Filed under: 2010 Winter Olympics, Announcements, Attractions, Family Friendly, featuredarticle, transit
The Bombadier: Vancouver’s Olympic Streetcar
It’s almost as much fun as riding the cable car in San Francisco. Or, closer to home, taking the West Coast Express Train out to Mission. Trouble is, the ride is over far too soon. But that’s the point of the new Olympic streetcar, which is meant to transport passengers quickly from Granville Island Olympic sites to the Olympic Village where you can connect immediately on to the Canada Line train that will whisk you to more Olympic venues.
I boarded at Granville Island. Even though I had just missed a train, there wasn’t much wait as they run every 6 – 10 minutes, and that’s from 6.30 am to 12.30 am. The best part is, it’s FREE! The train cars as slick and vandal-proof and today it wasn’t overly crowded although, by the look of the excited groups of people coming and going, there would be no problem filling up the cars.Â
Two of these sleek trams began operating last Thursday when Mayor Gregor Robertson clanged the bell to launch the new Olympic transit service. The trams were built at the Bombadier plant in Bruges, Belgium and reflect Belgium’s Art Nouveau heritage. They are outfitted with materials such as wood, leather and stainless steel that have been proven to discourage vandalism by 70%.Â
The two Flexity streetcars are on loan from the City of Brussels and will run, free of charge, for the next 60 days along a 1.8 kilometer track between Granville Island and the Olympic Village Canada Line station. The sleek new right-of-way where the old tracks existed was upgraded for $8.5 million. If it were feasible to finance a permanent line using these smooth-running high-speed trams it would definitely be a bonus for commuters like myself who spend so much time crossing back and forth across the city by local transit. However, that’s just a dream for now. It’s a matter of securing investment and seeing it it will pay off in the near-term.
Streetcars were a Lower Mainland fixture back when I was in my teens until they were taken out of service in 1958. A number of big cities such as San Francisco, have reintroduced street cars. City Hall planners have proposed a route around the east end of False Creek, through the north of downtown to Stanley Park, with additional spur lines but whether this will come to be, we can only wait and see.
Meanwhile, take a ride on the Bombadier. It’s fun and quick and makes the trip across town so much faster if you want to go browse around Granville Island, visit the market, or take in any events at any of the Olympic hospitality houses there during the 2010 Winter Olympics.
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