Getting around Metro Vancouver could be a bit of a headache this weekend thanks to a combination of transit upgrades and cruise ship traffic.
Those who rely on the Expo Line will see service slowdowns as crews replace part of the SkyTrain rail between Main Street-Science World and Commercial-Broadway stations. TransLink warns riders may see travel times increase by as much as 15 to 20 minutes during certain hours.
The delays are expected between 10:30 p.m. Saturday and 2 a.m. Sunday, then again from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. During these times, all trains will operate between Waterfront and King George stations, but service to Sapperton, Braid, Lougheed Town Centre and Production Way-University will be replaced with trains running between New Westminster and VCC-Clark. Riders can transfer at Commercial-Broadway, New Westminster and Columbia stations.
The delays will continue next week from 9:30 p.m. until end-of-service Monday to Wednesday, then from 10:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. Sept. 28 to Oct. 1.
At the same time, taxis may be hard to come by with an estimated 13,000 cruise ship passengers expected to pass through the city each day. Three ships will be docked at Canada Place on Saturday and three more on Monday, and traffic jams and cab shortages are expected along with them. Another two ships will be docked in the city on Sunday.
The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority said it will have extra traffic authority on site to manage vehicle and pedestrian flow, as well as extra staff and volunteers to help passengers find their way.
With files from CTV Vancouver's Nafeesa Karim
