Tag Archives: Canada Line

Olympic Line (from Granville Island to Cambie Station)

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078 The two streetcars are on loan from Belgium Transport Company spotlight Bombardier technology. The track runs from Granville Island to Cambie Station. Trips are free and run 18 hours a day.

Using the existing Downtown Historic Railway, these 100% low-floor modern streetcars will operate on the 1.8-km of upgraded rail infrastructure. The upgrade is the result of an $8.5 million investment by the City of Vancouver with a $500,000 contribution from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, the administrator of Granville Island.

Even at 4PM on Sunday, we got on the next train. Everyone’s in a great mood and talkative. Lots of families are out and about and I haven’t seen that many people at the Olympic Village Canada Line station. The trip takes less than 5 minutes, but it’s worth the ride if you’re in the area. The ride is quiet and smooth. Maybe we should consider a streetcar from the Skytrain station on Clark to UBC.

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The trip takes less than 5 minutes, but it’s worth the ride if you’re in the area. The ride is quiet and smooth. Maybe we should consider a streetcar from the Skytrain station on Clark to UBC.

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Lots of folks out and about. This is the first time I’ve seen the Olympic Village Canada Line Station this busy.

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Vancouver’s streets are filling………….with cameras and things

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I spent some time on Granville Street this morning, admiring the new (and unusual) art installations on the Pedestrian Mall.  There was plenty of room to walk and to observe, and several people were taking advantage of the chance to take photos….before the street was filled with Olympic guests.  I saw a volunteer in her Smurf-blue jacket, having her picture taken with a friend, and talked with a lady with a lovely European accent and a very impressive camera.  Turns out she lives here, just wanted to take her shots while it was still easy to do.

The only sad note was the fellow traveller whose wallet had “gone missing” from his pocket somewhere.  Stay Alert – we knew this could happen.

On the Canada Line, I saw several luggage-laden folks headed to the Airport – avoiding the rush, I suppose.  Photographer Scott is headed to Viet Nam for a month, blogging about his trip along the way; Nikki shares that she is staying here, and sometimes puts her photos on a blog.  Both of them had their cameras out and focused, as did a local News Celeb (could that be Ian Hanomansing – setting up a piece with a CBC cameraman in attendance?).  It was interesting to see them at work.  Note to self: watch tonight’s  CBC evening News!

Our streets are filling…..with cameras and things.  Stay alert, so those things don’t belong to you.

Major Olympic sponsor Coca-Cola brings staff from all over the world

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What a great ride!  I just shared the front car of the Canada Line with six of Coke’s representatives.  Splendid in their Santa-red jackets – that wonderful clear red that just happens to be my favourite colour – they were wonderful spokespeople for their company and its culture.  Indeed, it made me reflect that their company’s global employee roster probably outnumbers the population of several nations.

Together, they were a mini-United Nations, gathered from around the globe – two from Eastern Canada, one from Houston, Texas, two from Europe and another from Australia. They were marketing managers, product development supervisors, a truck driver, a product design specialist – an engaging assortment of interesting people, looking forward to their responsibilities over the next three weeks.

It was my pleasure to be the ambassador here, the one on her ‘home turf’ who could say “Welcome” and “Enjoy your stay”.  We are so lucky, I think, to have so many chances to make new acquaintances and share smiles along the way.  In the lottery of life, being born a Canadian has to rank high on the ‘winning ticket’ list.  In this case, it came with a fun experience……and my very first Olympic pin!   The “Red Birds” have landed; who knew that would happen today?

I talk to Smurfs – welcome the world to Vancouver!

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Well, it’s finally here!  After all the rhetoric, arguments, ups and downs, hypes and lows…..it’s here! We are going live in Vancouver, in February 2010, and the world is truly arriving on our doorsteps..

How do I know this for sure?  Well, I have this from the very best of sources.  You see, I talk to Smurfs! That is not my name for them; I am talking about the 25,000 volunteers who are now roaming our streets, riding our buses, taking our trains, and wearing their beautiful Olympic-colored suits, which one of them described to me as “making them look like Smurfs!”.  They are certainly a beautiful shade of not-quite-turquoise-blue, complete with those famous 5 intertwined rings, and they are outstanding as well as standing out in the crowd.

My newest passion in transit is to talk to a Smurf, and – so far, at least – that campaign has been successful.

I have met a banker on leave from his bank in Toronto, a teacher here from Calgary, and – just yesterday – an interesting fellow from the United States who, in his non-Smurf life, runs high-tech companies.  I know a few more of these generous souls personally – realtors, former Olympians, retirees – and they have several things in common.

They love people, they care a great deal, they share a true pride in their countries, and they want to be involved. They also deserve our smiles, our greetings and our grateful support for helping to get this remarkable job done!

Be a sport yourself, I’d say – find a Smurf and greet them today!  Just look for the folks in blue.

Thoughts on a train

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…well, actually, that should read “thoughts on a Canada Line train”, because that’s what I was riding yesterday.  I live in Vancouver, Canada, where we will soon host the world for next year’s Winter Games.  In preparation for that event, one of the new and exciting advantages our Greater Metropolitan Area now boasts is a world-class addition to our Skytrain system (our legacy from hosting Expo 86), running from our downtown harbour core to the Vancouver International Airport (YVR).  That has been named the ‘Canada Line’ (sorry – I don’t know either….).

Now, for those of you who live outside our city, you should know that most of this transit rail line runs underground, so ‘taking the train’ is also a bit like spending some time in a time capsule.  It is its own little microcosm, a sort of ‘thin slice’ of our city and the people in it, and every ride has a flavour all its own.

Yesterday, I rode and sat and listened to my fellow riders.  It was dinner time, my car filled with people going home from work or however they spent their day.  Some travelled alone in thought, some nodded silent greetings to others, many were occupied in some sort of electronic exchange – iPods, cell phones – and a few were engaged in actual conversations.  What struck me most was that it was not until I had exited my train that I heard a single word in my own language.

A young couple with their baby in a stroller were talking to the baby, each other, and – in passing – to me.  I love that about this city: every day I can be exposed to so many different cultures and cuisines, languages and histories.  It made me wonder about other people’s experiences travelling today.

Did you take a bus in Surrey, ride the SeaBus to North Van, cycle in White Rock, park your car in Langley, walk around Deep Cove, take a ferry from Horseshoe Bay, rollerblade around Stanley Park?  What did YOU see and hear?

Where else did YOU go?  Did you take the subway in New York, ride the Marta in Altanta or take the train from the airport into downtown Athens, Greece?  Maybe you walked in Picadilly Circus or took a stroll in Beijing.  I hope you had a pleasant time and shared a smile along the way.  Please take a moment to share YOUR experience with me; write a comment and give us a ‘thin slice’ of your world today.