https://youtu.be/bXAq9HiasiQ

Customers returning to transit can now make full use of the revamped Nanaimo Exchange. The refurbished bus exchange now offers several new and improved features to enhance the customer experience such as a new plaza to improve pedestrian and cyclist safety and public artwork highlighting the history of the station.

The upgrades include:

• New bus shelters, benches, and landscaping to provide more space
• A new plaza to reduce crowding and improve customer flow
• Enhanced lighting and sightlines to increase safety
• A new layout to simplify pedestrian, cyclist, and bus flow
• Improvements to BC Parkway in and near the Exchange
• A public art piece illustrating historical sites and events on our transit network

Over 30 years old, the aging Nanaimo Exchange was used by roughly 5,000 people each weekday prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Home to bus route 25, the fourth busiest route on TransLink’s system, Nanaimo Exchange is an essential transfer point between bus and SkyTrain.

One of the highlights of the modernized Nanaimo Exchange is a unique art piece titled Archival Routes, spanning three windscreens across the exchange. The piece combines digital elements with graphite, paper, and tape to portray the history of Nanaimo Station.

The $8.9 million investment in upgrades to Nanaimo Exchange is part of the larger Bus Facilities and Exchanges Project being implemented through the Public Transit Infrastructure Fund (PTIF). PTIF is funded by the Government of Canada (50 per cent), the Province of British Columbia (33 per cent), and TransLink (17 per cent).

Quotes:

The Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities
“Investing in modern transit facilities is essential to meet the changing needs of users today and into the future. The new bus shelters, benches, layout and other changes at the Nanaimo Exchange will make it easier, safer and more enjoyable for transit users to navigate the bus and SkyTrain networks. Canada’s Infrastructure plan invests in thousands of projects, creates jobs across Canada and builds stronger communities.”

Bowinn Ma, Parliamentary Secretary for TransLink
“People can feel confident returning to transit with improvements to the Nanaimo Bus Exchange and elsewhere in TransLink’s transportation system that are helping people get where they need to go safely and efficiently. Investments like this also help reduce emissions, tackle congestion and create a better, more sustainable future for everyone.”

Kennedy Stewart, Mayor of Vancouver
“The Mayors’ Council is committed to improving aging infrastructure across the transit system. Nanaimo Exchange was over 30 years old and in major need of renovation. I’m proud that these upgrades bring a much-improved transit experience and renew a critical part of this community that will be enjoyed for decades to come.”

Sany Zein, TransLink VP of Infrastructure Management and Engineering
“Nanaimo Exchange is a key transfer point on our system, connecting busy bus routes with SkyTrain service. This project modernized the 30-year-old exchange to make it a safer and more inviting space for our transit customers, cyclists and BC Parkway users. The upgrades will enhance the experience of our customers as they return to the system and for many years to come.”