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Millennium Line

Route map:
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Millennium Line
Trains meeting near Brentwood Town Centre station
Overview
OwnerTransLink (South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority)
LocaleMetro Vancouver, British Columbia
Termini
Stations17
Service
TypeRapid transit
SystemSkyTrain
Operator(s)British Columbia Rapid Transit Company
Rolling stockART Mark II, 2 cars per trainset
Daily ridership183,521 (2011)
History
OpenedJanuary 7, 2002; 22 years ago (2002-01-07)
Technical
Line length25.5 km (15.8 mi)[not verified in body]
Number of tracks2
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
ElectrificationThird rail (Linear motor)
Operating speed80 km/h (50 mph)
Route map
Millennium Line
Legend
Potential extension to UBC
 Arbutus
South Granville
Oak–VGH
Broadway–City Hall
Canada Line
Left arrow to Richmond & Airport │to Waterfront Right arrow
Mount Pleasant
Great Northern Way–Emily Carr
arrow for u Future extension (under construction, 2027)
 VCC–Clark
Expo Line
to Waterfront
Commercial–Broadway
Renfrew
Rupert
BC-1 (TCH).svg Highway 1 (Trans-Canada Highway)
Vancouver Zone 1
Burnaby Zone 2
 Gilmore
Brentwood Town Centre
Holdom
Sperling–Burnaby Lake
Lake City Way
Production Way–University
Lougheed Town Centre
Expo Line
Burnaby Zone 2
Coquitlam Zone 3
 Burquitlam
Coquitlam
Port Moody
Queens
 Moody Centre
West Coast Express
LowerLeft arrow to Mission │ to Waterfront UpperRight arrow
Inlet Centre
Port Moody
Coquitlam
Falcon
Vehicle storage facility
Potential extension
to Port Coquitlam
 Coquitlam Central
Lincoln
Lafarge Lake–Douglas
Handicapped/disabled access All stations are accessible

The Millennium Line is the second line of the SkyTrain rapid transit system in the Metro Vancouver region of British Columbia, Canada. The line is owned and operated by BC Rapid Transit Company, a subsidiary of TransLink, and links the cities of Vancouver, Burnaby, Coquitlam and Port Moody. The line was opened in 2002 and was named in recognition of the new millennium.

Route

The Millennium Line operates from VCC–Clark station in Vancouver to Lafarge Lake–Douglas station in Coquitlam. The line is elevated to Burquitlam station, where it then goes through a 2-kilometre (1.2 mi) bored tunnel to the city of Port Moody. In Port Moody, the line runs at grade level, rising to cross railway tracks. From Coquitlam Central station, the line is elevated to the terminus at Lafarge Lake–Douglas station.

When the Evergreen Extension opened in late 2016, eastbound trains crossed the westbound tracks to access the new northernmost platform (Platform 3) at Lougheed Town Centre station. Trains then operated left-track running to a crossover junction just before Burquitlam Station, where trains crossed back to right-track running. Westbound Millennium Line trains crossed over to left-hand running just south of Burquitlam station, which allowed them to access westbound Platform 2 at Lougheed Town Centre station. This unusual service design allowed same-platform interchange for Expo Line passengers arriving at Lougheed Town Centre and continuing west towards VCC–Clark station on the Millennium Line.

On June 25, 2018, service patterns were changed to eliminate all left-track running. This change meant passengers arriving westbound at Lougheed on the Expo Line who wished to continue towards VCC–Clark could either change platforms at Lougheed or remain on their Expo Line train until its terminus at the next station, Production Way–University, where they could make a same-platform transfer to a westbound Millennium Line train. For passengers arriving eastbound at Lougheed, transfers between eastbound Millennium and Expo Line trains were now same-platform. TransLink stated the change to traditional right-track running would provide faster and more reliable trips for passengers as the many track changes the initial service pattern required had resulted in delays.[1][2]

History

Early proposals

When the Expo Line was opened in 1985, an extension to Lougheed Mall in east Burnaby was proposed. The most likely junction point for the spur to Lougheed Mall would have been from Royal Oak station, up Edmonds Street to Lougheed Mall, although early SkyTrain route maps also suggested an extension northeast from New Westminster.[3] Neither plan was realized, although the extension of Expo Line tracks to Columbia Station in 1989 and the completion of the SkyBridge to Surrey in 1990 resulted in a short spur east of Columbia station, which was later incorporated into the new Millennium Line.

Phase I: Columbia to Commercial Drive (2002)

Commercial Drive station under construction in September 2001

In 1995, the British Columbia government announced that an entirely new line, a street-level light rail line, would be built along Broadway and Lougheed Highway to Lougheed Mall (served by Lougheed Town Centre station), as the first phase of the "T"-Line[4] (one of three Intermediate Capacity Transit System lines) outlined in the Metro Vancouver's Livable Region Strategic Plan that extended into Coquitlam.[5] An 18-month review of rapid transit was scheduled and started in January 1998 but was cut short by the government's announcement of its choice of Bombardier's technology in June 1998.[6] This meant that the first phase of the line would have to connect to the existing Expo Line to use its maintenance yard. Connecting the two lines at Broadway station was deemed impracticable, so the lines were connected in New Westminster. Switches to the Millennium Line were installed on the Expo Line at the north end of the Skybridge. Expo Line service was reduced to a single track over the Skybridge during the installation of these switches.

