Evergreen extension officially open to the public on Dec 2

The Evergreen extension, which will bring efficient rapid transit service between Coquitlam, Port Moody, Burnaby and Vancouver, was officially opened today by B.C. Premier Christy Clark, and Dan Ruimy, Member of Parliament for Pitt Meadows-Maple Ridge, on be- half of the Honourable Amarjeet Sohi, Federal Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, and representatives of the project’s partners. Construction of the Evergreen extension, its stations and public plazas created an estimated 8,000 direct and indirect jobs during construction. The project is now complete and trains are ready to start taking passengers at noon today. The opening celebration at Coquitlam Central Station was launched with an inaugural ride by the representatives of the project’s partners along the Evergreen extension. Round-the-clock efforts by people involved in the many aspects of the project allowed for the Evergreen extension to open under budget. The $1.431 billion project has been delivered between $70 million and $85 million under the budget set in 2008. The extension will carry 70,000 people per day by 2021, reducing traffic congestion in the rapidly growing cities of Coquitlam, Port Moody and Burnaby. The Government of Canada, the Government of British Columbia and TransLink funded the project. Now that construction is complete, TransLink will be responsible for operating the extension. The 11-kilometer Evergreen extension runs fully separated from traffic. With seven stations that include bus connections, parking (Moody Centre, Coquitlam Central and Lafarge Lake-Douglas stations) and bicycle facilities, this is a significant new link to Metro Vancouver’s SkyTrain system. Evergreen will provide frequent and convenient SkyTrain service, connecting Coquitlam City Centre through Port Moody to Lougheed Town Centre in about 15 minutes. With the Evergreen extension now open to the public, Metro Vancouver’s SkyTrain system is the longest fully automated and driverless rapid transit system in the world.