TransLink is currently leading a study to determine the best approach to deliver high-capacity, fast, frequent, and reliable rapid transit for the Broadway Corridor from Commercial Drive to UBC. A number of technologies and alignment options are being considered, including rail rapid transit (e.g. SkyTrain), surface light rail transit, and bus rapid transit.

The City of Vancouver is directly involved as a partner agency in the study. In April 2010, City Council endorsed ten principles to guide City input into this process ( http://vancouver/ubcline/principles ).

Visit http://vancouver.ca/ubcline to learn more about this work, including upcoming public engagement events.

Regarding City of Vancouver vs Metro Vancouver:
I think we certainly need to consider the whole of the lower mainland, but it's important to keep in mind that many of the users of the east/west corridor are coming from the skytrain system and outside of the city proper. Just because the proposed rapid transit lie entirely within City of Vancouver boundaries, doesn't mean it's just built for city proper residents, it's for everyone who needs to commute in the translink system.

Regarding Ekai's comments:
Translink can certainly do a lot more with the existing buses. Route 99 desperately needs its own lane. Buses on Broadway often have to stop at traffic lights and wait for someone trying to parallel park on street. Having a road system that prioritizes the buses would tremendously improve speed and reliability. However, this does not mean an underground option should be thrown out of discussion because Metro Vancouver must think bigger about our future. In the fifties, city planners thought there'd be a million and half people in the region and that would require a lot of infrastructure. But look today, more than 2 million and we are still growing fast. Our infrastructure planning has always been too conservative. When we do realize that we need an underground rapid transit, it may be too late and we'd be asking ourselves, why didn't we decide earlier?

an east-west train is definitely needed. but an underground line is totally financially irresponsible. Electric busses (or even larger vehicles, like the Bline but 3 sections?) running broadway COUPLED with traffic priority (eg. restructuring of the broadway lights and traffic system, dedication of bus lane) would do wonders for students and anyone else travelling east/west and would also be fairly affordable for translink.

with 6 buslines, 2 fast ones, going west from cambie and br way???????how much faster did u plan on going??

Anonymous brings up an important point - is it meaningful to talk about Vancouver being sustainable or do we need to think about the whole of the lower Fraser River and adjacent waters.

Isn't this a Translink issue not a Vancouver city issue?

No streetcar on this particular route please, I'd like a seamless journey from the Millennium Line to the Canada Line. Transfer to B-line or streetcar, what's the difference, it's still a transfer.

Skytrain technology certainly wasn't the best and cheapest choice, however on this particular route it's what we have, so lets finish it correctly. Keep it fast and out of traffic to act as a RAPID transit line.

If you want slower local service on Broadway we already have a trolley bus route, we don't need to replace one electric vehicle with another. We're trying to replace the diesel 99 in this situation, not the 9, let's not forget that fact.

Maybe this would be a solution?
http://vancouver.uservoice.com/forums/56390-gc-2020/suggestions/942399-build-an-underground-ubc-line-skytrain-along-the-b

We should link SFU and UBC directly by rapid transit, flowing this through the ECUAD and integrating VCC campuses where we can. Our future depends on education and we should better integrate transportation into education. It would also be nice to have better access to the North Shore Mountains and to the ferries.

@Peter Finch

We can do all of those things by reserving a lane in each direction for electric trolley buses. However this does not help people trying to travel greater distances in a reasonable amount of time. We need a true rail rapid transit connection that extends the Millennium Line through Central Broadway to UBC. This would be below grade as a subway, while the prioritized trolley buses would travel at street level. A subway with the spacing of the #99 B-Line would have gigantic ridership and move people over longer distances more quickly and with much greater reliability than buses or streetcars.

Here is where a streetcar can be the perfect fit. Moving large numbers of people in a degree of comfort [fully accessible, 100% low floor, air conditioned] while moderating traffic flow would solve many of the problems of the West Broadway corridor. The result would be that all traffic would move slower, but on average travel time on the east-west axis would decrease because streetcars would trigger traffic lights to cycle at whatever speed they are moving at. Less traffic chaos, fewer accidents and a more people-friendly atmosphere which would benefit businesses.