the regional growth strategy, air quality objectives and <br />economic development of the Greater Vancouver Regional District <br />(GVRD). GVRD has a population of 2 million people, and is expected to <br />rise to 2.2 million by 2005. Commuter rail service was introduced in <br />November 1995. West Coast Express (WCE) is an operating subsidiary of <br />TransLink and operates commuter rail for the GVRD. <br /> <br />2. Components of the WCE System: <br />. Average ridership is approximately 7,600 per day. <br />. Peak ridership has exceeded 9,000 per day. <br />. Ridership has grown by more than 50 percent since opening. <br />. WCE is currently operating at 95 percent capacity. <br />. WCE operates ten trains per day, with more than 1,500 customers on <br />the busiest trains. <br />. WCE is fully integrated with conventional transit system. <br />. WCE has eight stations (Starting in Mission, through the northeast <br />sector, to Waterfront). See the WCE map in Attachment Two. <br />. WCE competes directly with cars for market share. <br /> <br />3. Other components of the TransLink system <br />. B-Iine bus service features long, articulated vehicles with frequent <br />boardings. <br />. Express bus service, features new, comfortable highway coaches <br />between town centers. <br />. City buses are the backbone of the system, with frequent stops in <br />more densely populated areas. Translink plans to begin replacing the <br />existing city bus fleet with trolleys. <br />. Mini-buses and shared-ride taxis are essential where large <br />conventional buses are too expensive and inefficient to operate. <br />Expansion of this service is focused on linking hospitals, schools and <br />recreation facilities to major transportation corridors. <br />. Custom transit offers opportunities for persons with disabilities <br />(HandyDART vehicles). <br /> <br />~ <br />I <br /> <br />4 <br />~ <br />