Enhancing Vancouver Island Rail Transit

PDF: Vancouver Island Rail Transit

Vancouver Island Rail Transit

The Island Rail Corridor would be preserved for an Intercity Rail, Regional Rail, Freight Service, and a Multi-Use Trail beside the rail line.

Intercity Passenger Service

  • The rail line would be upgraded with new rail and concrete ties to allow for scheduled passenger rail service throughout the day.

  • The rail line would be placed underground around First Nations reserves per their requirements.

  • Station platforms are 170m long initially with the ability to extend to 300m. This would allow for future expansion to ten bilevel coaches with a locomotive at each end.

  • The travel time between Courtenay and Victoria or Port Alberni and Victoria would be a under 3.5 hours.

  • The travel time between Courtenay and Victoria would be over 5 hours on five BC Transit buses

Regional Rail Passenger Service

  • Until an automated metro is built in the Victoria area the Island Rail Corridor can be used to compliment the rapid bus and provide additional capacity between the Western Communities and Victoria.

  • A 15 minute frequency during peak hours with four 4-car Stadler Flirt EMUs coupled together would have a capacity of 4800pphpd. This does not include the hourly Intercity train from Courtenay and Pt Alberni.

  • A half hour frequency between Langford and Victoria would have a capacity of 2400pphpd.

  • The travel time between Langford and Downtown Victoria is approximately 21 minutes.

Freight Rail Service

  • All freight would run on the mainline outside of the passenger rail schedule.

  • New services would be feasible when the rail line is upgraded.

Passenger Rail Rolling Stock

  • Deisel Electric Multiple Units with batteries and a pantograph would cost less overall to operate and maintain than a locomotive and coaches. The only Diesel Electric multiple unit rail vehicle that is FRA compliant is the Stadler Flirt for North America.

  • Initially two trains coupled together running northbound would split at Parksville with one train running to Pt Alberni and one train running to Courtenay. The southbound trains from Pt Alberni and Courtenay would reconnect at Parksville and continue on to Victoria.

  • Additional trains can be added per ridership requirements with a maximum of four trains coupled together.

  • The uncoupling and coupling of trains takes 2-5 minute.

  • The picture below shows a four car Stadler Flirt DEMU which runs on the Ottawa Trillium Line.

  • An EMU would not have the small car in the middle of the train. Click on picture for link to Stadler Flirt Reference.

Possible Ridership

  • Using Appendix Table G-14 and Table G-16 in the CVRD Stantec Report as a reference with 6 hrs off peak, the number of possible rail trips on the Island Rail Corridor with the existing population on Vancouver Island shows as follows.

  • CVRD at around 1.5 million possible rail trips per year.

  • RDN at around 2.4 million possible rail trips per year.

  • Comox Valley RD at around 564,000 possible rail trips per year.

  • Port Alberni immediate area at around 452,000 possible rail trips per year.

  • This is a total of a possible 4.9 million possible rail trips per year north of the Malahat. This does not include the CRD.

Costs to Upgrade the Island Rail Corridor

  • Upgrading the rail line to the Ultimate Stage on the Victoria Sub and the Pt Alberni Sub $829 million

  • Ten 4-car DEMUs (two spares) plus Ten 2-car DEMUs (Two spares) $250 million

  • Signalling system for the Island Rail Corridor (289km) $289 million

  • Overhead catenary between Langford and Victoria (16km) $80 million

  • Tunnel section under Cowichan Tribes Koksilah (1km) $270 million

  • Tunnel and route around Halalt and Squaw-Hay-One First Nations (2km) $600 million

  • Tunnel section under Snaw-Naw-As First Nation (1.4km) $379 million

  • Tunnel section under Esquimalt First Nation and Songhees First Nation (1km) $270 million

  • Tunnel section to Downtown Victoria plus station (2.1km plus 300m station box) $650 million

  • Total $3617 million

Annual Maintenance

  • The annual maintenance for the track is around $30 million

  • The annual maintenance for the trains is around $7.2 million

  • The cost for train drivers is around $4 million

  • Total $41.2 million

  • The annual maintenance cost could be funded by a five cent gasoline only Tax in the five Regional Districts.

  • The cost to upgrade the Island Rail Corridor is $12.5 million per km.

  • The Bus on Shoulder lanes along Hwy 1 in the CRD are $25 million per km.

  • A LRT (Tram) is $250 million per km.

  • Elevated Skytrain is $375 million per km.

Downtown Victoria Underground Station

Admirals Station

Six Mile Station

Langford Station

Cowichan Tribes Reserve

Halalt First Nation Reserve

Stz’uminus First Nation: Squaw-Hay-One 11 Reserve

Stz’uminus First Nation: Oyster Bay 12 Reserve

Nanaimo Chase River Station

Nanaimo City Centre Station and Snuneymuxw First Nations Reserve

Nanaimo Brooks Landing Station: Connection to BC Ferries Departure Bay

Nanaimo Country Club Station

Lantzville-Nanaimo Woodgrove Station

Snaw-Naw-As First Nation Reserve

Parksville Station

Courtenay Station

Coombs Station

Port Alberni Station

Future Campbell River Station

Travel Time and Average Speed between Stations

Intercity Rail Passenger Schedule Example

All Fare Zones

  • Fares are based on BC Transit Victoria single ticket price. BC Transit is proposing a single ticket price of $3 by 2025.

  • Children 12 years and under ride free. Children 5 years and under must be accompanied by someone 12 years and older.

  • Example: Individual Ticket: Courtenay to Victoria $18.00 / Nanaimo to Victoria $12.00 / Parksville to Duncan $12.00

Disclaimer

The author is not a professional planner or consultant. The document is written for an idea on upgrading the Island Rail Corridor.