UBC Undergraduate Research

Commuter train service between Squamish and North Vancouver Guse, Brennan

Abstract

Research Question I have been asked by the Engineering and Environmental Services Department of the District of West Vancouver to provide an overview of the feasibility of a commuter train connecting the Sea to Sky Corridor to the North Shore in Metro Vancouver, which would link the communities of Whistler, Squamish, Lions Bay, West Vancouver, and the City and District of North Vancouver. My main point of contact for this work was John Calimente, Transportation Planning Analyst with the District of West Vancouver. Recommendations 1. I recommend implementing a commuter train service that travels between Squamish and North Vancouver. 2. There should be 3 commuter trains, leaving Squamish at 6:00, 6:30, and 7:00am. The trains would then leave North Vancouver at 4:00, 4:30 and 5:00pm, Monday to Friday. 3. A price of $25.22 per passenger would cover the capital and operating costs of the train. However, with taxes, substitutes and investors I would reduce to cost to $15 per person. 4. Single level tilting cars should be put in operation. 5. The main train stations should be located at Downtown Squamish, Horseshoe Bay, Dundarave, Park Royal, and Lonsdale Quay. Methods This report has been conducted through both quantitative and qualitative research methods. First, a literature review was executed looking at an abundance of transportation reports along the corridor. An expert interview with Ian Fisher, Manager of Planning and Operations at Sky Train was completed for a better understanding of the type of service that can be implemented. This report also looked into a variety of databases including BC Data and the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. Finally, GIS software allowed for the creation of maps and supplementary analysis to determine possible train station locations.

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Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International