We know that escalators and elevators are a big part of your SkyTrain experience. When they’re down, it’s hard to go up! ba-dum-sh. Jokes aside, we know elevation devices are a big part of using most SkyTrain stations and it’s inconvenient when they are out of service for maintenance, scheduled or unscheduled. We’ve been working on making this better for you.

You may recall that from 2018 to 2024, we replaced a whopping 37 original escalators across 13 Expo Line stations to keep customers moving safely and reliably for years to come. Shortly following the completion of escalator replacement along Expo Line, we started tackling the Millennium Line, which are all from when the line first opened in 2002, The first replacement was the four escalators at Commercial-Broadway Station, and will continue along Millennium Line until all its original escalators are replaced.

Meanwhile, we’re keeping the ball rolling on Expo Line, embarking on a new series of improvements through the Expo Line Elevator Replacement Program! Some of Expo Line’s original elevators have been moving customers for four decades – that’s enough to make anyone tired! Over the coming years, we’ll be taking your transit ride to the next level by installing modern, higher-capacity elevators in place of older models.

Good news!

Your new elevators have 20 per cent more room, making it easier for customers with mobility devices, strollers, bikes, and luggage to get a spot and move through stations faster. You may be thinking, “what is 20 per cent more room? Is that really a lot?” and yes, it is significant! To help with that visualization, the extra room could fit:

• Three standing adults;
• Two adults plus two children;
• Two adults plus a stroller;
• Two adults with rolling luggage;
• One or two wheelchairs/mobility devices;
• One adult with a bike;
• A medical stretcher; or
• Two Vancouver Canucks in full gear.

They also require less downtime for maintenance, minimizing outage impacts for customers and staff.

The flipside

This is our first time replacing elevators on SkyTrain (outside of station upgrades), so let’s be real — to get these new elevators, there are going to be some trade-offs and temporary inconveniences. We can’t keep an elevator in service while it’s being replaced, so each unit will need to close for approximately four months while we make the switch. We’re also doing our best to get the hard times over with as fast as possible, so we’ll be replacing elevators at up to three stations at a time. Not to worry, though — stations with two elevators will only have one replaced at a time, leaving the other available for customers.

To stay ahead of upcoming impacts to your commute, be sure to subscribe to Transit Alerts and for an up-to-date list of where we’ll be working, visit translink.ca/elevators.