South Coast Line

The South Coast Line is an electrified 27.5 mile railway line of the British Columbia Railway (BC Rail) on Vancouver Island running from Victoria Union Station, where it connects to the Esquimalt & Nanaimo Line and to the Victoria Metro, to Sooke. At Saseenos, the South Coast Line connects to BC Rail's Central Island South Line. The 12.7 mile section from Victoria to Happy Valley is double tracked. In addition, there is a 2.3 mile branch dedicated to military use.

History
After opening the Victoria–Patricia Bay line in 1901, the Vancouver Island Railway undertook to connect Victoria to Port Alberni via a railway along the southwest coast of Vancouver Island. The first section, from Victoria to Sooke, was opened in 1903, with Port Alberni eventually being reached in 1921. The 2.3-mile Army Spur from Rocky Point to the BCDF storage facility at Rocky Point was opened in 1932. Although the Army does have its own Railway Regiment, this spur was owned and operated by the VIR; this arrangement continues to this day with BC Rail.

When the VIR was absorbed by the British Columbia Railway in 1960, the Victoria–Saseenos–Port Alberni line was named Island Trunk Line, with the Saseenos–Sooke section being called the Sooke Branch Line. In 1970, two years after the BCR absorbed the Esquimalt & Nanaimo Railway, the Island Trunk Line was divided into two sections: the Saseenos–Port Alberni section becoming the Central Island Line (this was further split into today's Central Island South Line and Central Island North Line in 1974), and the Victoria–Saseenos–Sooke section becoming the South Coast Line.

In 1972 a commuter service from Victoria Union Station to Glen Lake-Luxton was inaugurated; for this, this 11.6 mile section of line was double-tracked, and the entire South Coast Line from Victoria to Sooke was electrified. Entering service that year were six daily trains between Victoria and Sooke, along with the half-hourly commuter trains between Union Station and Glen Lake-Luxton. Since the opening of Victoria Metro Line 1 in 1977, this commuter operation has been marketed as Victoria Metro Line 2 in conjunction with the Victoria Transit System. The double tracking was extended to Happy Valley in 1983 (the station itself was opened that year as well), and the service was extended from Glen Lake-Luxton to the new station.

Services
This line is an important corridor for both freight and passenger traffic.

Passenger
BC Rail operates operates a variety of passenger trains on this line -one Rapid and two Local services, in addition to the Victoria Metro operation. Further, in the summer timetable only, there is a second Rapid service. The Metro services and the Victoria–Sooke locals are operated with electric multiple-unit trainsets, all other trains are locomotive-hauled.

The various categories of passenger service are defined by the Ministry of Labour, Industry & Railways in conjunction with the Ministry of Transport & Communications; these categories are applicable to and used by all railways providing passenger service in British Columbia. Like all other railways in BC, ticket prices for BC Rail passenger trains are based on the Ministry's Schedule of Railway Fares. Exempt from this are the Victoria Metro trains, which fall under the jurisdiction of the Victoria Transit System.

Rapid
Rapid (also known as "semi-express") trains are similar to regular Express trains, making a limited number of scheduled stops, but stops can be booked up to three hours in advance at any station on the route that has passenger service.


 * 191/192 Central Island Rapid (BCR): Sooke – Port Alberni
 * Two daily return trips, first and second class chair cars only with seat-side drink and snack service. Scheduled intermediate stops: Sooke, Saseenos, Deerholme, Lake Cowichan, Youbou, Kissinger, Ditidaht, Port Alberni


 * 193/194 Sportsman Rapid (BCR): Victoria Union – Youbou
 * Two daily return trips in the summer timetable only, first and second class chair cars only with seat-side drink and snack service. Scheduled intermediate stops: Colwood, Saseenos, Deerholme, Lake Cowichan

Local

 * 1301E.1-6/1302E.1-6: Victoria – Sooke
 * Six daily return trips operated by EMU, second class only with seat-side drink and snack service.


 * 1311/1312: Sooke – Lake Cowichan
 * Two daily return trips, second class only with seat-side drink and snack service.

Victoria Metro Line 2
Metro trains run every twenty minutes from 5:00 AM to 1:00 AM seven days a week, with extra hourly service until 3:00 AM on Friday and Saturday nights.

Route
Victoria 0.0 - Alpha 1.8 - Belmont Park (opened 1972) 8.3 - Colwood 9.6 - Glen Lake-Luxton (opened 1972) 11.6 - Happy Valley (1983) 12.7 - Metchosin 15.5 - Rocky Point* 18.7 - Saseenos 25.0 - Sooke 27.5