Learn about station upgrades for Metrotown Station today and tomorrow – June 4 and 5, 2013
Learn about station upgrades for Metrotown Station today and tomorrow – June 4 and 5, 2013
Following our consultation and now upgrades of Main Street-Science World Station, the first of two open houses starts today on upgrades to Metrotown Station.
We apologize for not updating our readers earlier. These latest open houses, which are part of the Expo Line Upgrade Strategy, start today. Here’s the open house info:
Tuesday, June 4, 2013 – 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.- Metrotown SkyTrain Station East ground-level entrance
Wednesday, June 5, 2013 – 2:30pm – 5:30 p.m. – Metrotown SkyTrain Station East Ground-level entrance
For a complete list of what the planned upgrades are and other info, you’ll want to go to the TransLink website. Here’s a quick list:
- Up and down escalators from grade level to the platform at both ends
- Replacing the existing elevator and adding a second one
- An improved bus exchange with faster connections between SkyTrain and buses
- Better integration with the surrounding neighbourhood.
- Faregates and associated equipment
- Other station features under consideration include: expanded bike storage including a secure bike parking area, upgraded wayfinding and lighting and other customer amenities.
We hope you’re able to get to the station to see what is being planned. If not, I’ll make sure that any questions you have about the upgrades get answered a.s.a.p!
Way to go promoting this TransLink. The blog post is the only link about it on the main page of the site, and this post has a time of 10:42 while the start time of the open house was at 10:00. Gee did you not want people to show up.
From what I can see on the site, the general plan makes sense, but I’m not wild about the details. Here’s the link to the info boards:
http://www.translink.ca/~/media/Documents/plans_and_projects/station_exchange_improvements/metrotown/metrotown_info_boards.ashx
I’m wondering how these upgrades will affect traffic on Central Boulevard? It’s already pretty busy as it is right now.
Hi Eric,
The upgrade relocates the bus exchange to a location beneath the station which will reduce the volume of people using the passerelle (elevated walk way). So, I imagine there will be some sort of road disruption. As for Central Boulevard specifically, I’ll find our for you.
Hello again Eric,
I have your answer and I think you’ll like it. At this part of the process, we’re expecting no changes to Central Boulevard traffic during the upgrade!
I went to one of the open houses and there were feedback forms people could fill out. I didn’t pick one up as I was told they were online – where are they???
Hi Robert,
Here’s the big question that we all have. Will the station remain open during renovations? If I recall, there was talk of closing the station or alternatively, building a temporary station just east of the existing one. I can’t make the open house and would like to know (and so would the thousands of people who pass through the station everyday).
I was at an open house – the station will remain open during renovations.
Hopefully the new loop will be better in that pedestrians won’t need to cross into the pathway of moving buses. Not having to hear buses backing up will be a bonus. So loud, and it echoes.
We won’t have to cross in front of buses, but anyone going to the mall will have to cross Central, most likely at ground level instead of the overhead walkway. I can see that area becoming a death zone.
I am very concerned about this design change… will people from the mall have to cross the pedestrian overpass, go down stairs and than around the corner into the station?
Could we not design the station to include a direct link in? or prehaps a way to bring people off the pedestrian bridge without the forced use of a staircase?
This seems to be a big step backwards for mobility needs of this aging population that we seem so determined to assist onto public transit.
I asked about that at one of the open houses. The overhead walkway is owned by Metrotown, not TransLink.
After TransLink moves the bus loop, the mall will be taking over where the loop is now and you can bet that they’re going to redevelop it and then there might not be any kind of overhead walkway.
I mentioned about having a walkway going from the station to Station Square (they’ve considered it in past design ideas) so maybe that will happen. Of course then you’ll have most people exiting from one end of the platform again.
I figured I should post a few notes about what I heard at the open house I was at (look at pages 6/7 of the info boards, linked above):
* There will be up and down escalators at each end of the platform. They won’t know how many escalators there will be until they get further into the design process and find out how much space they have to work with.
* The center-ish section is where the double elevators will be, along with an ’emergency exit’ staircase (don’t know if it’ll be open all the time or only in emergencies)
* The current roof is staying and being extended, and having some kind of acoustic tiles added to decrease noise levels.
* The mesh panels on the platform level are being replaced with glass panels.
* Like Main Street Station there will be bike parking within the station (I didn’t hear where it will be)
* The bus loop will be around the station, with the waiting area under the station/tracks. That will provide some weather protection, along with canopies along the street.
* On the Beresford side, buses will be on their own two lane street, then there’s a line of plants/shrubs, then the BC Parkway (bike path) and then Beresford Street (page 7)
Thanks for the notes Sheba! The comments sheet isn’t available to download at the moment. However, I’ve uploaded it as a .pdf file here – http://buzzer.translink.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Metrotown_CommentSheet_OpenHouse.pdf. If you or anyone else would like to fill it out, scan it (I don’t believe you can write on it) and mail it to, I can get it to the Metrotown team.
I’ll wait a bit and hope the form will show up online for us to fill out.
One of the questions (retail) reminds me of what one woman was saying. While I think the upgrades to New West Station are amazing and should be incorporated into more of the station upgrades, I don’t think it should happen here. For starters the station is right next door to the biggest mall in BC (and second largest in the country).
Plus the station isn’t the only renovation planned/happening. There’s new retail/office/five towers at Station Square, three towers with podiums along Beresford (by the looks of it Burnaby is planning towers for that entire section of Beresford) and Sears just recently submitted an application to totally redevelop (for a new store, five towers with podiums and two office towers).
Oh yeah, and there’s Metrotower III being built right now and the once the buses move the current bus loop will be renovated as well. There’s going to be a lot more people living within a short walk of the station, and even more retail than there is now. If anything the skytrain station needs a quiet room to get away from it all while waiting for the train – not even more retail.
Are there any documents on the newly designed Commercial-Broadway Station with the third platform? Construction for that will have to begin soon if they plan on accommodating the Evergreen Line.
Nothing yet Jake. I looked and it says “In 2013, TransLink is starting Phase 2 of upgrades to Commercial-Broadway Station. We’ll start detailed design in 2013 and finish the project in 2016.”
With the work happening on Main Street Station and the planning for Metrotown Station, I’m guessing they’re not going to do much else until the fall.
http://www.translink.ca/en/Plans-and-Projects/Station-and-Exchange-Improvements/Commercial-Broadway-Station-Upgrades.aspx
Jake: Sheba is right, we’re working on Commercial Broadway next and we should be looking for consultation later this year.
Sheba: I’m not sure when the feedback form will be online. So, I suggest sending your feedback now if you can. Thanks!
I just sent you an e-mail. I downloaded and could fill in the form with Adobe Reader but not in my browser (which also showed the completed one as empty).
Hi Sheba: Thanks for the form! I’ve forwarded to our Metrotown team. I’ve also made a note for them about making this form easier to fill out and more readily available to download.