VANCOUVER — It’s official: The Vine, the first bus rapid transit system in the Portland-Vancouver region, will begin service on Sun., Jan. 8, 2017. The announcement was made during the C-TRAN Board of Directors meeting Oct. 11.
C-TRAN will celebrate the new system with a grand opening event on Sat., Jan. 7. The community gathering will include food, giveaways, family-friendly games and other activities. More details about the event will be announced later this fall.
The Vine represents a new type of public transportation system for Vancouver. Larger, articulated buses, raised boarding platforms, new traffic signal technology and other ingredients combine to form a system that’s more efficient and reliable than regular bus service.
The Vine will travel between downtown Vancouver and the Vancouver Mall, primarily along the city’s Fourth Plain corridor — C-TRAN’s busiest in terms of ridership. The Vine will replace C-TRAN’s existing Route 4 with a service that offers better frequency with a lower operating cost.
Opening The Vine culminates a five-year process that began with planning and analysis in 2011. The concept evolved as residents, businesses and other community members weighed in. Construction kicked off with a ground-breaking ceremony at Turtle Place in August 2015. For now, work continues along the corridor and at the new Vancouver Mall Transit Center, but will wind down before the end of 2016.
For more information, visit www.catchthevine.com.