After much anticipation, The Vine on Mill Plain is finally here. Countless hours of planning and construction were put in by multiple contractors and C-TRAN staff. Construction crews worked along the corridor in phases, sometimes at 4:00 a.m., sometimes at 7:00 p.m. They worked in rain and shine digging station footprints, installing steel shelters, and performing electrical work for the 37 stations along the new route, stretching ten miles from Downtown Vancouver to the new Mill Plain Transit Center.
Being our second bus rapid transit (BRT) line following the launch of The Vine on Fourth Plain in 2017, we had a better idea of what to expect this time around. Transforming the Mill Plain corridor into a BRT line was no easy feat, yet the project finished ahead of schedule and under budget. We broke ground on the line on Tuesday, September 28, 2021, and the route went into service on October 1, 2023, almost exactly two years to the date that construction kicked off.
The advantage of BRT over regular fixed-route buses is more efficient service—level boarding platforms, on-board bike racks, larger buses, and more frequent service are just a few benefits. Mill Plain is one of the busiest traffic corridors in Vancouver, making it a natural fit for the second location in the county to get the BRT treatment. We’re currently in the planning stages of our next two BRT lines: The Vine on Highway 99, and The Vine on Fourth Plain Extension.
Here’s a look back at the project over the course of construction, from concept to reality.
