John Colebourn
The Province
Thursday, June 12, 2008
TransLink said yesterday it has signed an agreement to build its long-planned third SeaBus for Burrard Inlet.
The $25-million vessel will be built at the Washington Marine Group shipyard in Victoria and is to go into service in summer 2009.
TransLink chairman Dale Parker said the addition of a third SeaBus will cut wait times during peak hours by five minutes.
At peak times, the SeaBus will run every 10 minutes compared to the current 15 minutes.
The new SeaBus initially will replace one of the two older vessels during its refit. The two existing boats were built 31 years ago.
Parker said all three 400-passenger vessels will be in service by early 2010, in time for the Winter Olympics.
"This is a key piece of our expansion," said Parker. "This is a big day for us."
Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon said B.C. will chip in $4.8 million of the cost.
"By 2010, all three vessels will be running and once every 10 minutes during peak times, so that's great for folks using the system."
Malcolm Barker of the Washington Marine Group said the vessel will be as fuel-efficient as possible.
"This vessel will be the greenest of vessels," he said.
"The vessel will be built on budget and will be on time."
He said the project will allow the company to keep existing apprentices fully employed.
North Vancouver Mayor Darrell Mussatto said that with the high price of gasoline, the SeaBus addition "couldn't come at a better time."
"People are looking for alternatives to driving," he said.
North Vancouver District Mayor Richard Walton said cutting wait times by five minutes will be a huge bonus for commuters.
"It does get very crowded during the rush hour," he said. "This is really good news."
Student Emilia Pelech, 21, said she uses the SeaBus daily and would welcome better service.
"I like the SeaBus and this is good for commuters," she said.
She would like to see the SeaBus run every 15 minutes during non-peak hours.
"It would be nice if they ran it every 15 minutes on weekends," she said.
jcolebourn@png.canwest.com
© The Vancouver Province 2008
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