Burrard SkyTrain station to close for two years for upgrades

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Many commuters in and out of Downtown Vancouver will have to go a bit farther to get onto the SkyTrain starting next year, as the Burrard station undergoes upgrades.

TransLink says starting early 2022, the station will be closed for two years, as crews work to double the number of escalators and elevators at the station, as well as relocate the Burrard Street entrance and redesign the station’s outdoor plaza.

TransLink says the closure of the station will “allow the work to be done safely and more efficiently than were it to remain partially open during construction.”

The transit authority says closing the station is necessary to keep commuters and workers safe and avoid confusing passengers when changes are made at different phases of construction. It also says closing the station will speed up construction of the project by about 2.5 years and save about $36 million.

During the two-year closure, passengers will have to use the Granville or Waterfront SkyTrain stations instead. TransLink says based on pre-COVID ridership data, those two stations can handle the additional volume.

It adds it will increase bus service in the area.

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The Burrard SkyTrain Station was originally built in 1985. TransLink says it has not seen any significant upgrades since then.

It is the fourth busiest SkyTrain station with 7.6 million people passing through every year, according to TransLink, and three escalators and one elevator isn’t enough to handle the volume at peak times.

The upgrades will also see improvements to the station’s power supply and mechanical systems.