R2 Marine-Willingdon RapidBus

The peak hour #222 Metrotown/Phibbs Exchange route will be discontinued. The new R2 Extension will replace the #222 with all-day service, seven days a week, to add more capacity and alleviate overcrowding.

The #130 Metrotown/Phibbs Exchange route will continue to provide local service, with most trips terminating at Kootenay Loop. Customers needing to continue to Phibbs Exchange can transfer to the new R2 Marine-Willingdon RapidBus.

This corridor is currently served by Route 222, which operates only during weekday peak hours and does not run on weekends, providing limited access. Thousands of transit riders travelling between the North Shore and Metrotown experience long travel times and overcrowding. Demand on this corridor continues to grow, and the extension responds to the need for stronger transit connections between the North Shore and Burnaby.

The R2 Marine-Willingdon RapidBus will provide more frequent, all-day service with larger buses and more capacity when compared to the existing Route 222.

In Burnaby, the R2 Marine-Willingdon RapidBus will also connect the areas between Metrotown, Brentwood Town Centre, and Burnaby Heights with a new high frequency, high-capacity transit service that aligns with its Official Community Plan and Transportation Plan.

The R2 Marine-Willingdon will replace the existing Route 222 and provide an enhanced experience for customers that the RapidBus is known for – including all day service and larger buses.

The existing 222 is a limited-stop, peak-hour only weekday service running from 6:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.). It does not provide service on weekends. It runs between Phibbs Exchange and Metrotown with additional stops at BCIT, Brentwood, Burnaby Heights, and Boundary Road.

Route 130 will continue to provide local service with frequent stops, but most northbound trips will now end at Kootenay Loop. Customers needing to continue to Phibbs Exchange can transfer to the R2 Marine-Willingdon RapidBus – with a new stop at Kootenay Loop.

• Frequency on Route 130 will be adjusted to every 10-minutes at peak and every 15-30 minutes off-peak once the R2 Marine-Willingdon RapidBus enters service.

• All off-peak trips will end at Kootenay Loop, while two peak trips per hour will continue to Phibbs Exchange.

The extension increases frequency and capacity, and its limited-stop design is expected to improve travel times compared with Route 130. Travel times between Phibbs Exchange and Metrotown are currently estimated to decrease by 20 to 30% compared with the existing service on Route 130. This project will also increase capacity along the Willingdon corridor and on the North Shore. While increase at peak periods is expected to be modest, off-peak capacity on Willingdon is expected to rise by at least 50%.

Future Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) planning will consider additional measures to further improve reliability.

New stops are being added where spacing between existing stops is larger than ideal and where there are opportunities to serve more people.

• Hastings and Gilmore: to better connect customers to the Burnaby Heights neighborhood and commercial area.

• Willingdon and Moscrop: to provide Moscrop Secondary School students with better transit access.

• Willingdon and Kingsway: to improve access in a highly populated area and reduce walking distances for many customers who would otherwise have to travel to Metrotown for their nearest R2 stop.

No vehicle lane removal is planned on the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge as part of this project.

In Burnaby, no changes are planned to the HOV hours of operation along Hastings Street.

In Vancouver, there are proposed changes to the HOV hours of operation via the Hastings Street transit improvement project. The City of Vancouver has information on this project at the Hastings Street transit improvement page.

No, there are no plans to change HOV or bus priority on Willingdon Avenue. The existing HOV hours of operation will remain in effect.

Since there are no changes to the HOV lane hour of operations on Hastings Street, most of the parking on Hastings Street will remain the same as it is today.

There are minor changes to parking at the stop locations on Hastings Street to ensure the safety of our customers, bus operators, pedestrians, and drivers.

There are no changes to parking on Willingdon Avenue.

While the R2 Marine-Willingdon RapidBus does not directly serve Capilano University, it will benefit many students, especially those who live in Burnaby or south of the Fraser River. Students will be able to rely on more frequent service between the Expo Line, Millennium Line, and Phibbs Exchange, where they can connect to Route 245 to Capilano University.

In September 2026, TransLink will also be adding additional weekday midday trips to Route 245. This will shorten travel times for students and make their journeys less crowded and more comfortable.

Some permanent stops are constrained by adjacent developments. Temporary stops are in place to maintain transit access for riders until permanent construction is completed, and stops return to their regular locations.

By completing construction on the permanent stops today where available, we are minimizing any future disruptions.

Funding is provided through the 2025 Investment Plan, including capital works and additional service hours.

No, this project is not BRT as the new R2 Marine-Willingdon RapidBus does not have any advanced bus priority features like dedicated lanes or transit signal priority on Hastings Street or Willingdon Avenue in Burnaby.

TransLink and our municipal partners have been planning to upgrade the Route 222 Willingdon Express to a RapidBus service as a near-term transportation improvement to better serve customers on this corridor.

TransLink and our municipal partners continue to work on the design plans for the Metrotown to North Shore BRT including on the route options. No decision has been made on the final route for BRT. For more information on Metrotown-North Shore BRT, please visit our Bus Rapid Transit Program page.