TransLink to spend $150M on buses, SkyTrain by 2010

TransLink plans tospend $150 million on more buses and SkyTrain cars over the next two years, of which $47 million will come from theBritish Columbiagovernment.

The money will buy 20 new electric trolleys, 11 articulated diesel buses to be used as spares, and 72 standard diesel-electric hybrids, the transportation authority announced Friday.

TransLink said in a release it will also buy 14 more SkyTrain cars, which should be operational by February 2010. Translink says the purchases will augment the system's capacity by 11,000 people a day.

The decision was made two weeks ago, but Translink chairman Dale Parker told reporters ata news conference the board waited until today to make the news public so the province could participate in the announcement.

"We wanted an opportunity to discuss it with our partners and find a convenient date when we could have an announcement," Parker said.

The new buses will be delivered between December of 2009 and May of 2010, he said.