The Government of Canada, the B.C. government and TransLink are celebrating the start of construction for upgrades to the Joyce-Collingwood SkyTrain Station to improve accessibility, capacity, safety and security.
The $26-million Joyce-Collingwood Station upgrade is being funded by the Government of Canada (contributing $5.8-million through the Building Canada Fund), the B.C. government (contributing $ 11.6-million), and TransLink (contributing $8.6-million). Construction began earlier this month, and the upgrades are expected to be complete by fall 2017.
“We are pleased to invest in these important upgrades to the Joyce-Collingwood SkyTrain Station,” said the honorable Amarjeet Sohi, minister of infrastructure and communities. “Safe and reliable public transit builds stronger communities by connecting people to their places of work, school and home. Working with our partners, we are helping to increase public transit use which will reduce gridlock and improve air quality across the region.”
The upgrades include a new elevator and escalators in the east station house, improved station design with better lighting and visibility, and better integration with the surrounding community. The improvements will update the station to meet modern accessibility standards, improve the transfer experience for passengers arriving by bus, and increase the capacity of the Expo Line.
“Joyce-Collingwood Station is a busy SkyTrain station, and it’s in need of some safety and capacity upgrades to better serve this growing community,” said Todd Stone, B.C. minister of transportation and infrastructure. “These improvements will expand and modernize the station, boosting safety and accessibility and opening it up to serve more SkyTrain customers in the future.”
Joyce-Collingwood Station serves 30,000 SkyTrain trips and 12,000 bus trips per day, making it the fourth busiest Expo Line Station outside of downtown Vancouver. This station serves a high-density community and is an important bus transfer location. As the number of passengers using the station grows, upgrades are needed to increase passenger capacity and improve accessibility.
“Improvements at this busy station are needed to make it more accessible and safer for the thousands of customers who use it each day,” said Don Rose, chair of TransLink’s Board of Directors. “We thank our passengers for their patience while we upgrade these Expo Line stations that are now 30 years old.”
In addition, Main Street-Science World SkyTrain Station, the oldest station on TransLink’s rapid transit system, has received a $36.9-million renovation, and has been serving rapid transit customers since project completion in August 2015. The Government of Canada contributed $7-million, the B.C. government contributed $14-million and TransLink contributed $15.9-million towards the project.
Main Street-Science World Station is the second of seven stations on the Expo Line to be upgraded by TransLink with funding from the federal and provincial governments. The renovations include new escalators, elevators and stairs, the newly opened west station entrance, an expanded east station house and bike parkade. The upgrades improve capacity, safety and accessibility, and will help the rapid transit system meet the needs of passengers and the region for years to come.
