NEW! BC Transit is undertaking a survey to better understand the implications for businesses of establishing a rapid transit system connecting Victoria to the West Shore via Douglas Street. Property owners, business owners and customers along the planned rapid transit alignment will be surveyed. For additional details, see our Community Consultation page.
The Victoria Regional Rapid Transit Project (VRRTP) is using a “clean-sheet” approach to develop rapid transit options that will provide a safe, convenient, reliable, attractive and green alternative to automobile travel in the Capital Region, beginning with connections to the West Shore. The project is being undertaken as a partnership of three organizations: the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, the Capital Regional District, and BC Transit.
Rapid transit is a transit system designed to improve travel time, reliability, passenger comfort and convenience along an exclusive right-of-way. A rapid transit system provides frequent, high-capacity service that runs all day, every day. It is a service whose time has come in the Capital Region, which experiences heavy transit demand all day, particularly to and from the core area which stretches from downtown Victoria to Uptown (Town & Country).
Rapid transit is not a substitute or replacement for local bus service or commuter rail, which perform different functions. Local bus service operates in mixed traffic and has more closely-spaced stops. Commuter rail connects distant centres during peak commuting hours.
Click here for a table illustrating a range of rapid transit technologies, some of which will be more suitable to the Capital Region’s needs than others.
Light Rail Transit (LRT), Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and tram/streetcar systems each have their advantages and enthusiasts. At this stage, we don’t know which way Victoria’s system will go. What we do know is that all rapid transit alignments being considered will be capable of accommodating any of these technologies. Under the clean-sheet approach, the first step is ensuring that the system actually takes people where they want to go. The choice of the type of vehicle will follow, based on a variety of factors including ability to attract ridership and affordability.
The process of identifying and approving a rapid transit alignment between the West Shore and Victoria began with a data collection and planning exercise. This work examined current and forecast origin/destination travel patterns throughout the Greater Victoria area to ensure potential solutions are being assessed in a broad regional network context. This was followed by the identification and confirmation of regional transit corridors and the development of rapid transit alignment options. These options were screened for general suitability to create a short list, which in turn received more detailed analysis and evaluation before the preferred alignment was chosen to conclude the first steps of the project. In the next phase, work will begin on a detailed design, and include the evaluation of various rapid transit technologies, leading to a business case for approval and implementation.
Click on the boxes below for details on each stage of the process. For additional project information, just follow the links on the left side of the page.