SkyTrain (Vancouver)

SkyTrain
SkyTrain
Overview
Owner	Province of British Columbia
Locale	Metro Vancouver, British Columbia
Transit type	Medium-capacity rapid transit system
Number of lines	3
Number of stations	53 (6 under construction) (List of stations)
Daily ridership	431,500 (weekdays, Q1 2024)
Annual ridership	141,339,300 (2023)
Website	TransLink
Operation
Began operation	December 11, 1985
Operator(s)	TransLink
Character	Elevated, underground, and at-grade
Number of vehicles	298
Train length	2-, 4- or 6-car trainsets
Headway	2–10 minutes (Expo and Millennium Lines); 3–20 minutes (Canada Line);
Technical
System length	79.6 km (49.5 mi); 5.7 km (3.5 mi) under construction;
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	650 V DC third rail linear induction (Expo and Millennium Lines); 750 V DC third rail conventional traction motors (Canada Line)
Average speed	40 km/h (25 mph) (Expo and Millennium Lines); 32 km/h (20 mph) (Canada Line);
Top speed	80 km/h (50 mph)
System map
	Legend
	Main Street–
	Science World
	Great Northern
	Way–Emily Carr
	Oakridge–
	41st Avenue
	Commercial–
	Broadway
	Zone 1
	Zone 2
	Joyce–
	Collingwood
	Operations and
	Maintenance Centre
	Brentwood
	Town Centre
	Sperling–
	Burnaby Lake
	Production Way–
	University
	Lougheed
	Town Centre
	Zone 2
	Zone 3
	Coquitlam
	Central
	Lafarge Lake–
	Douglas
Key
	This diagram: view; talk; edit;

SkyTrain is the medium-capacity rapid transit system serving the Metro Vancouver region in British Columbia, Canada.^[9] SkyTrain has 79.6 km (49.5 mi) of track and uses fully automated trains on grade-separated tracks running on underground and elevated guideways, allowing SkyTrain to hold consistently high on-time reliability.^[4]^[10] In 2023, the system had a ridership of 141,339,300, or about 431,500 per weekday as of the first quarter of 2024.

The name "SkyTrain" was coined for the system during Expo 86 because the first line (Expo) principally runs on elevated guideway outside of Downtown Vancouver, providing panoramic views of the metropolitan area. SkyTrain uses the world's third-longest cable-supported transit-only bridge, known as SkyBridge, to cross the Fraser River.^[11]

With the opening of the Evergreen Extension on December 2, 2016, SkyTrain became the longest rapid transit system in Canada and the longest fully automated driverless system in the world.^[12] The total lengths of the automated lines of the Shanghai Metro,^[13] Singapore MRT, Kuala Lumpur Rapid KL and Dubai Metro have since surpassed those of SkyTrain.^[14]

SkyTrain has 53 stations served by three lines: the Expo Line, the Millennium Line, and the Canada Line. The Expo and Millennium Lines are operated by British Columbia Rapid Transit Company under contract from TransLink (originally BC Transit), a regional government transportation agency. The Canada Line is operated on the same principles by the private concessionaire ProTrans BC under contract to TransLink and is an integrated part of the regional transport system. SkyTrain uses a fare system shared with other local transit services and is policed by the Metro Vancouver Transit Police. SkyTrain attendants (STAs) provide first aid, emergency response, directions and customer service, inspect fares, monitor train faults, and operate the trains manually if necessary.

^ "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2023" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. March 4, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
^ "Transit Ridership Report First Quarter 2024" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. May 23, 2024. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
^ "The Buzzer – 2011-01-14". TransLink. January 14, 2011. Archived from the original on October 12, 2013. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
^ ^a ^b "Evergreen Extension opening today". NEWS 1130. December 2, 2016. Archived from the original on August 31, 2017. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
^ "Broadway Subway Project – Government of British Columbia". Retrieved July 8, 2021.
^ ^a ^b "Rail: Key Characteristics by line". TransLink. 2022. Archived from the original on November 28, 2023. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
^ "Quick Facts". Archived from the original on August 6, 2019. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
^ "Canada Line Fact Sheet The Canada Line Vehicle" (PDF). canadaline.ca (TransLink). December 14, 2007. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 26, 2009. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
^ "SkyTrain". TransLink. November 17, 2011. Archived from the original on July 15, 2016. Retrieved August 22, 2009.
^ "Expo Line Upgrades Improve Communications". TransLink. October 11, 2011. Archived from the original on December 12, 2011. Retrieved November 17, 2011.
^ "Skytrain Bridge". Buckland & Taylor Ltd. Archived from the original on July 6, 2008. Retrieved August 22, 2009.
^ Slattery, Jill (December 1, 2016). "Evergreen SkyTrain Line launched". Global News. Archived from the original on December 3, 2016. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
^ "Shanghai opens two new lines on longest metro in world". The Independent. December 31, 2021. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
^ Briginshaw, David (July 20, 2016). "Automated metros set to reach 2200 km by 2025". Archived from the original on April 15, 2018. Retrieved May 16, 2018.

[APTAdaily-1] "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2023" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. March 4, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2024.

[APTA_Ridership_Report-2] "Transit Ridership Report First Quarter 2024" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. May 23, 2024. Retrieved May 31, 2024.

[SkyTrain-opening-3] "The Buzzer – 2011-01-14". TransLink. January 14, 2011. Archived from the original on October 12, 2013. Retrieved July 23, 2013.

[evergreenextensionopens-4] "Evergreen Extension opening today". NEWS 1130. December 2, 2016. Archived from the original on August 31, 2017. Retrieved May 16, 2017.

[5] "Broadway Subway Project – Government of British Columbia". Retrieved July 8, 2021.

[speeds-6] "Rail: Key Characteristics by line". TransLink. 2022. Archived from the original on November 28, 2023. Retrieved December 7, 2023.

[7] "Quick Facts". Archived from the original on August 6, 2019. Retrieved November 27, 2016.

[8] "Canada Line Fact Sheet The Canada Line Vehicle" (PDF). canadaline.ca (TransLink). December 14, 2007. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 26, 2009. Retrieved June 16, 2015.

[9] "SkyTrain". TransLink. November 17, 2011. Archived from the original on July 15, 2016. Retrieved August 22, 2009.

[10] "Expo Line Upgrades Improve Communications". TransLink. October 11, 2011. Archived from the original on December 12, 2011. Retrieved November 17, 2011.

[11] "Skytrain Bridge". Buckland & Taylor Ltd. Archived from the original on July 6, 2008. Retrieved August 22, 2009.

[open-date-12] Slattery, Jill (December 1, 2016). "Evergreen SkyTrain Line launched". Global News. Archived from the original on December 3, 2016. Retrieved December 2, 2016.

[13] "Shanghai opens two new lines on longest metro in world". The Independent. December 31, 2021. Retrieved February 16, 2022.

[14] Briginshaw, David (July 20, 2016). "Automated metros set to reach 2200 km by 2025". Archived from the original on April 15, 2018. Retrieved May 16, 2018.

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