It’s the most wonderful time of the year! A time to look back at the past twelve months and take stock of all that we’ve accomplished…like making tremendous progress on four Expo Line SkyTrain Station upgrades!

In order to ensure we continue to meet the needs of our customers and the entire region for years to come, these four stations are currently being upgraded to improve station accessibility, capacity, safety and security. Here are just a few of the highlights from 2017:

At Metrotown Station, the centre stationhouse opened in March with the first two of three brand new elevators entering service, and permanent Compass faregates and stairs. The west stationhouse’s opening followed in July—this bright-and-airy new entrance features two pairs of up-and-down escalators that quickly became an Instagram and Facebook darling. Around the same time, two new bus shelters were installed along Central Boulevard, making bus and SkyTrain transfers easier and more convenient.

Construction continues on Metrotown’s east stationhouse (hint: expect it to look like a mirror image of the west stationhouse) and we’re excited for the big reveal in spring 2018.

Meanwhile, over at Commercial-Broadway Station, the construction team accomplished a lot in 2017—all while keeping the station open and operating for the more than 150,000 transit users who pass through each day. No small feat!

The work this year was mostly behind the scenes: widening the concourse, building a new platform, installing new escalators and constructing a new Bike Parkade (with space for 70 bikes!). But the most exciting and visible sign of progress came as the crews installed the steel trusses that support the new overhead walkway. Check out the cool time-lapse video to see how it was done:

We’re expecting the new 99 B-Line bus canopy just outside of Commercial-Broadway to be ready to go in the spring, with the full station upgrade completed in summer 2018.

Just a little further east, the renovated east stationhouse at Joyce-Collingwood Station opened in October, featuring improved lighting, visibility and accessibility. Check out the video that shows all the great features. Our favourite thing, though, is the gorgeous artwork by Renée Van Halm. It certainly brightens up our commute!

Earlier this month, the new Bike Parkade at Joyce-Collingwood opened, making it even easier to combine both cycling and transit into your commute.

But we’re not done with Joyce-Collingwood! Improved bus connections, BC Parkway upgrades and enhancements to the west stationhouse are just a few things to watch for in 2018.

Over at Surrey Central Station, our focus this year was completing all of the civil works for the new stationhouse. This includes making sure that things like water lines and other utilities are ready for the stationhouse to be built. Once civil works were done in the fall, it was time to move on to concrete – the south and west concrete walls, interior walls and the finished slab on the ground level have all largely been completed. Here are just a few photos to help illustrate the progress:

Anyone who’s ever done a home renovation knows that it’s tough living through construction. So thanks to all of our customers and neighbours for their patience!

Author: Cindy Kralj