On June 2nd, the British Columbia (BC) government officially announced that the Broadway Subway Project, an extension of the SkyTrain Millennium Line, will open in the fall of 2027.
The project will extend the Millennium Line 5.7 km from VCC-Clark to Arbutus, with six new underground stations (Great Northern Way-Emily Carr, Oak-VGH, Broadway-City Hall, South Granville, Mount Pleasant, and Arbutus), and an underground passageway to the Canada Line at Cambie Street.
The journey from VCC Clark Station to Arbutus Station takes about 11 minutes. A bus (Line 99B) connects Arbutus Station to the University of British Columbia (UBC). BC’s Minister of Transportation Mike Farnworth said that the SkyTrain will have “three times the capacity of Line 99B” and will greatly improve traffic conditions in the surrounding area.
But the project is $127 million over budget, about two years behind schedule, and the lengthy construction process has put a strain on surrounding businesses.
The extension from Arbutus to UBC was included as a priority for TransLink in its latest 10-year plan and is supported by UBC and the City of Vancouver, but there is currently no specific funding in place from the provincial or federal governments.