PHOTOS: This is your exclusive first look inside the new Mark V SkyTrain!
PHOTOS: This is your exclusive first look inside the new Mark V SkyTrain!
The first Mark V cars rolled into our operations and maintenance centre in December 2023 after an epic 4,600-kilometre journey across Canada from Kingston, Ontario.
The five cars, which were offloaded over two days, have been connected to form a single, five-car train. We recently began testing the train within our operation and maintenance centre near Edmonds Station.
Soon, you’ll see it making appearances on the SkyTrain tracks when it continues the testing and commissioning process as it prepares to enter service at the end of this year.
We wanted to share with you an exclusive first look inside the train!
In 2019, we asked you what wanted to see in this next generation of SkyTrain cars. You told us you liked the design of Mark III cars. So, we built upon it and made the Mark V even better.
New seating arrangement
The Mark V features a new seating arrangement that creates wider aisles.
This makes it easier for customers who use a wheelchair, as well as customers with strollers, bikes and luggage to move around in the cars. It also increases the capacity of the train, which is helpful during the busiest times of the day.
Flex areas
One of the features you wanted to see was the continued inclusion of flex areas to better serve customers with mobility devices, strollers, bicycles, and luggage.
In the Mark V, we enhanced the flex area by including a strap to hold onto your bike while the train is in motion.
We also added leaning pads in the flex area for customers who prefer to rest on the train without sitting down.
New perimeter seating
Another potential layout improvements identified during engagement was the addition of perimeter (sideways) seating, which is a feature you find on the Mark I trains.
In the Mark V train, there’s a row of perimeter seating in the first and last car, and two rows each in the middle three cars.
The return of the “driver’s seat”
A popular feature of our Mark II and III trains was the “driver’s seat” located at the front and back of the train. It returns on the Mark V!
Improved in-train displays and door indicators
The second-generation Mark II and Mark III trains both feature a map of the SkyTrain network above the doors. It uses LEDs that light up to tell customers what the upcoming stations are.
We’ve enhanced this popular and useful feature on the Mark V train. It’s now a digital LCD display.
The new train also features a new strip indicator light, located underneath the in-train displays, that tell customers when the door is closing.
It replaces the LED indicators that you find in the door corners of the second-generation Mark II and Mark III trains.
(P.S. In the picture below, the train is still in the shop so we couldn’t show what it’s like in action.)
A more comfortable ride
We have also upgraded the heating, ventilation, and cooling (HVAC) systems in the new trains for a more comfortable ride. It offers better cooling and heating than current trains.
More on the new SkyTrain cars
The SkyTrain network is expanding with the Broadway Subway and Surrey Langley SkyTrain projects. Metro Vancouver’s population is growing too with more than a million people set to call the region home by 2050.
With this ahead of us, we’re getting ready with the SkyTrain Expansion Program. As part of this, we’re adding more than 200 new SkyTrain cars:
- 125 cars (25 trains) to replace first-generation Mark I vehicles that entered service in 1985 when the SkyTrain opened and to support the Broadway Subway Project
- 80 cars (16 trains) to improve capacity on the Expo and Millennium Lines
- 30 cars (6 trains) for the Surrey Langley SkyTrain project
New trains like these and other improvements to the SkyTrain system are made possible through Investment Plans financially supported by the Mayors’ Council, the Province of B.C. and the Government of Canada. With demand for transit in the Metro Vancouver region growing, TransLink relies on the support of all levels of government to make future improvements to SkyTrain and the rest of the transit system.
Walkthrough from end to end


After a long day of work standing, it would be nice to get a seat to sit down to relax. Taking out seats to create more standing area only makes the train looks crowded, not roomy.
sure it makes it look more crowded, but the end of the day, you want a train to carry as many people as possible withot sacrificing comfort, and taking out seats to create more standing area benefits everyone, as there’s more space for people to get on without crowding
Mainly standing room with few bars to hang onto is a sure fire recipe for disaster for anyone outside of the 15-40 age group.
That’s how it is everywhere else in the world. Tough luck.
Incorrect. Have you been on the Seoul subways? Plenty of seats for seniors, disabled persons and pregnant women. Lots of over head straps at different heights to accomodate people of different statures.
