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West Coast Express
	; ; The West Coast Express at Waterfront Station.
Info
Locale	Lower Mainland, Canada
Transit type	Commuter Rail
Number of lines	1
Number of stations	8
Daily ridership	10,500
Operation
Began operation	November 1, 1995
Operator(s)	TransLink
Reporting marks	BCVX
Technical
System length	69 km
Track gauge	4 ft 81⁄2 in (1,435 mm) (standard gauge)

West Coast Express (reporting mark BCVX) is the interregional commuter railway in British Columbia, Canada. Opened in 1995, it links Mission, Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows, Port Coquitlam, Coquitlam, and Port Moody with Waterfront Station in Downtown Vancouver, where it interchanges with SkyTrain rapid transit, SeaBus and other public transportation services.

[edit] Operation

The West Coast Express operates from Monday to Friday only excluding holidays, with five trains per day running from Mission to Vancouver in the morning peak hours and returning to Mission in the evening peak. A one-way trip the length of the line takes 73 minutes, which is faster and more reliable than driving to Downtown Vancouver. In addition, there are two buses (called the "TrainBus") operates from Mission to Vancouver in the morning (after all trains) and three in the evening returning to Mission in the evening (again, after all trains), stopping at all West Coast Express stations. There are also three Trainbus departures in each direction on Saturdays and two on Sundays.^[3] The commuter railway is operated by TransLink, the transportation authority of the Metro Vancouver region, and a member of Canadian Urban Transit Association. See TransLink Fare for pricing of WCE's fare. The South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority Police Service, as well as Transit Security Officers conduct random fare inspections on board trains. Persons caught without valid fare could be removed from the train, and fined $173.

[edit] Equipment

Each train consists of a General Motors F59PHI diesel-electric locomotive and between four and nine Bombardier BiLevel passenger carriages. The total fleet of passenger coaches is 37. Each passenger carriage has a seating capacity of 144 people. Like many commuter railways, West Coast Express uses push-pull operation; instead of moving the locomotive to the other end of the train, it is simply controlled remotely from a second cab in the last passenger carriage, allowing the train to run 'backwards'; this occurs during mornings, as during afternoons the locomotive is at the front of train. Passenger amenities include washrooms, a cappuccino bar, power outlets, wheelchair accessibility, and space for bicycles.

The carriages and locomotives are maintained by VIA Rail, and the train tracks belong to the Canadian Pacific Railway who is also the operator of the service.

[edit] Map

The map is scaled relative to the shorter SkyTrain and SeaBus services.

Purple represents the West Coast Express route and stops
Dark blue represents the Expo Line
Yellow represents the Millennium Line
Light blue represents the SeaBus

[edit] West Coast Express fare

From Waterfront Station, effective January 1, 2008^[4]:

Destination	Port Moody, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam	Pitt Meadows, Maple Meadows, Port Haney	Mission City
Adult fare (one way)	$6.75	$8.25	$11.25
Adult fare (return)	$12.50	$15.50	$21.00
Adult fare (Weekly)	$52.25	$63.50	$87.75
Adult fare (Monthly)	$161.00	$195.50	$269.00

West Coast Express fares can also be used as a three-zone fare on other TransLink services. The ticket expires three hours from the time of purchase.

[edit] Fleet

Manufacturer	Model	Numbers	Notes
Bombardier Transportation	Bi-level Coach VI	37
General Motors	F59PHI locomotives	5
Motive Power, Inc.	MP36PH-3C	1	Arrived Dec 2006

Denotes wheelchair access

[edit] List of stations

West Coast Express

Legend

SeaBus