The staircase to access the SkyTrain at one of Vancouver's busiest transit stops is set to re-open earlier than expected.
Escalator construction crews at Commercial-Broadway SkyTrain Station are opening the north-side staircase Friday morning, Feb. 28.
This means commuters can connect to the Expo Line on platforms 3 and 4 as normal tomorrow and for the remainder of the Commercial–Broadway Escalator Replacement Project, which began last September.
TransLink explained that riders will no longer need to detour across East Broadway and the north-side elevator will resume normal service.
"Customers should continue to use care moving through the station, as construction crews will be working with fencing still in place until the project’s completion," reads a statement to V.I.A. from the regional transit authority.
The $10.5-million project is replacing a total of four aging escalators that have been in place since 2002 when the Millennium Line first connected with the Expo Line.
The two that serve the Expo side of the Commercial platform, as well as the adjacent staircase, closed the same day the other two that access the Millennium Line opened last September.
Work began in December 2023 and is estimated to be complete by fall this year. SkyTrain service has not been impacted since day one.
"From spring 2018 through early 2024, we replaced 37 aging escalators along the Expo Line nearing the end of their service lives with heavier-duty units built to move more customers safely and reliably for years to come," added TransLink.
Commercial-Broadway, as of 2023, was Vancouver's second-busiest SkyTrain station with 6.225 million boardings and third in all of Metro Vancouver behind Waterfront and Metrotown.
With a file from Lindsay William-Ross
