Vancouver commuters are getting a bit of a reprieve from a planned closure that would have taken a downtown SkyTrain station offline for two years.
TransLink announced late last week the major upgrades to the Burrard SkyTrain Station "are no longer proceeding as planned."
The change of plans is being blamed on "higher than anticipated construction bid prices" submitted. In turn, those high prices stem from "ongoing pressures in the construction industry caused by global supply chain issues and higher construction costs."
The initial upgrades for the nearly-40-year-old facility would have seen the doubling of escalators and elevators, a relocation of the main entrance, a redesign of the plaza to make it more pedestrian-friendly, and upgrades to the station’s power supply and mechanical systems. As announced in mid-2021, the two-year station closure would have begun at some point in "early 2022," said TransLink at the time.
Burrard Station was one of 15 original stations built and opened as part of SkyTrain's Expo Phase I, which ran from Waterfront to New Westminster. Constructed in 1985 and opened in January 1986, Burrard SkyTrain Station "has not had a significant upgrade in its 36 years of operation," says TransLink, noting currently it is "the fourth busiest station on the SkyTrain system."
Now TransLink says it will "determine the new scope" of upgrades for Burrard SkyTrain Station, adding: "The details have not yet been finalized but TransLink will prioritize upgrades to ensure the station remains in a state of good repair."
