Those traveling on the crowded Canada Line might soon get a little extra elbow room.

In an announcement made in Richmond on Friday, TransLink CEO Kevin Desmond shared that 24 cars will be added to the Canada Line by the end of 2020, increasing capacity on the trains by up to 30 per cent.

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“This is a truly great day for the region as well for the hundreds of thousands of people who rely daily on public transportation,” said Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie at the announcement. “You just have to look to Richmond to see the effect on urban development and redevelopment that a very effective transportation system will have.”

Brodie also praised the combined efforts of all levels of government.

“I don’t ever recall a time when all the parties were so focused on the need for public transportation in order to improve the livability of our cities now and going into the future,” he said.

Twenty-eight Expo and Millennium line cars will also be added by 2019 and an additional 28 will be added by the end of 2019, three years ahead of schedule. These additional train cars will allow for an additional 8,200 passengers per peak hour.

“As the region grows, we need to ensure the transit system grows with it,” said Premier John Horgan, who was present at the announcement.

The total investment for the 80 new cars is $298 million: $210 million for the 56 Expo and Millennium Line cars and $88 million for Canada Line. The expansion is funded through the Public Transit Infrastructure Fund.

