More than 80 hours of delays in the past 47 days for West Coast Express users

TransLink and local mayors are apologizing to West Coast Express users about a string of recent lengthy delays.

TransLink leases the tracks from the Canadian Pacific Rail (CP Rail) for a certain time during the day, but CP is not clearing the tracks in time, and caught in the middle are West Coast Express riders.

On Monday, passengers found an open letter from the Mayors’ Council and TransLink on their seats, saying that in the past 47 operating days, between Oct. 1 and Dec. 8, West Coast Express trains have had 319 station delays, which translated to more than 80 hours of holdups.

“We know this has had serious impacts on your ability to get to work on time, make appointments and get home to your family at the end of the day,” said the letter signed by TransLink CEO Kevin Desmond and British Columbia Rapid Transit Company President Vivienne King.

It blames disruptions by CP freight activities for the delays.

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“These service delays are not acceptable to you or to us,” said the letter. “We have repeatedly reached out to senior CP officials to ensure they take all the necessary steps to restore the reliable service that you expect and that CP is obligated by contract to provide.”

But despite assurances from CP, the letter says the situation has not yet improved.

It’s calling for the federal government to help press for an immediate fix to the delays.

About 5,000 people use West Coast Express to get into downtown Vancouver every day.

“It is sporadic. You never really know when it can happen,” one commuter told Global News. “It kind of ruins your day.”

In a separate letter dated Dec. 6 and addressed to the mayors, CP says they recognize the disruptions are a great inconvenience to commuters and that they are actively working with TransLink to find solutions.

“We have no plans to actively delay the West Coast Express. Quite to the contrary, we understand the commuters have obligations and rely on timely service. We do our best to avoid delays, but possibility exists that they will happen.”

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CP also says grain volumes have increased in recent months, creating congestion on the mainline; and it’s time to think about the future needs of freight and passenger services coexisting on the same tracks.

On Tuesday morning, the West Coast Express trains were, for the most part, on time.

-With files from Jordan Armstrong