The Vancouver SkyTrain is a three-line urban mass transit system in the metropolitan area of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, managed by TransLink. The Expo Line was built for the Expo 86 World's Fair;[1] the Millennium Line opened in 2002,[2] followed by the Canada Line in 2009, which was built for the 2010 Winter Olympics.[3] The Expo and Millennium Lines are operated by the British Columbia Rapid Transit Company on behalf of TransLink.[4] The Canada Line is owned by InTransitBC, and operated by ProTrans BC, an AtkinsRéalis company.[5][6] The Expo and Millennium Lines use Bombardier's Advanced Rapid Transit technology,[7] while the Canada Line technology is provided by Hyundai Rotem.[5] The SkyTrain is the oldest and longest fully automated driverless rapid transit system in the world.[3][8]
The SkyTrain was conceived as a legacy project of Expo 86; its first line, the Expo Line, was finished in 1985, in time to showcase the fair's theme: Transportation and Communication. The line connected Vancouver with the cities of Burnaby and New Westminster, with the terminus stations at Waterfront and New Westminster station.[1] In 1989, the line was extended one station east to Columbia station. The Skybridge, the only cable-stayed bridge built for transit use in the world, was completed in 1990, extending the Expo Line eastward to the city of Surrey with the addition of Scott Road station.[9] The line was extended eastward again with the opening of Gateway, Surrey Central, and King George stations in 1994.
TransLink, which took over BC Transit's responsibility for the operation of the SkyTrain in 1998, proposed a two-phase expansion of the system: the first phase consisted of a CA$1.2-billion new line from New Westminster to the Broadway campus of Vancouver Community College in Vancouver via Lougheed Town Centre in Burnaby. The second phase was a $730-million extension eastward from Lougheed Town Centre to Coquitlam Centre in Coquitlam via Port Moody and another extension westward from Vancouver Community College to Granville Street via the Broadway corridor.[10] The expansion line, now known as the Millennium Line, began operating in 2002. The line connected to the Expo Line at Columbia and originally added eleven new stations to the system; the twelfth, Lake City Way, opened in 2003. The Millennium Line's thirteenth station and current western terminus, VCC–Clark, opened in 2006.[2][11] The second phase was subsequently cancelled, later revived and eventually branded the Evergreen Extension. The extension opened in 2016, expanding service into Coquitlam via Burnaby and Port Moody with 6 new stations, adding 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) to the existing Millennium Line. The extension stretches from Lougheed Town Centre station to Lafarge Lake–Douglas station, which is located beside Lafarge Lake and across from the David Lam campus of Douglas College in Coquitlam City Centre.[8][12]
In 2004, TransLink approved a 19-kilometre (12 mi) line connecting Vancouver with Richmond and the Vancouver International Airport (YVR).[13] The line, now known as the Canada Line, opened in 2009, a few months ahead of the 2010 Olympics.[3] The line added 15 stations to the system, and has two branches that split off at Bridgeport; one branch heads south to the city of Richmond, while the other heads west toward the main terminal at YVR.
There are 54 stations on the SkyTrain system. 20 stations are served exclusively by the Expo Line, 14 exclusively by the Millennium Line, 15 exclusively by the Canada Line, 1 by both the Expo and Canada Lines, and 3 by both the Expo and Millennium Lines. Vancouver and Burnaby have a total of 31 stations, 20 and 11 respectively, consisting of 58 percent of the system's stations. Commercial–Broadway was originally two separate stations—Broadway station and Commercial Drive station; Broadway was completed with the Expo Line, while Commercial Drive was completed with the Millennium Line. The stations combined in 2009 in order to avoid confusion with Broadway–City Hall.[14] From the Millennium Line's start of operation in 2002 until 2016, all Expo Line stations outside of Surrey were also serviced by the Millennium Line until TransLink changed the operating patterns of both lines. Since 2016, Braid and Sapperton have been serviced by the Expo Line instead of the Millennium Line via a branch from Columbia heading north towards Production Way–University, a major bus transfer point for Simon Fraser University's Burnaby campus. The Millennium Line heads east from VCC–Clark to Larfarge Lake–Douglas, connecting with the Expo Line at Production Way–University and Lougheed Town Centre stations.[15] Waterfront is the terminus for both the Expo and Canada Lines. Richmond–Brighouse and YVR–Airport are the outbound terminuses for the two Canada Line branches.
Key
edit| * | Transfer station |
| † | Terminus |
| ** | Transfer station and terminus |
Stations
edit
-
Waterfront station is the terminus for both the Expo and Canada lines and is linked to the SeaBus and the West Coast Express. -
Stadium–Chinatown station is adjacent to Rogers Arena, and is one block away from BC Place Stadium and Chinatown. -
Commercial–Broadway station Platforms 1 and 2 -
Commercial–Broadway station Platform 4 -
VCC–Clark station is two blocks away from the Broadway campus of Vancouver Community College (VCC) and is also the westbound terminus of the Millennium Line. -
YVR–Airport station's platform and west portal; the station is the terminus of the Canada Line's airport branch.