We’re one of the last decent places to live that’s a crappy attitude to lower our standards to the rest of the world when the rest of the world is coming here.
Why are there so few seats? I don’t consider this an improvement at all. I’ve travelled all over in China and in Seoul and there is plenty of seating.
Love these new cars
i know right!
I fully agree. It’s tough enough to get a seat let alone now having fewer. This doesn’t serve seniors. The elimination of seating choices a poor decision.
I hope it’s going
Go easy for llthe disabled to find a place to sit?
Terrible decision to eliminate seats. You can tell whoever made that decision doesn’t ride the train.
Like the Rotem and some later Bombardier versions…where are all the ceiling holds? There are few horizontal holds and I don’t see any individual vertical handles.
Skytrain is removing more and more seats (to accommodate more passengers), but it’s not adding ceiling-mounted handles to keep those standees safe. It’s ridiculous!
I cannot understand our transit authority’s aversion to ceiling-mounted handles.
Yes now the new trains don’t allow sitting even though fares keep going up.
Get a car bro! Oh wait, you can’t afford it?
Can’t wait to spot these on the guideways! The Mark III’s are already so nice, exciting times ahead
I’m struck by how few seats there seem to be. Also, I find the sideways seats on the Mk1 cars to be very uncomfortable. You’re always being thrown back and forth as the train brakes and accelerates.
I agree. I am extremely disappointed how few seats there are and the side by side configuration. This was never a good design in the first place.
Have to agree. Forward facing seats so people do not have to face eachother is a better way. They need more seats not less. This is a bit of a stretch but maybe every train should have a caboose dedicated to the elderly and the infirm with more wheelchair anchors etc. but still available to everyone. They could have two of these new cars shown here for bicycle people and those who like to stand and two max seating cars to total five cars.
I agree. I am a senior and I see a large reduction in seating compared to older cars. I cannot stand sitting and facing the middle without a seatbelt to hold me as the train accelerates and decelerates, and worse, in a emergency braking situation.
I was wondering if I am a young strong guy. I don’t need a seat but some people are very weak and fragile. It is very hard to stand the one spot for travelling 14 station stops. I am glad we got the train I am happy that there is plenty of space for bikes, strollers and luggage. Think about Grama and Grampa, disable
The handle bars needs to be lowered. Not everybody is 6ft tall.
Exactly
Minor nitpicks on the interior signage:
1. The decal for the silent alarm strip appears to be an older version; it is missing the “See Something, Say Something” call-to-action to text Transit Police.
2. The heading text on the sign for the passenger intercom is awkwardly worded: “Safety Security” — I believe the wording on the other trains is due to the push button in the middle of the heading, but since that’s not the case on the Mark V cars, the heading text should show the full “Safety & Security” just like on the other decals, e.g. the one for the fire extinguisher cabinet.
I’m glad to see the transparent decal on the sign “Air Conditioned Car – Open window in emergency only” which doesn’t block the view out the window of the station signage when the train arrives at a station.
Safety???? We have transit police that was never visible and customer service attendant just standing on the platforms – how can we be safe???
Yeah it’s a jungle out there
The handle bars need to have straps so passengers can hold on to.
Also there is not enough handle bars in some area.
Agreed. Straps hanging down from the center grab rail are the only way to accommodate people of all heights comfortably and safely.
Too much empty space need more seating capacity.
One of the cars should only for bikes, scooters, wheel chair
and their passengers with proper signage and photos of the vehicles painted outside or the car.
22 seats per car? The designers clearly drive cars and don’t understand the needs of riders. Why have big windows and beautiful scenery only for your back to face it? I’d never believe that someone prefers sideways seating, very “enjoyable” to look at peoples crotch area when you sit and they stand. With the public gone wild, the digital display would be broken in days.
The decision makers at TransLink need to start using transit daily, they are out of touch.
Back facing the window is quite normal in other transit systems around the world. Singapore SMRT and the London underground is 2 examples and people there don’t seem to have a hobby of looking at peoples private areas, unlike Vancouverites
Why do you keep looking at people there? Is this a special hobby of Vancouverites or something? Backs facing the window is normal in trans systems around the world, don’t know why people here can’t keep their eyes on something that isn’t weird
At some point in the article you mention the corner door lights for closing indication and link this other article from a while ago: https://buzzer.translink.ca/2009/05/improved-interiors-for-the-new-skytrain-cars/, and although it’s a nice throwback it mentions a video where the LED map cycles through announcements, and one of the comments says there’s a couple of unused announcements including one for the Woodlands station. I NEED TO SEE THIS VIDEO, PLEASE, DO YOU STILL HAVE IT????????????
