Evergreen Line enters testing

phase to Burquitlam Station

» Line now more than 70 per cent completed

Lauren Kelly
News Editor
Mi news@theotherpress.ca

he Evergreen Line has now

entered the testing phase
on the first section of track,
borrowing trains off peak hours
to test the track leading to
Burquitlam Station. The first test
was run on July u. These tests,
both manual and automatic, will
continue for a few months, and
take place from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m.

The estimated completion
for the project is fall 2016, moved
back from the original summer
2016 completion projection due
to issues with the tunnel sections
of the track. Four sink holes
have opened over the course of
construction, the most recent
being on June 5.

Although there have been

concerns among the public
as to the safety of the tunnel
boring machine and continued
construction, TransLink assures
the public that they are working
to avoid future incidents.
The Evergreen Line’s project
coordinator, Amanda Farrell,
said that a large part of this is

: difficulty with the mix of soil,
: including boulders, glacial till,
: and sand.

Although this has been

: challenging, Farrell told the

: Vancouver Sun, “Where we

: have had the challenges is

: maintaining the stability of the

: earth in the front of the boring

: machine. The contractors

: continue to implement more and
: More measures to achieve that

: stability.”

Scheduled maintenance

: is currently underway for the

: tunnel boring machine, which is
: expected to be operating again in
: mid-to late-August, and will be

: proceeding towards Burquitlam

: Station. After this, a drill piece

: change will be performed south

: of Robinson Street in the last

: change to the tunnel boring

: machine before completing

: the tunnel. The tunnels have

: been estimated to be 50 per

? cent completed, far lower than

: the stations at 70-85 per cent.

: Aside from the tunnels, work has
: continued on schedule.

Once completed, the long-

: awaited SkyTrain line will connect :

Lougheed Station in Burnaby

: with the Lafarge Lake—Douglas

: Station, serving the Douglas

: College David Lam campus in

: Coquitlam. It will run with higher

frequency than the buses to the
college, especially during off-peak

a3

  

: hours, and the ride will be much
: shorter, estimated at 15 minutes

: from Lougheed Station. This

: should greatly improve ease of

: accessibility for Douglas College
: students who are not in the area,

ee -— 3
ee keane STATION =:

Image from Translink

: or who are taking classes at both
: campuses. The line will also link
: the SkyTrain with the West Coast
: Express commuter train at Port

: Moody and Coquitlam Central

: stations.

 

TransLink experiences major
reform post-referendum

» New interim CEO ascends, among numerous changes

Mercedes Deutscher
Staff Reporter

 

oe the results of the transit
referendum were made public
in early July, TransLink has
decided to further cut costs and
reorganize the company.

Interim CEO Doug Allen
will be stepping down on August
10 as a new interim CEO, Cathy
McLay, steps up.

McLay has been working
with TransLink for years, notably
as the executive sponsor of
Compass Card, a position she
will continue to hold during her
time as CEO.

TransLink continues to
search for anew CEO for the
company. If selected, the new
CEO will make up to $415,000.
The salary for the position has
been cut back in comparison to
the salaries of previous CEOs
in an attempt to appease public

: opinion about high-costing
: executive salaries.

In addition to the changes

: in CEO, the position of vice

: president of planning and

: stakeholder relations will be

: discontinued. In addition, the
: CEO of SkyTrain operations,

: Doug Kelsey, will be replaced.

Christy Clark has made

changes to the BC Cabinet that
: will place Peter Fassbender,

: formerly involved in the Ministry
: of Education, as the minister in
: charge of TransLink. TransLink
: will no longer be considered

: an area covered by Todd Stone,
: Minister of Transportation

: and Infrastructure. Fassbender
: was previously involved with

: TransLink, serving as a chair

: on the Mayors’ Council for

: numerous years.

Fassbender wishes to help

: restore public trust in TransLink,
: which was damaged during the
: transit plebiscite earlier this year.

“That is not going to be

a small job,” Fassbender told
: the Vancouver Sun. “I think it

: requires some patience and some
: really strong discussions about

: what needs to be done in the

: future”

Meanwhile, many bus

drivers who drive HandyDart
: buses are facing layoffs as

: TransLink cuts down in slow

: service areas. This action will
: result in 28 layoffs, and about
: 10,000 hours and two per cent
: of service reduced from the

: HandyDart.

In an effort to consolidate

: areas where service is being

: cut, TransLink is attempting

: to offer discounted taxi fare to
: HandyDart users. However, it
: has not been made apparent

: ifand how TransLink plans on
: training taxi drivers to meet

: the needs of those who use

: HandyDart.

“There’s also a question of

: comfort, of handling the people,
: because it is a door to door

? service,” Bob Chitenky, president
: of the Amalgamated Transit

: Union Local 1724, speculated.

 

Image from Ian Fisher via Twitter