The Olympic Line Streetcar

Vancouver’s newest transit line has opened, just in time for the Olympics.

The new Olympic Line Streetcar travels between Granville Island and the Olympic Station of the underground CanadaLine – a short, quick and free trip.

The streetcars are on loan from Brussels, courtesy of Bombardier. The 1.8 km distance is covered in just a few minutes, at speeds of up to 50 km/hr. Mid-way through the journey, the two streetcars cross each other along the short route. The streetcar is fully accessible for strollers and wheelchairs – easy on and off onto the door-level platforms.

The Streetcar’s connections between Granville Island and the CanadaLine station at the Olympic Village promise some great opportunities to access Yaletown, downtown Vancouver, Oakridge Mall, south Vancouver and even Richmond during the Games.

The Olympic Line will remain free to the public from now and throughout February during the Olympic Winter Games. For a schedule and map, visit the City of Vancouver’s Host City web page.

Judging by its crowded cars full of enthusiastic transit users on this opening weekend, the Olympic Line Streetcar promises to be a very busy people-mover over the next six weeks.