Translink promises quick response to future SkyTrain woes in Metro Vancouver

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VANCOUVER – Metro Vancouver’s transit authority is crafting a policy for reimbursing commuters put out by any disruptions to the SkyTrain system.

Translink spokeswoman Anne Drennan says a policy should be in place as early as next month.

On Tuesday, a motor failure on a train brought 19 trains to a halt, stranding commuters for about two hours around the afternoon rush hour, but free rides were not offered.

Last month, Translink offered free rides after a spark from routine track maintenance ignited a bird’s nest under a track, shutting down SkyTrain from about 11 p.m. to past the next morning’s rush hour.

Drennan says various problems have disrupted SkyTrain four times since May, but the latest issue hadn’t been seen in 30 years; she described the system as reliable 95 per cent of the time.

She says that by October, Translink will hire 64 new SkyTrain attendants who can respond to any problems within 20 minutes to reassure commuters and manually drive trains between stations.

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