Line now more than 70 per cent completed
By Lauren Kelly, News Editor
The Evergreen Line has now entered the testing phase on the first section of track, borrowing trains off peak hours to test the track leading to Burquitlam Station. The first test was run on July 11. These tests, both manual and automatic, will continue for a few months, and take place from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m.
The estimated completion for the project is fall 2016, moved back from the original summer 2016 completion projection due to issues with the tunnel sections of the track. Four sink holes have opened over the course of construction, the most recent being on June 5.
Although there have been concerns among the public as to the safety of the tunnel boring machine and continued construction, TransLink assures the public that they are working to avoid future incidents. The Evergreen Line’s project coordinator, Amanda Farrell, said that a large part of this is difficulty with the mix of soil, including boulders, glacial till, and sand.
Although this has been challenging, Farrell told the Vancouver Sun, “Where we have had the challenges is maintaining the stability of the earth in the front of the boring machine. The contractors continue to implement more and more measures to achieve that stability.”
Scheduled maintenance is currently underway for the tunnel boring machine, which is expected to be operating again in mid- to late-August, and will be proceeding towards Burquitlam Station. After this, a drill piece change will be performed south of Robinson Street in the last change to the tunnel boring machine before completing the tunnel. The tunnels have been estimated to be 50 per cent completed, far lower than the stations at 70–85 per cent. Aside from the tunnels, work has continued on schedule.
Once completed, the long-awaited SkyTrain line will connect Lougheed Station in Burnaby with the Lafarge Lake–Douglas Station, serving the Douglas College David Lam campus in Coquitlam. It will run with higher frequency than the buses to the college, especially during off-peak hours, and the ride will be much shorter, estimated at 15 minutes from Lougheed Station. This should greatly improve ease of accessibility for Douglas College students who are not in the area, or who are taking classes at both campuses. The line will also link the SkyTrain with the West Coast Express commuter train at Port Moody and Coquitlam Central stations.