The Millennium Line opened for revenue service on January 7, 2002 (a preview for SkyTrain passengers took place on the prior two days),[7] with trains operating between Waterfront station on the Expo Line and Braid station in eastern New Westminster.

For the second phase, service was extended to Commercial Drive station (since merged with Broadway station to form Commercial–Broadway) on August 31, 2002 (with full integration with the bus network occurring on September 3, 2002).[8][9]

Lake City Way and extension to VCC–Clark (2003–2006)

Lake City Way station, located between Sperling–Burnaby Lake and Production Way–University stations, opened on November 21, 2003.[10] Three years later, the line was extended to its present terminus, VCC–Clark station, on January 6, 2006.[11] The Millennium Line was now completed at a cost of $1.2 billion, $40 million under budget.[6]: 51 

In 2007, the non-interlined portion of the Millennium Line served an average of 70,000 passengers per day. Of these, 14,000 passengers arrived on trains travelling from Expo Line stations west of Columbia station, and 7,000 transferred from the Surrey section of the Expo Line.[12] In 2009, it was estimated that ridership had grown to at least 80,000 passengers per day.[13]

Initially, the Millennium Line service followed the Expo Line from Waterfront to Columbia stations, then looped back into Vancouver via the new route, passing through Commercial–Broadway again, at a different platform, and terminating at VCC–Clark station. After a reconfiguration on October 22, 2016, in preparation for the opening of the Evergreen Extension, the Millennium Line ran between VCC–Clark station in the west to Lougheed Town Centre station in the east. Transfers to the Expo Line were now made possible at Production Way–University and Lougheed Town Centre stations. Braid and Sapperton stations were reassigned to the Expo Line.[14]

Phase II: Evergreen Extension (2016)

Main article: Evergreen Extension

The second phase of the Millennium Line was to be an extension from Lougheed Mall to Coquitlam (then known as the Port Moody–Coquitlam (PMC) Line),[15] which would have provided a "one-seat ride" from Coquitlam to VCC–Clark station. A short spur[16] and switches to the PMC Line were installed to the east of Lougheed Town Centre station and a third platform was roughed-in in anticipation of the extension. Phase II was placed on hold following a change in provincial government.

A SkyTrain extension from Lougheed Town Centre station to Coquitlam Town Centre was proposed when the original Millennium Line was built and the necessary junction tracks for such an extension were built at the station during its initial construction. At one point prior to 2008, the mode planned for the extension was changed to light rail instead of SkyTrain, which meant that the junction tracks would have remained unused. However, in February 2008, plans reverted to the use of SkyTrain technology for the extension, to facilitate higher ridership, shorten travel times and to integrate seamlessly with the existing SkyTrain network. As a result, the junction tracks and roughed-in third platform at Lougheed Town Centre station were used as part of the Evergreen Extension.[17]

Construction of the Evergreen Extension began in 2013 and was completed in late 2016. The extension opened for revenue service on December 2, 2016.[18][19]

Expansion plans

Broadway extension

On March 16, 2018, the provincial government approved the construction of the "Broadway Subway Project", an initiative which will extend the Millennium Line west to Arbutus Street and add six new stations.[20] The extension has an estimated completion date of 2025.[21] Preliminary work began on February 19, 2019, with the installation of trolley poles and wires on 12th Avenue between Arbutus and Granville Streets that are required in order to reroute trolley buses off Broadway for the duration of the construction of the Broadway extension.[22][23] On June 22, 2020, trolley buses were removed from Broadway.[24] The provincial government initially had a plan to have a contractor selected by April 2020 to allow for construction of the $2.8 billion extension to begin later that year.[25] On July 17, 2020, the provincial Ministry of Transportation announced that Acciona Infrastructure, a Spanish conglomerate, and Ghella, an Italian company, would be in charge of construction.[26]

While six new stations are confirmed for the Broadway extension, one will become part of the existing Broadway–City Hall Canada Line station, which is scheduled to be upgraded as part of the project:[a][27][28]

  • Great Northern Way–Emily Carr station, at Great Northern Way and Thornton Street adjacent to the Emily Carr University
  • Mount Pleasant station, at Main Street and East Broadway
  • Broadway–City Hall station, at Cambie Street and West Broadway. The existing Broadway–City Hall station on the Canada Line, originally designed with a "knock-out" panel to accommodate a connection to a future Millennium Line extension, will be upgraded and connected to the extension. An adjacent development was required by the City of Vancouver to provide space for an additional entrance to the Millennium Line portion of the station.
  • Oak–VGH station, at Laurel Street and West Broadway near Vancouver General Hospital (VGH)
  • South Granville station, at Granville Street and West Broadway
  • Arbutus station, at Arbutus Street and West Broadway

University of British Columbia extension

On January 14, 2008, the Government of British Columbia announced a commitment to the expansion of the Millennium Line to the University of British Columbia (UBC) by 2020 as part of a $14-billion transit spending package to address global warming. It was not clear what route the new line would take, but it was hinted that there would be less use of cut-and-cover tunnelling to minimize disruption to businesses along Broadway and avoid the same problems seen during the Canada Line construction along Cambie Street.[29] This expansion failed to materialize. On February 15, 2019, the TransLink Mayors' Council again approved an extension of the line to the UBC campus, although funding for this continuation past Arbutus Street had not yet been secured.[30]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ All locations are approximate, with final station locations within one block of the given intersections.

