To create a SkyTrain that serves the Metro Vancouver better, we followed the distribution of population density and locations of tourist attractions to propose new routes for the transit system. We consolidated the existing lines, made changes to them according to our findings and proposed six new SkyTrain lines. These SkyTrain routes are all connected and form circles orbiting around neighbourhoods. The system runs from UBC to Surrey and Port Coquitlam, from Downtown to Richmond Steveston.
The first new line is UniLink, which runs from the University of British Columbia to Simon Fraser University in Burnaby. According to the public engagement document of UBC SkyTrain extension, there are about 150,000 trips per day going from and to UBC before the COVID-19 pandemic. The 99 B-Line is the most crowded bus route among all Translink-operated buses. As a result, it is crucial to have stable and safe public transit to cater the needs of students, staff, faculty and researchers. Connecting the largest universities in British Columbia, the UniLink may potentially bring tremendous collaborations between UBC and SFU. The newly built line will also provide alternative options for commuters along the Broadway, to conveniently travel across the rest of Metro Vancouver with four interchange stations.
Another major change made to the current SkyTrain route is the Canada Line. The existing route runs from Richmond-Brighouse to Waterfront, and an extension starts from the YVR Airport. We believe it is not efficient and the best way to carry visitors from the airport to tourist attractions, vice versa. we separated the current Canada Line into two different lines. Therefore, a separate YVR Express is proposed to provide fast and reliable travel to travellers coming in and leaving Vancouver. Second, The Richmond line runs similarly to the current Canada Line. Instead of running only to Richmond-Brighouse, we added 5 more stations in the city due to higher concentrated in those census tracts.
Third, we expand the current Expo line and rename the line to Metropolitan Line. We expand the line to Surrey as Surrey slowly developing into a residential area, which we expect Surrey will have high population density in the future. We also propose having three new lines, namely the East Corridor, Metropolitan Line and South Corridor as commuter rail to shorten travelling time in the far east side of Metro Vancouver. As Surrey is becoming the fastest growing city among the region, we would expect Surrey residents will surely benefit from the new SkyTrain lines. We also strategically connected several lines together to make an interchange. Eight interchange stations are as below:
- Marine Drive Station (YVR Express and Richmond Line)
- Broadway-City Hall Station (UniLink and Richmond Line)
- Grandville Bridge Station (YVR Express and Richmond Line)
- Fraser-16th Station (UniLink and South Corridor)
- Burnaby Lake Station (East Corridor and UniLink)
- Pacific Central Station (East Corridor, Metropolitan Line, Richmond Line and YVR Express)
- Queensborough Station (East Corridor, Metropolitan Line and South Corridor)
- Douglas Station (East Corridor and Metropolitan Line)
In particular, the two interchanges located in New West will conveniently allow workers at Annacis Island working on the Queensborough and outlying islands of Delta, commute easier than ever. Travellers may change lines to Coquitlam, Surrey, and other cities quicker, to avoid traffic jam at Trans-Canada Highway. These interchange stations form circular routes around neighbourhoods to reduce the needs for transfer and avoid station congestion. We believe that these interchange stations make travelling easier and flexible, rather than taking the complete route to riders’ destination.