New train cars for the Canada Line are heading to the Lower Mainland with the hope of boosting capacity along the busy route.

The first two train cars of 24 are expected to arrive from Korea in the next few weeks while the other remaining cars are expected to arrive over the year. This larger SkyTrain fleet will mean more frequent service for Canada Line commuters and will increase capacity by almost 2,000 passengers per hour.

The new trains were an $88 million investment, TransLink says, half of which was paid for by the federal government. TransLink and the provincial government paid for the other half.

According to TransLink, there were more than 48 million boardings on the Canada Line last year and the number of average daily weekday boardings increased by over five per cent from 2017 to 2018. 

After testing, the trains are expected to be in service early next year.  

A previous version of this article stated 12 train cars were being delivered, when in fact 12 two-car trains will be delivered for a total of 24 cars.