It was ‘all aboard’ recently as Mayor Gregor Robertson, Member of Parliament Russ Hiebert (Surrey-White Rock-Cloverdale), and Raymond Bachant, president of Bombardier Transportation North America stepped on board the Olympic Line for the inaugural ride on Vancouver’s 2010 streetcar between Granville Island and the Olympic Village Canada Line Station.
“The City is very proud to be a partner in this innovative demonstration project,” said Mayor Robertson. “I encourage everyone, citizens and visitors alike, to come on down and enjoy the free rides over the next 60 days.”
The two streetcars, on loan from the Brussels Transport Company in Belgium, will runeverysixto 10minutes each daybetween 6:30 am and 12:30 am. Platforms are located at the intersection of Anderson Street and West 2nd Avenue/ Lamey’s Mill Road at Granville Island, and adjacent to the Olympic Village Canada Line Station at Cambie Street and West 2nd Avenue. The streetcars will operate between January 21 and March 21, 2010.
“Bombardier is proud of its part nership with the City of Vancouver, whose vision of sustainable development is a model for cities in North America,” said Raymond Bachant, President, Bombardier North America. “We are confident these award-winning vehicles will demonstrate the potential role streetcars can play in the future of transportation in Metro Vancouver.” Bombardier Transporta tion will operate and maintain the vehicles during the streetcar demonstration project while the City of Vancouver will provide staff from its Host CityTeam at both the Olympic Village and Granville Island streetcar stops. The Flexity streetcars will be returned to Brussels after the 2010 Winter Games.
The Olympic Line project recently won a Sustainability Star from the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, which acknowledges a p roduct, service or initiative that represents a new solution to local and global sustainability challenges.
For more information on sustainable transportation options during the 2010 Winter Games, visit http://travelsmart2010.ca/ . For more information on theOlympic Line, visit the Host City website at http://vancouver.ca/
About Bombardier Transportation , the global leader in rail technology, offers the broadest portfolio in the rail industry and delivers innovative products and services that set new standards in sustainable mobility. BOMBARDIER ECO4 technologies - built on the four cornerstones of energy, efficiency, economy and ecology - conserve energy, protect the environmentandhelptoimprovetotal train performance. Bombardier Transportation is head‑quartered in Berlin, Germany and has a presence in over 60 countries. It has an installed base of over 100,000 vehicles worldwide. For more information, visit www.transportation.bombardier.com and www.vancouverstreetcar.bombadier.com
