British Columbia Transportation Authority TransLink has signed a C$93m ($69m) contract for the purchase of 28 Bombardier Innovia Metro 300 vehicles for service on the Vancouver SkyTrain network.
Production of these vehicles is scheduled to start in the third quarter of next year, with final delivery expected in the fourth quarter of 2018.
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Bombardier will supply the new automated vehicles and support TransLink’s efforts to open new lines and bring additional capacity, by carrying an additional 3,640 people on the SkyTrain network at a time.
Bombardier Transportation Americas president Benoît Brossoit said: "By providing close to 300 high-quality, leading-edge vehicles, Bombardier has been an ally in the development of public transit in the Greater Metro Vancouver Area for over 30 years, servicing close to a billion passenger trips in that period. Today, our commitment to the region remains as strong as ever.”
The design of the Innovia Metro 300 merges style and functionality and offers improved passenger experience that is needed to help boost regional mobility in growing urban centres.
TransLink CEO Kevin Desmond said: “Our SkyTrain is the world’s longest driverless, automated rapid transit system and the additional 28 new Mark III SkyTrain cars will provide sorely needed additional capacity.
“The new trains, like the seven other Mark IIIs we recently put into service, will offer a quieter, more comfortable ride for our customers, big windows to show off SkyTrain’s great views of Metro Vancouver, room for bikes and strollers, and the ability to walk from one end of the train all the way down to the other.”
Designed with sustainability in mind, the new Innovia Metro 300 trains are equipped with linear induction motor (LIM) propulsion technology and are built from recyclable materials.
They are also fitted with energy-saving regenerative braking technology.
Image: Innovia Metro 300 vehicles for service on the Vancouver SkyTrain network. Photo: © Bombardier.
