This is Vancouver, Canada. Home to 2.5 million people, the region is connected by a network
of light rapid transit, ferry, and commuter rail lines, which service 59 stations in twelve
local municipalities. Consisting of five routes and 149 kilometres of track, the system travels
across the Vancouver area, with fully automated trains running frequently between stations.
But how did the system grow from its original stations to the network it is today? My name’s
Zach, and this is the Evolution of the Network.
Vancouver’s rapid transit network began to form in June 1977, with the opening of the Seabus, a passenger ferry running
across the Burrard Inlet. Starting from Waterfront Station in downtown Vancouver, the ferry runs
to North Vancouver, endings its journey at Lonsdale Quay.
The network expanded in December 1985, with the opening of the first SkyTrain line. Starting
from the Seabus terminal at Waterfront, the line travels across Vancouver and Burnaby,
servicing 14 new stations to New Westminster. The SkyTrain was expanded further east in
February 1989, with a one stop extension opening to Columbia.
In March 1990, a further one-stop extension opened, bringing the Skytrain across the Fraser
River to Scott Road. In September of that year, Main Street station was also renamed,
becoming Main Street – Science World to reflect the nearby presence of the attraction.
The Skytrain was extended further south from Scott Road in March 1994 adding three new stations to King
George. In November 1995, Vancouver’s commuter rail
line was launched, with the West Coast Express beginning service to Mission. The line serviced
seven new stations, with trains running to Waterfront Station in the morning, and returning
to Mission City in the evening. Joyce Station on the Skytrain was renamed in 2001, with the
name being expanded to Joyce-Collingwood. Vancouver’s second SkyTrain line opened
in January 2002, with the Millennium Line station beginning service. Running between
Waterfront and Braid, the extension included two new stations, as well as servicing existing
stations on the network. The existing Skytrain line was also designated as the Expo line,
after the 1986 World’s Fair for which it was originally constructed.
In August of that year, the Millennium Line was extended west from Braid, with nine new
stations opening west to Commercial Drive. An infill station was constructed on the Millennium
line in November 2003, with Lake City Way station being opened in Burnaby.
In 2004, Stadium station was renamed to Stadium-Chinatown, drawing awareness to this nearby
district. In January 2006, a one-stop westward extension
of the Millennium line opened, bring service to a new station at VCC-Clark.
Vancouver’s third SkyTrain line opened in August 2009 with the Canada line beginning
operations. Starting from Waterfront station, the line ran south, servicing nine new stations
to Bridgeport. From Bridgeport, the line splits into two branches, with the first branch continuing
south to Richmond, and the second branch running west to the YVR Airport.
In September of that year, Broadway station on the Expo and Millennium line was formally
merged with Commercial Drive Station on the Millennium line. The new station was renamed
to Commercial-Broadway, reducing confusion with the new Broadway-City Hall station on
the Canada line. In October 2016, services on the Expo and
Millennium lines were reorganized, in preparation for a future extension. A new branch of the
Expo line began running north from Columbia station, servicing existing Millennium Line
stations to Production Way-University. At the same time, service on the Millennium Line
was simplified, with trains no longer running between Waterfront and Lougheed Town Centre.
In December 2016, the Millennium Line was extended east, with six new stations opening
to Lafarge Lake-Douglas. As part of this extension, the West Coast Express station as Port Moody
was closed, and a new interchange station was opened at the Moody Centre Millennium
Line stop. The line also serviced the existing West Coast Express station at Coquitlam Central,
allowing passengers to transfer between these two services. This brings us to the Skytrain,
Seabus, and West Coast Express network that we know today.
In the years to come, more stations and extensions are proposed for the Skytrain network, adding
service to more parts of the Vancouver area. In early 2023, a new station on the Richmond
branch of the Canada Line is expected to open at Capstan. This station has been financed
exclusively by surrounding development, with developers paying a per unit fee to finance
its construction. In 2025, the Millennium line will be extended
west from its current terminus at VCC-Clark, adding six new stations west to Arbutus. This
extension will interchange with the Canada Line at Broadway-City Hall, and will help
to relieve pressure from the 99 B-Line bus route.
That was the evolution of Vancouver’s Skytrain, Seabus, and West Coast Express networks, giving
us the five lines that we know today. If you haven’t already, be sure to watch our Evolution
of the Network videos on other Canadian cities, which you can access by clicking the button
in the top right corner. Don’t forget to leave a like if you enjoyed this video, and
comment down below to join in the discussion. My name’s Zach, and I’ll be Vanishing
Underground, until the next one.