TransLink seeks a new design for a third SeaBus, which it expects will be constructed by fall, 2018.
In a request for proposals issued Oct. 28, TransLink wrote that it requires a contractor to update and improve upon the design of its newest SeaBus, the Burrard Otter II, which began operating in 2014.
“The updated specifications shall emphasize maintainability, while minimizing life-cycle costs, environmental impacts, customer impacts, operating company impacts and ensuring compatibility with current SeaBus infrastructure, operations, and maintenance,” the document says.
TransLink seeks to improve convenience for cyclists, people using mobility aids and strollers and people with visual or hearing impairments. As well, it hopes the new design will reduce motion while docking and cut fuel consumption and emissions, according to the RFP.
TransLink currently has two SeaBuses providing service every 15 minutes during peak periods. The original SeaBuses, both built in 1977, were taken out of service in 2010 and 2014. One is being used as a maintenance spare and the other is undergoing upgrades. A third SeaBus will mean sailings every 10 minutes.
According to the Mayors’ Council on Regional Transportation, “the increased service would attract riders and reduce pressure on crowded buses and traffic on the Lions Gate and Ironworkers Memorial bridges.”
Once preliminary design drawings are completed, TransLink will undertake another RFP to contract the vessel’s construction. Design and construction are expected to take place between summer 2017 and fall 2018, although that timeline is dependent on funding approval, which TransLink expects by mid- to late-December this year.
In June, the federal and provincial governments announced $740 million in transit funding, but it will be up to the Mayors’ Council and the province to reach an agreement on where that money is spent. The estimated capital cost of a third SeaBus is $31.2 million and annual operating costs are $4.7 million, according to the Mayors’ Council.
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