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Future stations
edit
| Station | Line(s) | Municipality | Zone[a] | Projected completion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arbutus† |  Millennium |
Vancouver | Zone 1 | 2027[21][22] |
| Great Northern Way–Emily Carr | Millennium |
Vancouver | Zone 1 | 2027[21][22] |
| Mount Pleasant | Millennium |
Vancouver | Zone 1 | 2027[21][22] |
| Oak–VGH | Millennium |
Vancouver | Zone 1 | 2027[21][22] |
| South Granville | Millennium |
Vancouver | Zone 1 | 2027[21][22] |
| 152 Street |  Expo |
Surrey | Zone 3 | 2029[23][24] |
| Bakerview–166 Street | Expo |
Surrey | Zone 3 | 2029[23][24] |
| Clayton | Expo |
Surrey | Zone 3 | 2029[23][24] |
| Fleetwood | Expo |
Surrey | Zone 3 | 2029[23][24] |
| Green Timbers | Expo |
Surrey | Zone 3 | 2029[23][24] |
| Hillcrest–184 Street | Expo |
Surrey | Zone 3 | 2029[23][24] |
| Langley City Centre† | Expo |
Langley City | Zone 3 | 2029[23][24] |
| Willowbrook | Expo |
Langley Township | Zone 3 | 2029[23][24] |
Notes
edit- ^ a b The TransLink fare structure is based on a zone system. Municipalities are located in one of three transit zones, and fares are calculated based on the number of zones travelled.[16]
- ^ This column refers to the year the station opened. It does not include dates for future lines, renovations, or platform additions, which can be found in the articles for the individual stations.
- ^ Total boardings for 2023.[17]
- ^ Commercial–Broadway station was originally two separate stations—Broadway station and Commercial Drive station. Broadway station was completed in 1985, while Commercial Drive station was completed in 2002; the stations were merged in 2009.[14]
- ^ Joyce–Collingwood station was formerly known as Joyce station.[18]
- ^ Main Street–Science World station was formerly known as Main Street station.[18]
- ^ a b c The Canada Line YVR AddFare applies to stored-value trips, or single-use fares and DayPasses purchased at Sea Island stations (YVR–Airport, Sea Island Centre, and Templeton), destined for Bridgeport station or beyond.[19]
- ^ Stadium–Chinatown station was formerly known as Stadium station.[18]
References
editGeneral
- "SkyTrain Station & Accessible Entrance Maps". TransLink. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
Specific
- ^ a b "Celebrating a Quarter Century with SkyTrain". TransLink. August 1, 2011. Archived from the original on January 16, 2017. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
- ^ a b "SkyTrain" (PDF). TransLink. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 18, 2022. Retrieved August 16, 2009.
- ^ a b c "History of SkyTrain". TransLink. Archived from the original on November 10, 2018. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
- ^ "BCRTC". TransLink. Archived from the original on June 27, 2014. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
- ^ a b "Canada Line". Protrans BC. Archived from the original on August 19, 2009. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
- ^ "About Us". Protrans BC. Archived from the original on September 16, 2015. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
- ^ "Bombardier Teams With City of Vancouver for Streetcar Demonstration During 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games". Bombardier. September 29, 2008. Archived from the original on November 10, 2018. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
- ^ a b Chan, Kenneth (November 7, 2016). "SkyTrain's Evergreen extension to officially open on December 2". DailyHive. Buzz Connected Media Inc. Archived from the original on November 9, 2018. Retrieved November 17, 2016.
- ^ "Quick Facts". TransLink. Archived from the original on November 11, 2020. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
- ^ Auditor General of BC (2001). Transportation in Greater Vancouver (Report). British Columbia.
- ^ "Staffing to Support Transit Planning, including the Broadway West Rapid Transit Alternatives Study" (PDF). City of Vancouver. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 18, 2022. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
- ^ "Evergreen Line". British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. Archived from the original on August 10, 2016. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
- ^ Smith, Charlie (December 2, 2004). "Many Players in RAV Follies". The Georgia Straight. Archived from the original on September 23, 2022. Retrieved September 21, 2009.
- ^ a b "What's That Name Again? Canada Line Start Brings Station Name Changes". TransLink. August 28, 2009. Archived from the original on March 25, 2018. Retrieved January 16, 2017.
- ^ "TransLink Introduces New SkyTrain Operating Pattern on October 22". TransLink. September 19, 2016. Archived from the original on March 11, 2020. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
- ^ "Fare Zone Map". TransLink. Retrieved October 12, 2008.
- ^ "2023 Transit Service Performance Review – SkyTrain Stations Summaries". tableau.com. TransLink. April 17, 2024. Archived from the original on April 30, 2024. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
- ^ a b c "Canada Line station names selected". TransLink. May 9, 2006. Archived from the original on September 25, 2015. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
- ^ "Canada Line YVR AddFare". TransLink. Archived from the original on September 22, 2016. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
- ^ Chan, Kenneth (July 3, 2019). "These are the proposed station names for SkyTrain's Broadway Extension". Daily Hive. Archived from the original on July 4, 2019. Retrieved July 4, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e "Broadway Subway Project reaches major construction phase" (Press release). British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. May 13, 2021. Archived from the original on January 28, 2022. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e Nay, Isaac (May 25, 2024). "Vancouver's Broadway SkyTrain extension delayed to 2027". CBC Vancouver. Archived from the original on May 26, 2024. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Chan, Kenneth (December 1, 2023). "Official names of the eight new stations of Surrey-Langley SkyTrain revealed". Daily Hive. Archived from the original on December 2, 2023. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Chan, Cheryl (August 15, 2024). "Surrey-Langley SkyTrain extension balloons to nearly $6B". Vancouver Sun. Archived from the original on August 16, 2024. Retrieved August 16, 2024.