Thank you for your hard work and thoughtful train car designs
Personally, I didn’t like it. I would prefer more seats in cars, after a tiring day of work. Carrying more people standing will make it look so crowded. I fully understand the needs of people in wheelchairs, bicycles, strollers. Maybe placing two or 3 cars for it or Half of a car with enough room for it and the other with enough seats.
hope they put as final detail some straps in the handle bars, we are not all tall.
More people to fight over ever- decreasing seats is only getting worse…why not just get rid of seats altogether, and call it “a benefit for riders”? Bikes and strollers take up a hugely disproportionate amount of space that displaces people. At this rate, the trains will be nothing but bikes and strollers.
The solution Translink is using looks like just make everyone stand for the benefit of a small number of food delivery bikes, skateboards, e-bikes, and giant strollers.
Sweet. More room for smoking meth and shooting up!
Fewer seats and nothing to hold onto. My commute is about to get worse. The train whips you around between science world and stadium station, so it will be fun falling into people, maybe even breaking something.
What does the outside of the new trains look like?
I agree. Many of the newer cars are already difficult for shorter people to ride. I’m 5’4” and can *just* manage to grab hold of the overhead bars if I’m standing directly beneath them. Many riders are shorter than me and don’t stand a chance!
I actually like the reduced seating capacity since peak-hours travel is already usually standing room only and increased capacity means less time waiting for a train with room to squeeze on. But if half the standing passengers are being thrown around because there’s nowhere to hold on, it kind of defeats the purpose.
I like the more standing space and perimeter seating, it allows for more capacity and many other cities use the same design. But I do agree with some of the other comments asking for more bars and straps to hold onto.
Could have fit more sits if we replace front facing seat to side facing seats. Would also be nice if we instead have a partial sitting platform rather than a huge leaning pad. But I still love the new cars, keep it up
Why does this designer hate holding straps?
Can we please have some holding straps down the center of the train. Most people aren’t 6 foot tall.
in Japan most of the regular trains are side facing seats. They have more drop rings to grab onto though
Hate the new trains. Fewer seats and more standing. What are seniors supposed to do?
Stay home. Or keel over and make room for a new generation of people that don’t complain at literally anything and everything.
Reduced seating will result in problems for seniors and parents with young children.
How true
Welcome to Vancouver. Where people rip apart anything new. If it’s black. It should be white. If it’s white it should be black. If you don’t like it. Don’t use it. Change is inevitable and that’s why the opinion of seniors should be disregarded as your existence is irrelevant and your going to die sooner that most
this is so sad for seniors. There are more seniors than ever using transit. We would like to be strong and stable as we were in our youth, however, that does not happen. We have poor balance, need to sit down to be safe, usually have pain in our backs and joints if we have to stand for long periods. Fewer seats and sideway seats —-this makes me cringe!
Can’t some forward thinking people please take ALL ages into consideration—yes, this addresses, wheelchairs, strollers, bikes, great—-where is the thinking for so many others needs.
I agree!
Also, I wish they would make the senior’s seats a different colour, so they stand out more.
Finally, I believe children should be safe, but having them on the senior’s seat is just as dangerous for us and more so for them if there is a sudden movement. Young children need to be on a parent’s lap or on a seat where there is something in front of them that prevents them from being thrown off balance and falling on the floor. Small flip down seats with a belt in the flex area would be good for them.
Stay home. Seniors live to long and there opinions sway far away from what is best for the future of younger generations who are more likely to be affected by these changes. Oh think of the seniors! I do. And I still think that we give them way too much influence on our future because they won’t be around long enough anyways.
Seniors are like infants. Delicate. Stubborn. And opinions that are suitable for only themselves without the thought for long term practical applications.
