TransLink has released the results from its year-long technical study which measured the effects of having all-night SkyTrain service on Friday and Saturday nights.
The transit authority found that there would be a number of trade-offs associated with the increase in service that would also include a reduction in service on weekdays and on statutory holidays.
Canada Line / Shutterstock
For example, TransLink found that the all-night model on weekend nights would force service to end an hour earlier Sunday through Thursday nights to make up maintenance hours.
In addition, TransLink found that there are roughly one-million annual Expo/Millennium Line boardings during the last weekday service hour while an all-night SkyTrain service is projected to attract between 525,000 and 700,000 annual boardings. The all-night SkyTrain estimate does not include the potential impact of ride-hailing on demand.
The study also estimates an initial $20-million is needed to upgrade and purchase maintenance facilities and equipment, and that the annual operating cost will be about $10-million.
TransLink is also planning two major SkyTrain extension projects, new fleet and multiple station upgrades. Some of this work requires the system to be shut down, so the amount of time it takes to complete these projects will increase.
TransLink has also reviewed other transit options including a new NightBus express service that would give late-night customers a safe ride home along a predictable route.
The service would:
- Begin operation when SkyTrain stopped running until it started up again in the morning (this service would be available 24/7).
- Follow the Expo and Millennium Line routes, stopping at select SkyTrain stations.
- Early testing of a potential Expo Line route between the Granville entertainment district and Surrey Central Station shows bus travel time would be about 20 minutes longer than SkyTrain service. Travel times could be reduced further by stopping at key stations only.
- Planning for the service can begin once funding is secured.
“I believe this option will make a difference. We can roll out relatively quickly and easily once funding is secured whereas running SkyTrain all night on weekends would negatively affect more customers than it helps due to the significant scheduling and cost trade-offs required," states CEO Kevin Desmond.
TransLink is also looking to immediately expand its NightBus program, which it launched as a pilot last summer. It is now a permanent hub in Vancouver’s Granville entertainment district, which provides a central, well-lit environment at Granville and Georgia for customers to wait.
- As of September 2, the N17 Night Bus to UBC will be extended to run through the night until the start of regular service.
- We are adding trips to the N19 between Vancouver and Surrey this fall to address overcrowding.
- The N15 on Cambie is being simplified to provide more direct service to Vancouver International Airport.
Service will be increased on nine NightBus routes in 2020.
“After seeing the success that came from the launch of TransLink’s NightBus District last year, we’re hopeful that a NightBus express service would strengthen downtown Vancouver’s nighttime economy and help even more people return home safely from the downtown core”, says Charles Gauthier, President and CEO of the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association.
“This will be the most efficient way to extend late-night transit services, and we look forward to seeing it implemented.”
