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Buses the solution to transportation needs

Rail isn’t the long-term answer to transportation issues in the Sea to Sky corridor.

Rail isn’t the long-term answer to transportation issues in the Sea to Sky corridor.

According to a series of studies, including three done for the province and one which six organizations funded, including the Resort Municipality of Whistler, all indications point to buses as the primary alternative to the private automobile in the corridor.

"It’s sad news for many of us that rail doesn’t appear to be a viable option," Ken Melamed, acting mayor, said Monday.

A study done by TSi Consultants found annual trips between the Sea to Sky corridor and the Lower Mainland will increase from 11 million in 2002 to 17 million by 2025, and that automobile traffic will routinely exceed Highway 99’s current capacity by 2007.

It also found that residents of the corridor and the Lower Mainland account for 83 per cent of the total travel demand, and that 93 per cent of those 11 million trips are in automobiles. Buses account for 6 per cent and B.C. Rail passenger service carries only about 1 per cent of the 11 million annual trips.

The study was commissioned as part of Whistler council’s wish to examine the viability of enhanced rail service to Whistler. A rail task team, which included representatives from Transport Canada, B.C. Rail, Translink, the Ministry of Transportation, West Coast Express and the RMOW, shared the cost of the study.

Three other studies done by the province – on high-speed rail, alternate highway routes, and a passenger-only ferry between Vancouver and Squamish – also showed there was minimal interest in rail, and strong interest in enhanced bus service and ferry service.

However, the findings don’t rule out using rail to move people if the 2010 Olympics are awarded to Vancouver and Whistler.

"This will guide what we do but the province is doing their roll out of all the combinations in transportation and that is very timely for us," said Sam Corea, spokesman for the Vancouver-Whistler 2010 Bid Corporation.

"We still need to have as much route diversity as possible so rail is there, and with what is there, we can still do something with it.

"We have to use every way of getting there (Whistler). We have to be flexible. And also, the rail option may not be the best people move option, but it may be the most attractive option as far as having an experience.

"So rail is most definitely not ruled out at all. You may not be able to move the bulk of the people but you can move some people in addition to what is happening on the road and in addition to what is happening on the waterways."

However, B.C. Rail has announced that it will cease its passenger rail service by the end of October. Negotiations with private companies to take over the passenger rail service are continuing.

Meanwhile, the TSi Consultants study did nothing to make passenger rail more attractive to private rail companies. The objective of the study was to estimate the long-term demand for rail and other multi-modal services in the Sea to Sky corridor up to 2025. As well, opportunities that could be operational by 2010 were identified.

Four options were developed for demand forecasting and evaluation. The first, or "highway" option, included four-laning Highway 99 between Horseshoe Bay and Squamish, and safety improvements for the entire corridor to Whistler. Minimum rail improvements were also part of the scenario. Total capital costs were estimated at $996 million and annual operating costs of $850,000.

The second and third options envisioned medium and maximum investments in rail. Option 2 would see increased rolling stock and service frequently between Lonsdale Quay and Whistler, as well as highway safety improvements identified in Option 1. Capital costs were estimated at $524 million and annual operating costs at $23 million.

Option 3 assumed rail travel time between North Vancouver and Whistler would be reduced by 25 minutes. Capital costs were estimated at $774 million with annual operating costs of $23 million.

Option 4 foresaw a passenger-only ferry between Vancouver’s central waterfront and downtown Squamish, linked to a bus service to Whistler. Total capital costs were expected to be $271.3 million, with annual operating costs of $7.45 million.

Two surveys were done to assess current demand levels and consumer interest in the proposed options. A third survey, of bus companies operating in the corridor, was also conducted to estimate inter-city bus travel.

Travel forecasts for the four options were then developed using a demand forecasting model.

Each of the rail options estimated demand in 2025 would be only about 200,000 trips per year – an inconsequential portion of the 17 million annual trips that are expected by that time. Both rail options would also require significant public subsidies.

The study concluded that the multi-modal options tested would not divert significant traffic from Highway 99. It also found that an enhanced bus service offers potential to divert some automobile traffic from the highway.

The passenger-only ferry service may also hold some potential.

"Asking people today if they would take the train is a meaningless question. The service is pathetic," Melamed said. "But we’ve also found the price point doesn’t work."

Council members discussed the reports in a three-hour workshop prior to Monday’s council meeting. Councillor Kristi Wells said the work done to assess rail options was "exhaustive and impressive."

Councillor Ted Milner said he thought the findings were accurate and he agreed with the report, but said: "It doesn’t surprise me that rail is not viable, because the scenarios are all slow, costly and end up in North Vancouver. Ticket revenues are never going to pay for the cost of rail."

Milner suggested a larger vision may be needed for the south-west corner of B.C., one that includes land-development rights for a private company willing to build and operate a passenger rail line.

"I agree with the study," Milner said, "but I don’t know where we go from here. I think our focus is too narrow."

Councillor Dave Kirk said the provincial studies have made it obvious alternate highway routes are too costly.

Melamed noted corridor residents account for approximately 35 per cent of the inter-city traffic in the corridor, while comprising only one per cent of the population of the Sea to Sky and Lower Mainland population.

"I see lots of opportunities to effect positive change," Melamed said. "Unfortunately none of it is in rail."

Last year the Ministry of Transportation released a multi-modal corridor transportation study that presented three general options:

• Widening Highway 99 to four lanes between Horseshoe Bay and Whistler, including new tunnels, at a cost of $1.34 billion;

• Improving inter-city bus service and facilities, high-occupancy vehicle lanes, "queue jumper" lanes, widening highway shoulders and adding more highway signs and markers. The cost is estimated to be $365 million;

• Expanding passenger rail service along the B.C. Railway line at peak-demand times, offering up to five passenger trains per day. Cost is estimated to be $745 million.

In May the ministry is expected to announce further details about the options and which it favours.