B.C. provides peek into $2.95B SkyTrain tunnel, set to open in 2027
The British Columbia government has provided a glimpse of progress on the Broadway subway tunnel, which is set to expand Metro Vancouver’s SkyTrain capacity significantly in 2027.
Transportation Minister Mike Farnworth led a media tour of the construction of the tunnel, part of a 5.7-kilometre extension of the SkyTrain Millennium Line from VCC-Clark Station to Arbutus Street on Vancouver’s West Side.
Farnworth says the $2.95-billion construction project also features a 700-metre stretch of elevated track before the route plunges under Broadway, and about 750 workers are involved.
He says the new Millennium Line extension and its six stations will be able to carry triple the capacity of the 99-B rapid bus service currently operating the route.
The cost of the project is slightly more than previous estimates, but Farnworth says small overruns are common in underground construction but it’s largely been kept under control.
He adds that the Millennium Line extension is on track to open on time in the fall of 2027.
The Millennium Line extension and an extension of the Expo Line to Langley are slated to expand SkyTrain capacity by more than 27 per cent.