BC TRANSIT. MANAGING THE PROJECT

Two factors making it possible to bring Vancouver's Advance Light Rapid Transit (ALRT) line into service under budget and in 4 1/2 years were the construction of a 1.2-km prototype section on which a pair of cars operated for 5 months in 1983 and creation of a joint project office which coordinated activities during the project's construction phase. Metro Canada, the transit systems engineering subsidiary of Urban Transportation Development Corp., and BC Transit contracted for a virtual turnkey project covering the 21.4-km system with its 114 cars, 15 stations and a maintenance facility. Until 1983 metro Canada and BC Transit had a traditional contractor/client relationship through the design phase. As construction started, an integrated organization capable of a responsive process was established. A single team shared facilities, ideas, problems and objectives. This integrated project office structure has been examined by transit agencies from several nations.