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Cindy Phillips and Gordon Baron
Riding the Rails in Vancouver, BC
Traveling Westbound on WCE to Vancouver. Second Narrow Bridge and the lower train bridge crosses Burrard Inlet into North Vancouver.
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Cindy Phillips and Gordon Baron
Riding the Rails in Vancouver, BC
Second floor of West Coast Express commuter's car at Mission City Terminal
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Cindy Phillips and Gordon Baron
Riding the Rails in Vancouver, BC
The old British Columbia Sugar Refining Company building next to Vancouver's dry docks is still in operation
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Cindy Phillips and Gordon Baron
Riding the Rails in Vancouver, BC
The historic Canadian Fishing Company Cannery. Containers waiting to be loaded on cargo ships at Vancouver's dry docks (in the background)
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Cindy Phillips and Gordon Baron
Riding the Rails in Vancouver, BC
West Coast Express entering Waterfront Train Station in downtown Vancouver
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Cindy Phillips and Gordon Baron
Riding the Rails in Vancouver, BC
Vancouver's historic Waterfront Train Station
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Cindy Phillips and Gordon Baron
Riding the Rails in Vancouver, BC
Inside Vancouver's downtown train station
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Cindy Phillips and Gordon Baron
Riding the Rails in Vancouver, BC
Roadside entrance to Skytrain's Waterfront Station
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Cindy Phillips and Gordon Baron
Riding the Rails in Vancouver, BC
Traveling on Skytrain's Millennium Line to Coquitlam Central
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Cindy Phillips and Gordon Baron
Riding the Rails in Vancouver, BC
Skytrain's Expo Line passes Science World on False Creek, ending at King George station in Surrey
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Cindy Phillips and Gordon Baron
Riding the Rails in Vancouver, BC
Skytrain's Expo Line Main Street Station. Drop off point for visitors to Science World
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Cindy Phillips and Gordon Baron
Riding the Rails in Vancouver, BC
Crossing the Fraser River on Skytrain's Expo Line Skybridge from New Westminster to Surrey
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Cindy Phillips and Gordon Baron
Riding the Rails in Vancouver, BC
Entering the city of Richmond on Skytrain's Canada Line
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Cindy Phillips and Gordon Baron
Riding the Rails in Vancouver, BC
Passing the Red Rock Casino to Vancouver's International Airport on Skytrain's Canada Line
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Cindy Phillips and Gordon Baron
Riding the Rails in Vancouver, BC
Waiting to board West Coast Express Eastbound train at Waterfront Station in Downtown Vancouver to Mission City and stops in-between, bringing commuters back home
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Cindy Phillips and Gordon Baron
Riding the Rails in Vancouver, BC
Transit buses and Skytrain transporting commuters from WCE to their home destinations after work
By Cindy Phillips & Gordon Baron
We decided to leave our vehicle in the city of Mission for the day, and travel on the West Coast Express commuter train into Vancouver. West Coast Express (WCE) has five trains traveling westbound Monday to Friday mornings from Mission City to Waterfront Station Terminal in downtown Vancouver, returning eastbound to Mission in the afternoon, after working hours. We caught the 6:25 am train and arrived at the Waterfront station at 7:40 am. It was our first time on a train, so we didn't know what to expect. We did a lot of research on the internet the day before, which helped plan our trip on WCE and the three Skytrain lines.
The personnel from WCE Mission Train Station terminal were very accommodating - they even showed us how to get our boarding pass through their electronic ticketing vending machine. Seating on the trains is first-come-first-served, but it was no problem getting a second-floor seat on the right side of the train heading west into Vancouver. We thought this would be the best side because we would be following Burrard Inlet on the last half of the ride and would be able to see the marinas, freighters, yachts, bridges and the city's dry docks entering downtown Vancouver. The seats were comfortable, and we had a table with an electrical plug-in for laptops. The windows were big and clean, and the ride was smoother than we expected. At the beginning of the trip, we were traveling faster than the road traffic beside us on the Lougheed highway. (80 km per hour), but as we got closer to Vancouver, the traffic was busier, and the train stops more frequent, slowing us down a little.
West Coast Express has seven stops on the seventy-five-minute ride. By the time WCE got to their third stop (Port Coquitlam), over one hundred people waiting to board and when we arrived at our destination, it was standing room only. The journey was fantastic; we started out following the Fraser River, with a great view of the commercial activity from the forest industry. Sawmills, shake mills, pole companies, sawdust barges, log booms and dozer boats lined the shoreline. Our window seat was on the right side of the train facing mostly in a northerly direction, out of the morning sunshine, which was great for photographs, especially when we arrived in Port Moody and the start of Burrard Inlet.
When the train arrived at the final destination at Waterfront Station, it was rush hour, so we waited for everyone to leave the train before we got off our seats, avoiding the traffic jam at the exit gates. The stop is Vancouver's "Grand Central Station" — people were getting off Trans Links ferries "Seabus," bringing commuters in from North Vancouver to the Waterfront Station. It is the also the main terminal for the rapid transit "Skytrain" Commuter train. We just sat on a bench outside the station for twenty minutes until the rush eased up a little. When you do not have to drive or walk in this work hour madness, it is very entertaining and great for people watching. By 8:30 am, most of the people seemed to be at work, so we headed for the Waterfront Skytrain terminal.
We bought a pass in Mission when we got on the WCE train for twenty-two dollars, which also included the WCE train return trip, free passage for the day on any of the Skytrain routes and free passage on the Vancouver's ferry "Seabus" to North Vancouver. It didn't matter which train came in first bound for any direction because we were going on all their routes to their lower mainland destinations. Skytrain has three main routes. The Expo line goes from Waterfront Station, past Science World next to False Creek, to New Westminster, and over the Fraser River on Skybridge into Surrey with the last stop being King George Station. The Canada Line has two different destinations starting from Waterfront Station. Both head south underground to Marine Drive then surfaces and crosses the North Arm of the Fraser River into the city of Richmond, but the other route goes to Vancouver's International Airport. Both trains have connections to get on either course at Bridgeport Station. The Millennium Line starts at Clark Street in Vancouver and goes to University Way in Burnaby. This route is a little more complicated because they have added a new extension from this route called the Evergreen Line, which goes to Lafarge Lake-Douglas Station. You also have to start off on the Expo Line from Waterfront Station and get off at Clack Street.
The commentary on board is very well done and gives you lots of warning which stop is next and what stop connects with another route. It is a recording because all trains have no conductors. If you happen to get off at the wrong stop, no worries, another train comes by in five minutes. The train is fast and very quiet. If you happen to get the front window seat, it almost feels like you are on a roller coaster going up and down, turning left and right, going over bridges and through tunnels. This is a must trip if you are planning to visit Vancouver and the outlying areas. Seeing the sights from the second floor of the West Coast Express train, or above the streets using Skytrain, gave us a new perspective on the beauty of the lower mainland.
West Coast Express - www.translink.ca - 1-800-570-7245