MetroLink was Halifax Regional Municipality's former BRT (bus rapid transit) express bus service, operated by Halifax Transit.
The system consisted of two limited-stop fully accessible express routes, connecting downtown Halifax's Scotia Square bus terminal, with the Portland Hills terminal in Cole Harbour on the Dartmouth side, and the Sackville Terminal in Lower Sackville.
History
The MetroLink service was developed in 2003 between the Halifax Regional Municipality, the Province of Nova Scotia and Transport Canada's Urban Transportation Showcase Program, a five-year program designed to demonstrate and promote urban transportation strategies in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The program selected cities across the country to showcase a number of different initiatives in reducing greenhouse gases. Halifax Regional Municipality's $13.3 million proposal for a bus rapid transit system was chosen, and $4.1 million was given by the Government of Canada toward this project. The remainder was funded by Halifax Regional Municipality ($8.06 million), the Nova Scotia Department of Transportation and Public Works ($785,000) and the Nova Scotia Department of Energy ($80,000).
Twenty low floor buses were purchased from New Flyer Industries for the MetroLink service. These buses featured air conditioning, high-back reclining seats with foot rests, carpeted walls and ceiling to reduce road noise and vibration, a new livery and logo, and no advertisements both on the inside and outside. One of these buses, #600, was on public display on April 12, 2005, outside of City Hall. The bus was available for media and members of the general public to tour, and increase awareness of the new service.
The service was launched in phases, with the first phase on August 21, 2005. The first phase saw the construction of a new bus terminal in Cole Harbour called Portland Hills Terminal, with a 230-space parking lot, including some spaces reserved for carpool parking. Two routes were created at this time, the 159 Portland Hills Link and 165 Woodside Link.
The second phase was launched on February 20, 2006. This phase saw the construction of a new bus terminal in Lower Sackville called the Sackville Terminal on Walker Ave, with a 315-space parking lot. One new route was created, the 185 Sackville Link.
Routes
159 Portland Hills Link (discontinued 2021) The route 159 provided express service between the Portland Hills Terminal in Cole Harbour and the Scotia Square Terminal in downtown Halifax via Portland Street, Alderney Drive, Wyse Road, the Angus L. Macdonald Bridge and Barrington Street. The route was a limited-stop service, with stops at the Portland Hills Terminal, Penhorn Terminal, Alderney Gate Terminal, Bridge Terminal, and Scotia Square Terminal. As a result, the total one-way trip time was about 13 minutes.
The route 159 operated Monday to Friday every 30-minutes during off-peak times, and every 10-minutes during peak (rush hour) periods.
159 Portland Hills Link was discontinued in November 2021 as part of the Moving Forward Together Plan and replaced with Express Routes 159, 161A, 161B, 165 and 168. The corridor route 5 Portland Hills also follows a similar route, it operates every 15 minutes at peak periods.
165 Woodside Link (discontinued 2014) The route 165 provided direct express service between the Portland Hills Terminal in Cole Harbour and the Woodside Ferry Terminal via Portland Street and Highway 111. Passengers can transfer to and from the ferry, which provides direct service to downtown Halifax.
The route 165 operated Monday to Friday during peak (rush hour) periods only, every 30-minutes. On May 20, 2014, coinciding with an expansion of the Woodside ferry service, route 165 was discontinued. It was replaced with the 179 Cole Harbour Express, fully integrated with Halifax Transit's conventional bus service.
185 Sackville Link (discontinued 2019) The route 185 provided express service between the Sackville Terminal in Lower Sackville and the Scotia Square Terminal in downtown Halifax via Highway 101 and the Bedford Bypass, the Magazine Hill, Windmill Road the A. Murray MacKay Bridge and Barrington Street. The route was a limited-stop service, with stops at the Sackville Terminal, Wright Avenue in the Burnside Industrial Park, and the Scotia Square Terminal. As a result, the total one-way trip time was about 24 minutes.
The route 185 operated Monday to Friday every 30-minutes during off-peak times, and every 10-minutes during peak (rush hour) periods.