So this was my commute home tonight:
At 6pm, I get to the Olympic Village Station on the Canada Line. I can see two trains with open doors on both sides of the platform with a fuck ton of people standing around. Great, here we go again.
After standing around the platform for awhile, I hear Translink control telling everyone of the delay. They're only broadcasting it through the train speakers and not the platform speakers. It wasn't until some 15 min after I heard the first message did I hear the announcement over the platform speaker. By then, though, the message had already been repeated multiple times in the trains themselves.
Some more waiting and I see the ETA screens change. Instead of saying Richmond-Brighouse or YVR Airport, it now says Oakridge-41st with a scrolling text saying the trains will run as far as Oakridge. I saw this message displayed for another 15 minutes before Command Central announced they would only run the trains as far as Oakridge.
Thanks tips.
(This was the last time command central would talk to us. From here they only ran the generic 'Canada Line is experiencing delays' message).
I was constantly checking the News 1130 Twitter page and they had stated that Translink set up a bus bridge at Oakrige that would take us to Bridgeport. I was thinking 'great, they're on the ball now'.
So eventually the trains start running but due to the queue of people, every time a train stopped at Olympic Village, I'd say about only 3 people were able to fit on the train. I said fuck it and got on the Waterfront bound train and just stayed on it till it reversed course. Still no updates from Command Central.
So after more waiting at each station, I eventually got to Oakridge where we all had to disembark. There was only one green jacket there and he said we had to go downstairs and cross 41st and wait on the other side for the Bus. An older gentleman yelled 'how do I get to Marine?' to which the green jacket replied with the same reply. At least it filled me with confidence that I knew where I had to be to meet the bus.
So I cross the street and already see a huge lineup of people waiting at a stop. Figured this had to be it. A woman asked me if this is where we board the Bridgeport bus. I told her yes as I remembered what the green jacket said.
After almost 2 dozen NIS buses drive by, one eventually pulls over. I thought 'finally, I can get home'. The Bus pulls to the side and the driver starts hurrying everyone in. The same woman in front of me asked if this was Richmond bound the driver just said 'I'm going as far as Dunbar. If you don't know where that is, you'll know once I make that turn'.
lolwut
I just waited for the bus to pass Oak but I couldn't get off till Granville because idiots wouldn't let me off the bus.
Rather than lose my cool like I did on Friday, I went to call a cab. By sheer luck, I saw a cab waiting at the intersection of Granville and 41st with the light on. Ran over through deep fucking curb snow because the light was about to turn green. I knocked on his window and said 'take me to Lansdowne mall'. He did.
Cab ride was $21 before tip. I did not care. I was just happy to be home. I can recoup that loss easy. Took me 2.5 hours to get home. Would've been longer had I relied completely on Translink.
Translink did a shit poor ass job communicating anything. I don't even know if the bus bridge at Oakridge even happened?
Translink was stating via command central that there was a problem car near Marine Drive. News 1130 reported the issue was actually on the Bridge itself. You know, like what fucking happened on Friday. So they either half assed fixed the issue on Friday or it was a fresh issue on the same structure. Like we'll ever fucking know.
Fuck Translink. If Corporations are people, then Translink is Scumbag Steve. | 