VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - Shoulder to shoulder... packed like sardines. Did they build it too small? We're at the well-used Canada Line station on Bridgeport in Richmond, with word the latest rapid transit link is already nearing capacity.
Those who ride it often gush compliments. For one man we caught up with the biggest complaint is everybody else who likes the Canada Line too. "Sometimes you can't get on the train, you've got to wait for another train. They come within minutes, yeah, it's not bad. It's fast, right? You get to where you're going pretty fast."
Less than a year since its debut, the Canada Line is serving an average 94,000 passengers a day.
TransLink didn't anticipate nearing 100,000 daily riders for another three years, but Ken Hardie with the transportation authority says there are plans to deal with the added crush.
"A year from now we'll be adding about 12 per cent capacity to Canada Line by putting more of the existing trains into service during the peak periods and there's even the capacity to add a third car in between the two existing cars."
Right now Hardie says it's possible to stash an extra train on the tail track by Brighouse Station to add capacity instantly.