References

  1. ^ "New platforms for Millennium Line at Lougheed Town Centre Station starting on June 25". The Buzzer blog. June 11, 2018. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
  2. ^ "Platform change at Lougheed SkyTrain Station begins Monday". June 22, 2018. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
  3. ^ Charles, Michael (May 14, 2019). "A SkyTrain historical footnote: The Edmonds-Cariboo extension". orangeraisin.wordpress.com. Archived from the original on July 15, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  4. ^ "Richmond-Airport-Vancouver Rapid Transit Project/Northeast Sector Rapid Transit Alternatives". burnaby.civicweb.net. City of Burnaby. April 23, 2003. Retrieved February 24, 2016.[permanent dead link]
  5. ^ "Livable Region Strategic Plan" (PDF). pmh1project.com. GVRD. April 28, 2000. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 5, 2016. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
  6. ^ a b "TransLink History Nov 2008" (PDF). translink.ca. TransLink. November 20, 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 10, 2018. Retrieved February 23, 2013.
  7. ^ "Bus service comes to the new Braid Millennium Station January 7, 2002". translink.ca. TransLink. December 28, 2001. Archived from the original on March 9, 2016. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
  8. ^ "TransLink Prepares for September Service Enhancements". translink.ca. TransLink. June 20, 2002. Archived from the original on March 9, 2016. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
  9. ^ "The Millennium Line turns 10!". The Buzzer blog. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
  10. ^ "TransLink celebrates opening of Lake City Way station". translink.ca. TransLink. November 20, 2003. Archived from the original on March 9, 2016. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
  11. ^ "History of SkyTrain". translink.ca. TransLink. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
  12. ^ "Millennium Line celebrates five year anniversary with growing ridership". Translink. August 3, 2007. Archived from the original on October 27, 2009.
  13. ^ "SkyTrain in Vancouver". UBC SkyTrain Group. 2009.
  14. ^ "Changes Coming to SkyTrain October 22". TransLink. September 19, 2016. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
  15. ^ "Audited Financial Statements of Rapid Transit Project 2000 Ltd" (PDF). fin.gov.bc.ca. Government of British Columbia. June 4, 2007. Retrieved February 24, 2016.
  16. ^ Stone, Todd (December 19, 2013). "Evergreen Line spurs new travel choices and development | BC Gov News". news.gov.bc.ca. Retrieved February 24, 2016.
  17. ^ "Evergreen Line Rapid Transit Project Business Case" (PDF). BC Ministry of Transportation. February 19, 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 2, 2017. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
  18. ^ "Delayed Evergreen Line to open Dec. 2". CBC News. Retrieved November 8, 2016.
  19. ^ Brown, Scott (November 7, 2016). "TransLink will open Evergreen Line on Dec. 2". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  20. ^ "Broadway Subway Project". translink.ca. TransLink. Archived from the original on March 25, 2019. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  21. ^ Chan, Kenneth (March 16, 2018). "It's official: Broadway Subway and Surrey LRT will be built in $7-billion transit plan". Daily Hive. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  22. ^ "Early Works – Broadway Subway". Government of British Columbia. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  23. ^ Chan, Kenneth (March 25, 2019). "TransLink releases map of trolley reroutes during Broadway Subway construction". Daily Hive. Archived from the original on March 26, 2019. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  24. ^ Lazaruk, Susan (June 10, 2020). "TransLink taking trolley buses off busy Broadway for next five years". Vancouver Sun. Archived from the original on June 10, 2020. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  25. ^ Chan, Kenneth (February 15, 2019). "BC launches bidding process for $2.8-billion Broadway Subway to Arbutus". Daily Hive. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  26. ^ Little, Simon (July 17, 2020). "B.C. government picks construction group to build Vancouver's Broadway subway". globalnews.ca. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  27. ^ 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 9, 2019.
  28. ^ Chan, Kenneth (March 22, 2018). "These are the 6 stations of the Broadway Subway in Vancouver (VISUALS)". Daily Hive. Archived from the original on March 24, 2018. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
  29. ^ Palmer, Vaughn (January 15, 2008). "Less than meets the eye, and light on details". Vancouver Sun. CanWest MediaWorks Publications. Archived from the original on November 3, 2012. Retrieved January 15, 2008.
  30. ^ "Metro Vancouver mayors vote yes on SkyTrain extension to UBC". CBC News. February 15, 2019. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
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