That single seat facing the window is going to get a lot of abuse. Feel like they could provide a hidden ‘driver’s seat.’ Right now it looks like a prop for “Magic Mike: Mark V”
I’m a senior. It is difficult to find a seat as it is. Senior/Disabled designated seats are usually occupied by unyielding younger people. With the new trains, this situation will be more acute since there will be less seats.
So if I were to stand, I don’t think I can reach the new ceiling bars. Maybe lower the grab bars or include hand loops as well.
There NEEDS to be MORE SEATS available. People who are seniors or have mobility issues ( eg: I have arthritis in my knees etc…) CAN NOT always stand up for long periods of time.
Hire a cab or stay home
So true.
I have even come across younger people sitting in seniors or disabled seats snoring or pretending to be on theirs cell phones
There should be signs strictly for “Seniors or Disabled Only!”
Maybe you need to let go and know your place. Your on your way out and what seniors think shouldn’t be taking into consideration for things that are going to be used far beyond the lifetime of the next generation to be in the grave.
With long sky train rides there should be more seats.
Seriously? You’re cutting back the seats that much?? Looks like the majority of us will all be standing now. Too bad for seniors who have a hard time already trying to get a seat. Not a fan of this new plan.
Please add more overhead hand holds from the bars. Not the rubber floppy ones. Add solid hand holds like in New York and Hong Kong
Lack of seating will be hard for seniors, people with mobility issues not in wheelchair and young families.
More educations, announcements and signs on giving up seats for seniors, disabled, mothers with children! More hand straps on bar!
Recently saw the story of a fire that destroyed a Toronto subway caused by an ebike . Is Skytrain going to continue allowing these fire risks?
Where is the seating on these trains? So much space devoted for bikes. How about a fare surcharge for the space wasted for bikes?
One more time this city prioritizes profit over safety or comfort. You think everyone wants to be squished like a sardine, think again. This does nothing for anyone that may have a problem standing, and it is not just seniors. This idea must have been thought up my the management morons that never ride the train. Once again you prove why this city is going downhill.
When you travel 3 zones from KG all the way Waterfront, you want to get seated for a less than an hour ride.
Removing seats is not comfortable enough. Like I am a 60+ woman who has arthritis so I can’t stand this whole time where I will not even be able to reach the handles as I am less than 5′ height, and unable to hold on rails due to my arthritis, for so long!
WE ARE PAYING FOR INCREASED FARES TO BENEFIT TRANSLINK AND EMPLOYEES’ PAY, SO GET US COMFORTABLE TRAINS FOR ALL PASSENGERS!!!
Very disappointing. Less seating so those that have disabilities will be forced to stand. Side seating is uncomfortable as you have nothing to hold on to as the cars jerk. Also some people due to motion sickness have to sit forward. As i am 5 foot and use a cane, holding an overhead support is virtually impossible so these trains will be unsafe.
Where is the area for the homeless to store their carts safely?
I am 82 years old and have health issues that require me to travel to VGH from Richmond often. It is bad enough now with the overcrowding I experience now and can only hope these new cars will not be used on the Canada Line before I have passed on. I still can’t believe that the Canada Line stations – including the new one being built – only have platforms that only have room for 2 car trains.
Skytrain and Canada Line are not only separately operated systems, they are incompatible and carriages cannot be swapped out or shared between the two. So can rest assured you will never see the Mark V’s on CL
It looks very nice & more roomy. I think I just saw one strap for the bike. So how many bikes can they take. Loved the cushion that someone can lean on. It looks like it can carry more people than the other ones we have. I believe it’s time to take the old Expo line trains from the tracks because they make so much noise. They are very old. Sometimes it’s better to go to other countries to take a look at their trains how they build them. They is also room for people on wheelchairs, & mothers with strollers.
Translink, truly disappointed that you really missed the “Mark” on this one. Who are the designers – all tall young guys?
Have you actually taken a look at who uses transit in our region?
1) There are lots of people who are – to say it bluntly – short! The overhead bars are insufficient in number and reachability and you are making them harder to reach by angling the bars the WRONG WAY. I’m average height and already have difficult hanging on in certain trains.
2) As many others have said, a serious lack of seating for seniors, disabled, etc. and also young families in guides of “flexibility”.
I’ve ridden transit all over the world, so there are many examples of better design that have been implemented.
REALLY disappointed by how few seats there are. As a senior with mobility issues, this is NOT an upgrade.
