Take a trip on the new Canada Line!

“Isn’t this cool!” my companion exclaims as the train whizzes along in the tunnel.  We’re on Trans Link’s new Canada Line, heading for Richmond and YVR.  We feel like kids on a carnival ride, the new transit line is that much fun!

We boarded at the Waterfront Station at noon,  finding comfortable seats in the spacious car. There’s plenty of leg room and space for bikes and luggage. The ride to Vancouver International Airport (YVR) will take approximately 25 minutes.

The new line seems much smoother than the overhead skytrains lines.  We travel underground past stations such as Vancouver Centre, Yaletown/Roundhouse, Olympic Village, Broadway/CityHall, King Ed, Oakridge @41st, Langara @49.

At Marine Drive we emerge from the tunnel, speeding over the new train bridge across the Fraser River.  There are cycling and pedestrian lanes on this new Canada Line bridge.

We ride right through to YVR and the spanky new station with a pedestrian walk-way into both Domestic and International terminals.  We stop to browse around the airport, admiring the Spirit of Haida Gwaii, the Jade Canoe sculpture by renown Haida artist Bill Reid.  Then we hop back on the train heading back to Bridgeport.

At Bridgeport station we disembark and get off to explore the glitzy River Rock Casino.  If you’ve never seen it, take a look. It’s a bit of pseudo Las Vegas in Vancouver,  somewhat other-worldly, all part of this ‘carnival’ experience.

From Bridgeport we wanted to get to the Richmond Oval but found that you must ride to the end of the line, Richmond/Brighouse then transfer to a 401 bus.  So we decided to save that for another field trip.

Instead, we board a train on to the next stop, Aberdeen , and explore the posh Asian mall, Aberdeen Centre, gawking at tall the high-end shops including the Ferrari showroom where we take pictures posing by the sleek white car that’s on display. It’s lots of fun to poke around in Daiso, the best $2. store I’ve ever shopped in.  We eat lunch at the Jang Mo Korean Restaurant in the Food Court upstairs.  The “lunch box” meal with pork and 3 side dishes is a new food experience for me.  Later we enjoy the fountain show in the main mall, then get an icecream at the Mondo Gelato.

On the return trip back into town, for fun we decide to get off at Yaletown/Roundhouse and I am surprised to see how close to the Roundhouse Community Centre the station is, making it very handy.

We were completely impressed with the ride, the comfort and speed.  And most of all, the convenience, making the airport and other Richmond locations so much easier to get to.

If you want a fun afternoon, take yourself on a ride on the new Canada Line and do what we did, get off and explore!  You’ll really feel like a tourist in your own home town.

FARES: Getting to YVR and Richmond is a double fare zone.  Purchase tickets at the stations.

INFO: Trains run 21 hours a day, every day of the week.  During midday peak periods the Canada Line trains leave every four minutes from Vancouver and eight minutes from Richmond and the airport (YVR)

Each train can carry 2 bikes. Stations will be equipped with bike racks and lockers.  All stations are wheelchair accessible.  Trains accommodate four wheelchairs (two per train car).  Parking stalls are provided at Bridgeport Station @ $2.00 stall per day.