Weather and wildlife made for a busy start to the Tuesday morning commute for local SkyTrain and West Coast Express riders.
First there was flooding, then a bear showed up, giving TransLink staff a lot to deal with and inconveniencing a few hundred commuters.
Staff had to deal with the wild weather overnight when a plugged drain between Burquitlam Station and the tunnel on the Evergreen Extension resulted in about a foot of water on the tracks. Crews spotted the issue in an early morning sweep before the first train at 5:05 a.m. and immediately cleaned up the area, which is in a dip between the station and the tunnel.
“It was almost a foot of water, our trains simply couldn’t run through until we completely cleaned the drain,” said TransLink spokesperson Chris Bryan, noting, “We do routinely check those things. We’re definitely keeping an eye on that spot there."
The cleanup delayed the first morning train by about 40 minutes, Bryan said.
Then, at 8:10 a.m., the West Coast Express platform at Coquitlam Central Station had to be evacuated until a small black bear left the area.
Bryan said that with safety the top priority, the Vancouver-bound train couldn’t stop while the bear was on the platform, leaving about 250 commuters stranded.
That meant passengers who would normally hop on the commuter rail train were told to choose the Evergreen Extension of the Millennium Line instead.
Eventually, the bear left the area by climbing over the railing and meandering into the trees.
“Anyone who lives in the Tri-Cities know wildlife is part of life around there. It’s not too surprising to see that kind of thing,” Bryan said.
• This story was corrected to include the time the flooding was cleaned up and the delay to the first Evergreen Extension train Tuesday morning.
