B.C. invests to upgrade West Coast Express

The safety and well-being of Canadians are top priorities of the governments of Canada and British Columbia.

Investments in public transit during this extraordinary time help support regional economies and make communities more inclusive and resilient.

The Honourable Catherine McKenna, federal Minister of Infrastructure and Communities; the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change; Ron McKinnon, MP for Coquitlam-Port Coquitlam; Rob Fleming, B.C.’s Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure; George Heyman, B.C.’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy; Bowinn Ma, B.C.’s Minister of State for Infrastructure, alongside Gigi Chen-Kuo, interim CEO of TransLink, announced funding for the refurbishment of seven West Coast Express locomotives.

The project includes refurbishing the engines of six of the seven locomotives to extend their lifespan by a projected 15 years. In addition, all head end power units, which provide heat and lighting to the passenger cars, will be replaced to reduce emissions, improve energy efficiency and allow operation of longer trains.

“The West Coast Express is an important transit line for the people of B.C. Federal funding will help to reduce, reuse and recycle by refurbishing older locomotives to give them a new lease on life,” McKenna said. “Cutting emissions from the transportation sector is vital to meeting Canada’s climate goals, and the Government of Canada’s support for cleaner, more climate-resilient rail options will play a significant role. Canada’s infrastructure plan invests in thousands of projects, creates jobs across the country and builds cleaner, more inclusive communities.”

To ensure there is no disruption in service, locomotives will be refurbished one at a time, with each locomotive tested, commissioned and returned to service before work starts on the next locomotive.

“We’re committed to building B.C. back better by continuing to invest in transportation projects that create jobs, give people more options to get to where they need to go and help get people out of their cars and onto public, low-carbon commuter trains,” Fleming said.

We’re investing with @INFC_eng and @TransLink to keep the West Coast Express service up and running efficiently for the thousands of people that use it to get to work and school each weekday. @TRANBC Learn more: https://t.co/1qf5r3vpa4 pic.twitter.com/Mu2LTHcxq5

— Rob Fleming (@Rob_Fleming) March 17, 2021

The Government of Canada is investing $10.2 million in this project through the Public Transit Infrastructure Stream (PTIS) of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program. The Government of British Columbia is contributing $ 9.2 million and TransLink is contributing $1.5 million for this project.

Quick Facts:

• West Coast Express is a commuter rail service that runs 68 kilometres between Mission and Vancouver.  Prior to COVID-19, up to 11,000 people used the commuter service every day.
• Through the Investing in Canada Plan, the Government of Canada is investing more than $180 billion over 12 years in public transit projects, green infrastructure, social infrastructure, trade and transportation routes, and Canada’s rural and northern communities.
• The Government of Canada has invested $4.3 billion in 544 infrastructure projects throughout B.C. under the Investing in Canada plan.