I don’t see any straps to hold on to if you’re standing.
Glad I’m 65 years old and retiring soon. Less seats will make it almost impossible to get one. With a bad knee, I would likely revert to driving if I stayed working. I love how they try to spin the positive (more room for bikes, wheel chairs, strollers, Luggage, etc.) and totally downplay the greatly reduced seating. I highly doubt this came out the survey!
Bring a 4 wheeled walker with a seat. Have your seat anywhere you want!
Why aren’t the numbers starting in the 500s? I thought it was called the Mark Vs for that reason. Why skip it for the 600s? Was there a reason to start the first car off with 601-1 instead of 501-1?
Who are the people that approved the seating design for the seating plan for these cars? Obviously, not the ones that travels the Skytrain at the busy travel times of the day. Did they ever consult the public? Why didn’t they set up consultation booths at the Skytrain hub to find out what the public wanted? Overall, a negative response from what I read here.
I am 70 years old, work 40 hours a week, my choice, and travel from Burrard to Brentwood. I can tell you that getting a seat in the afternoon now from Brentwood is rare. Very few people will offer up a seat for you even in the seats supposedly for older and disabled. They have ear buds in and ignore you. In Toronto is says you MUST vacate the seat. Here it is like…..well if you want to. I am not handicapped but do appreciate that after being up from 5 am to have a seat. I have actually given up my seat for those that need it. I don’t want any hero cookie but feel sorry for those with health and mobility issues, and people who aren’t tall enough to hold on. If you are short and in the middle of the train, good luck…looks like there is nothing to hold on to. One last point, putting bicycles in a crowded train, a recipe for disaster.
This comment is about buses schedule in Maple Ridge / Pitt Meadows. They never follow their schedule – either too late, or too early or don’t show up at all! Or better off – buses with the same route number will just follow each other.
Translink does not know how to schedule buses?
Disappointed to see fewer seats. Already I find it hard to get a seat and I am unable to stand for extended periods of time so this will make taking Skytrain more difficult for me.
Definitely agree..
I assume you are being facetious but for anyone who thinks you are serious, walkers are not designed to be sat upon while on moving train or other vehicle. I hope Translink isn’t thinking that customers can make use of the flex areas this way.
Take it or leave it I guess…BUT…not much better for partly disabled such as me and others. Looks like less seating overall…
They should just bite the bullet and have longitudinal seating, having more seats and space for standing than single or double transverse seating is not gotta help commuters from the suburbs. I’ve gone from Gateway to Waterfront standing the whole way cause of lack of seating. Still have space for bikes and other spaces for travellers with luggage connecting to Bus, Rail, or Airport Connections.
Yes, it’s unfortunate not being able to see out the window with it behind you, but the there’s more to gain for others with a small sacrifice.
Skytrain should consider using a couple different seating configurations, some high capacity and some lower capacity cars. Call them ‘comfort cars’ or something along those lines.
Keep the cars on the ends the same and have the two variables in middle carriages only. That way they could be shuffled around to create even more variation. could have the ‘comfort cars’ make up the entire midsection, just the middle, etc
As the population ages, we need more forward facing seats, not less.
What‘s the point of getting rid of the seats?It definitely won’t improve the riding experience especially for commuters with big backpacks who are commonly seen nowadays.
There appear to be a lot more grab bars, which I appreciate, being mobility challenged.
I guess seniors or those under 5’7″ will be lying on the floor as they can’t sit, although most HDCP seating is filled with school kids anyway, but these cars are a disaster, as those who can’t hold on will become rugs in the cars. Bascically standing room only for two and three zone is ridiculous. Not well thought out at all.
I hope these trains will be more quiet than then the current ones. You can’t even hear the person next to you in some of them – the train and track noise is deafening.
What happened to the seats??? I have chronic back pain, and already have to let several trains pass by to get a seat. At this rate, the Mark VI cars will have no seats at all, like cattle carriages.
Absolute garbage. Designed to carry cattle and not humans, no respect for the elderly or disabled!
Terrible decision to eliminate seats. You can tell whoever made that decision doesn’t ride the train.
So true
Looks to me like they do ride – and they watched trains go by several times because it was packed.
