With four new Canada Line cars heading into service Tuesday, more people will be able to move between Richmond and Vancouver during peak hours.

The new cars mean there will be a 15 per cent increase — about 800 additional riders — in service during peak hours.

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That number will jump to 35 per cent — another 1,200 riders — when the remaining eight cars are rolled out later this year, according to TransLink’s CEO Kevin Desmond.

The announcement was made by TransLink — along with Mayor Malcolm Brodie — at Brighouse Canada Line station Tuesday morning.

“Since its inception in 2009, the Canada Line has made a profound impact in Richmond,” said Brodie.

“Our city is a diverse and vibrant community. The Canada Line has played a key role in our strategic growth and furthered our commitment to environmental sustainability.”

According to Brodie, Richmond’s vision for the city’s growth dates back approximately 25 years. That vision was to build up Richmond from city centre to the north end, based on transit-oriented development.

“The redevelopment of our city centre, which you see all around us, has been implemented in large part based on the introduction of the Canada Line and the reliable access to rapid transit that it provides,” said Brodie.

According to TransLink, 2019 was the first time the Canada Line saw more than 50 million boardings. And on an average day last year, there were more than 150,000 trips — a three per cent increase from 2018.

Around 21 per cent of riders use the Canada Line to travel to or from YVR, according to the transit authority.

“It’s been an incredible decade for development here in Richmond and Vancouver, spurred along by the Canada Line which was clearly the right solution for this part region of the region going forward,” said Kevin Desmond, TransLink’s CEO.

“The moment (the Canada Line) started running, customers lined up for blocks like people lining up in an Apple store for a new iPhone, for example, and ridership has been growing ever since.”

The new cars, delivered through the Public Transit Infrastructure Fund (PTIF), cost $88 million, 50 per cent of which was funded by the federal government. Another 33 per cent was funded by the province, and 17 per cent funded by TransLink.

The Canada Line Operation and Maintenance Centre was also upgraded to support the service increase, and three new escalators were installed at Canada Line stations last year. These investments, at a total of $36 million, were also funded by the PTIF.

The remaining eight cars are in the process of being delivered from South Korea, where they were built by Hyundai Rotem. Once they arrive in the Lower Mainland, they will go through testing and commissioning before being certified for revenue service later this year.

Exciting day in #RichmondBC as @TransLink officially announces the roll out of additional #canadaline rail cars, providing much needed increased capacity. pic.twitter.com/n3FYvtyzoh — Matt Pitcairn (@MPitcairn) January 21, 2020