Broadway's Subway Extension
The proposed Broadway subway extension | Photo credit: Translink via Vancouver Is Awesome
Originally scheduled to be finished in 2025, but delayed to 2026 due to problems with boring machines and poor ground conditions, the Broadway Subway extension is a project that has long been in the works. Planning began in 2010, with construction starting in 2021.
The 5.7 km long extension of the Millennium Line aims to relieve some of the congestion from VCC-Clark Station to Broadway and Arbutus. This project is needed, as the Broadway corridor is one of the busiest transit routes in North America, according to the City of Vancouver.
According to TransLink, the 99-B line, the rapid bus line that runs along Broadway, transported about 60,000 people daily in 2019. Since then, overcrowding of this bus line has increased, and there are usually many delays during rush hour, making the commute much longer and more unreliable. According to the City of Vancouver, the trains should run every 3 to 4 minutes, and travel times will be cut 50 per cent compared to the times of the current 99-B line once the project has finished.
The extension would continue west from the VCC-Clark station of the Millennium Line. It would add six stops: Great Northern Way-Emily Carr, Mount Pleasant, Broadway City Hall, Oak VGH, South Granville, and finally, Arbutus. The project is on track for its goal to complete these six stations and the rest of the tunnelling process in 2024.
Today, though it can be difficult to see that progress has been made since construction began in 2021, the boring machines have nearly finished. There are two boring machines: Elsie and Phyllis. Elsie digs out the eastbound tunnel, while Phyllis digs out the westbound tunnel. These boring machines are well on their way to digging out the space for the tunnels, and there have been over 2,600 concrete rings added to line the inside of the tunnel. On Oct. 30, 2023, Elsie reached the VCC-Clark Station, meaning that it travelled almost the entire route of the extension.
The project will cost $2.83 billion. It is mainly being paid for by the BC provincial government, with some funding from the federal government and the city of Vancouver. It is the most expensive transit development in BC’s history.
The next phase of this project would be to connect the Millennium Line to UBC. TransLink, the company that owns and runs the public transit system in Vancouver, is studying the possibility of an extension. Since 2014, the idea of a UBC SkyTrain line has been a topic of great focus and study. Most recently, the Vancouver Mayor’s Council approved a Regional Base Scope, which planned the general locations of the stations. The UBC extension would create a more sustainable and easier way for people to access their jobs, activities or classes on the UBC Vancouver campus. It would also meet future demand and relieve predicted stress on buses like the 99 B-line. According to TransLink, the SkyTrain would be able to transport about 130,000 people daily, taking less than an hour to run the entire course of the route.