The long-awaited Canada Line, a rapid transit link between downtown Vancouver, the Vancouver airport, and the suburban community of Richmond, will open Labour Day weekend, three months ahead of schedule, according to an announcement from Premier Gordon Campbell’s office.

Once the line is up and running, a trip between the airport and downtown should take 25 minutes or less.

The new Canada Line is a key component of Vancouver’s transportation plan for the 2010 Winter Olympics, which will take place around the region in February 2010.

Vancouverites have been living with snarled traffic along the Cambie Street corridor and along Richmond’s No. 3 Road, where the new trains will run, and many businesses along the route were forced to close. However, the city has extensive plans for restoring the neighborhoods that were adversely affected by the Canada Line construction.

Photo courtesy of CanadaLine.com