If it’s rush hour and you’re standing in car A or B near “the driver’s seat”… what exactly are you supposed to hold onto?
I’d grab onto the seat. Who cares if someone is in it, I’m not falling over on account of some misguided politeness. I got places to be.
I’m rather shocked by these new cars with so few seats. I’m not a ‘senior’ yet, but I do suffer from debilitating osteoarthritis in my hips and walk with a cane. From time to time, people take pity on me and offer me a seat, but this is not guaranteed. While standing, shifting my weight from one hip to the other as the train starts and stops is very painful. My typical ride is 50 minutes, which can feel like an eternity if a large part of it is spent standing, especially without adequate supports to hold on to.
They should use folding seats like on the bus. Then you still have room for strollers and bikes, or you can fold them down for more seating when it is busy.
Windows that open…on air conditioned trains? Why are we still doing this…it’s just another irritation. I have never seen this on any other system. Exactly what emergency would require opening a window? Why is this not needed anywhere else in the world?
In the event of a fire breaking out on the train. You don’t want to inhale smoke and carbon monoxide.
Next set of cars should be all seats, with no side seating, which is what almost all regular transit users need the most. Put one of these Mark “Bicycle transport freight cars” in each chain, or every second chain of cars for the occasional bicycle lobby enthusiast. Seems like we are buying skytrain cars to transport thousands and thousands of international students instead of the people who live and work here.
More standing, less sitting so more people can fit. How about removing the employee’s chairs from Translink buildings making workers stand so we can crowd more into their space and thus close a few offices? Think of the savings!
The so called “Driver’s Seats” are missing a key feature: a steering wheel. Kids would love that!
Appreciate the new design to accommodate bicycles and wheelchairs but I would prefer to have more seats. The solution to accommodate more passengers is to increase train frequency. Besides the bar is also too high to hold.
I don’t think there are enough bars to hold…
As a short person with added balance issues this train is a frightening sight. Few seats, few poles to hold onto when you’re having to work your way to a door or open seat while train is in motion. I dislike this arrangement very much!
It look like is a trend to remove seats? Don’t like that idea at all. People wants to sit down, not to stand. Common sense please.
So basically the seating is majority just priority now for children and seniors. I can’t imagine how this got through to being developed. Standing on crowded trains home is an unfortunate reality already why make it a guaranteed one?
LESS SAFETY: When there is an Emergency Stop, less seats means more passengers thrown to the floor and banging against each other. Emergency braking is so severe that no one can keep their grip on a pole or strap. More class action lawsuits against Translink.
I love there are less seats. All the haters can get over it, channel your rage into politely asking for a seat when you need it and I’m much more likely to give it to you than if you stand there starring at me like an entitled karen wanting to speak to the manager. Welcome to the future, it’s different now, adapt or forever be enraged.
Hopefully next time they do standing-room-only cars! hah! More grab bars makes sense though!
You know what else I love about these, there is a higher chance I can even get on the train. How many times I’m on the millennium line and train after train goes by full of people from Coquitlam center.
I love the updated look, and sideways seats. Clearly the priority is getting people there, not any of the rest of these small-minded complaints. Cheers to the designers for doing a great job with what you were given. Love it, keep at it!!
There are too few seats. I am a short woman in my mid 70s. I am never offered a seat when I ride on the sky-train even when almost everyone on the train is younger than me. Often a young person will run to get to a seat before I can get to it. It is usually hard to get to a grab bar that is low enough for me to hold. Presumably the train has been designed with the assumption that only young people will ride it. It is not safe for older passengers. Sometimes when the train is crowded, I wait for the next train in the hope of getting a seat but nobody stands in line as they do at a bus stop and so it is just a mad rush for seats when the next train arrives. Clearly more train are needed and more carriages per train. I would like to add that I am not enraged as suggested by the forty-year-old rider who made the previous comment.
Pretty dumb that they didn’t just fill the entirety with longitudinal seating (back against the glass) like most busy subway systems in the world. And there really needs to be more grab handles.
As someone using power wheelchair, and using skytrain on weekly basis, I have to raise challenge I have every time I want to enter the train. For many of trains and stations, train level is higher than station ground level. So my power wheelchair get stuck, and I couldn’t get into train easily. I have to get on usually by getting help from other passengers….