Discover the Savary Island

• Savary Island overview
• British Columbia history
• British Columbia...

British Columbia transportation History Public Transit in British Columbia consists mainly of diesel buses, although the City of Transportation played a major role in British Vancouver is also serviced by a fleet of Columbia history. The Rocky Mountains and the electric buses. TransLink operates SkyTrain, ranges west of them constituted a significant a light rapid transit system serving obstacle to overland travel until the Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster, and completion of the transcontinental railway in North Surrey. Presently, extensions of the 1885. The Peace River Canyon through the line south to Richmond (the Canada Line) and Rocky Mountains was the route that the east to Coquitlam and Port Moody (the earliest explorers and fur traders used. Evergreen  Line)  are  being  developed. Along with that route, overland travel from the rest of Canada involved using a Rail combination of trails and wagon roads (such as the Cariboo Wagon Road). The difficulty of The completion of the Canadian Pacific overland travel prior to 1885 meant that most Railway (CPR) in 1885 was a condition of transportation to and from the region British Columbia's entry into the Canadian occurred via the Pacific Ocean, primarily Confederation. Rail development expanded through the ports of Victoria and New greatly in the subsequent decades, and was Westminster. the chief mode of long-distance surface transportation until the expansion and Until the 1930s, rail was the only means of improvement of the provincial highways system overland travel to and from the rest of began in the 1950s. Apart from the CPR, Canada — travellers using motor numerous other lines were developed. Two vehicles needed to journey through the United major routes through the Yellowhead Pass States. With the construction of the competed with the CPR — the Grand Inter-Provincial Highway in 1932 (now known Trunk Pacific, terminating at Prince Rupert, as the Crowsnest Pass Highway), and later the and the Canadian National Railway (CNR), Trans-Canada Highway, road transportation terminating at Vancouver. The Pacific Great evolved into the preferred mode of overland Eastern (PGE) line supplemented this service, travel  to  and from the rest of the country. providing a north-south route between Interior resource communities and the coast. Roads  and  highways The PGE (later known as British Columbia Railway and now owned by CNR) connects Fort Due to its size and rugged, varying St. James, Fort Nelson, and Tumbler Ridge topography, British Columbia requires with  North  Vancouver. thousands of kilometres of provincial highways to connect its communities. British Water Columbia's roads systems were notoriously poorly maintained and dangerous until a BC Ferries was established as a provincial concentrated programme of improvement was crown corporation in 1960 to provide initiated in the 1950s and 60s. There are now passenger and vehicle ferry service between freeways in the Lower Mainland and Central Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland as a Interior of the province, and much of the cheaper and more reliable alternative to the rest of the province is accessible by service operated by the CPR. It now operates well-maintained two lane arterial highways 25 routes among the islands of British with additional passing lanes in mountainous Columbia, as well as between the islands and areas. The building and maintenance of the mainland. Ferry service to Washington is provincial highways is the responsibility of offered by the Washington State Ferries the  provincial  government. (between Sidney and Anacortes) and Black Ball Ferries (between Victoria and Port Angeles). There are four major routes through the Rocky Ferry service over inland lakes and rivers is Mountains to the rest of Canada. From south provided  by  the  provincial  government. to north they are: The Crowsnest Pass Highway through Sparwood, the Trans-Canada Highway Commercial ocean transport is of vital through Banff National Park, the Yellowhead importance. Major ports are located at Highway through Jasper National Park, and Vancouver, Roberts Bank (near Tsawwassen), Highway 2 through Dawson Creek. There are Prince Rupert, and Victoria. Of these, the also several highway crossings to the Port of Vancouver is the most important, adjoining American states of Washington, being the largest in Canada and the most Idaho, and Montana. The longest highway is diversified in North America. Vancouver, Highway 97, running 2081 km from the Victoria, and Prince Rupert are also major BC-Washington border at Osoyoos north to ports  of  call  for  cruise  ships. Watson  Lake,  Yukon. Air Surface  public  transit There are over 200 airports located Prior to 1978, surface public transit was throughout B.C, the major ones being the administered by BC Hydro (formerly British Vancouver International Airport (YVR), the Columbia Electric), the provincial crown Victoria International Airport (YYJ), the corporation responsible for the production Kelowna International Airport (YLW), and the and distribution of electricity. Prince George International Airport (YXS), Subsequently, the province established BC the first three of which each served over Transit to oversee and operate all municipal 1,000,000 passengers in 2005. Vancouver transportation systems. In 1998, TransLink, a International Airport is the second busiest separate authority for the Greater Vancouver airport in the country with an estimated 16 Regional  District,  was  established. million travellers passing through in 2005. 1 A B C D E F 79 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 98 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130