Canada Line trains will run more frequently during peak hours, when 24 new cars are added to the system by 2020.
Instead of the current three minutes and 20 seconds during peak hours between trains, they will arrive 50 seconds sooner - a 30 per cent increase in frequency.
Other changes include an improved air-conditioning system and retractable seats in the front of the trains to maximize standing room during peak hours.
In preparation for the arrival of the new trains, TransLink will also be building four more train tracks, which will be used as storage, at the Canada Line operations and maintenance centre in Van Horne Way in north Richmond.
The 24 new cars, which will make up 12 trains, were ordered from South Korean company, Hyundai Rotem, at a cost of $88 million.
The budget for the track building is around $23.5 million, and is funded by both the federal and provincial governments.
Although the appearance of the new trains will remain the same as the current ones, TransLink spokesperson Chris Bryan said the new additions will “prevent overcrowding and increase ridership.”
“Overcrowding on the (trains) and platforms has always been an issue,” said Bryan.
“Our new trains will bring faster service and a more frequent timetable.”
In 2017, ridership for the Canada Line has reached a record of 46 million boardings, a 6.3 per cent increase from the year before.
With the new, faster trains, TransLink hopes that people will be even more encouraged to use the system.
When TransLink announced in March of the Canada Line improvements, it also told of 28 Expo and Millennium line cars being added by 2019.
These additional train cars will allow for an additional 8,200 passengers per peak hour.
