TransLink has opened a new bus loop at Richmond-Brighouse Station to help ease traffic on Number 3 Road, provide customers with more space and allow for future bus service expansion in Richmond.
The new loop serves five bus routes in addition to the N10 NightBus and has the space to accommodate articulated buses in the future.
“The Canada Line has made a profound impact in Richmond. The further fostering of transit use through projects such as the much-anticipated bus loop supports Richmond’s mobility and environmental goals,” said Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie. “The Richmond-Brighouse Bus loop will enhance and consolidate transit connections between the Canada Line with many of the routes that feed in and out of the rapidly growing city center, keeping our local economy moving.”
The new loop includes:
- Spacious waiting areas with large bus shelters to improve comfort.
- Enhanced lighting to improve safety.
- New crosswalks for ease of access between the new loop and Richmond Centre.
- A sheltered HandyDART pick-up location.
- New bike lockers to make cycling to and from transit an easier choice.
- An acoustic wall to mitigate bus-related light and noise impacts for adjacent residences.
- Enhanced pedestrian connections.
The on-street bus exchange served nearly 12,000 customers on an average weekday last year and is an important transfer point for bus customers connecting with Canada Line. The new bus loop will move the loading areas for five routes and the N10 NightBus off Number 3 Road, which will improve traffic flow and provide a more spacious and convenient transfer point for customers.
“Richmond-Brighouse is a very important transfer point on our system, with nearly 12,000 of our customers using the on-street bus exchange each weekday last year. Centrally located in Richmond, this new bus loop improves the customer experience and will be able to serve a growing number of commuters over many years to come,” said TransLink CEO Kevin Desmond.
The C$8.5-million (US$6.5-million) investment for the project was paid for through the Public Transit Infrastructure Fund (PTIF), with an additional C$2 million (US$1.5 million) contribution by the city of Richmond for the loop’s design. PTIF is funded by the government of Canada (50 percent), the government of British Columbia (33 percent) and TransLink (17 percent).
