If you’ve ridden the SkyTrain past Edmonds Station in Burnaby recently, you may have noticed a mysterious-looking building wrapped in stainless steel. It’s not a movie set or a new condo development — this building will one day play a critical role in running one of Canada’s largest rapid transit networks.

As SkyTrain expands to connect more communities across Metro Vancouver, the technology and workforce that run the system behind the scenes needs room to grow too. That’s why we’re building a new state-of-the-art Operations Control Centre, near SkyTrain’s primary Operations and Maintenance Centre.

This new facility is critical to operating the Millennium and Expo Line extensions (the Broadway Subway and Surrey Langley SkyTrain), and provides the operational space and capacity needed for future SkyTrain growth in the decades to come.

Think of it this way: this new building will be SkyTrain’s brain, nervous system, and mission control all rolled into one.

First major upgrade since 1985

Every day, SkyTrain Control oversees the dozens of systems, communications, and critical decisions that keep trains running safely and reliably across the network.

The original control room opened in 1985 when big hair was in fashion and the SkyTrain’s one line ran on floppy disks. Since then, the network has grown with the addition of the Millennium line, expanded Expo Line and Evergreen Extension, and we’ve welcomed millions of riders on our world-renowned driverless trains.

Over the past four decades, more staff, more screens, systems, keyboards, radios, and equipment have been added to the control room wherever space allowed. It’s a bit like trying to run a growing tech company from your first apartment. It’s a little cramped.

Built for now and decades into the future

The new facility represents the largest technology upgrade in SkyTrain history. 

It spans more than 40,000 square feet over four floors. At its centre is a control room floor about the size of a basketball court, giving this safety-critical operation and its team of control staff a purpose-built space designed to serve SkyTrain for decades to come. The team will have upgraded, modern data management software to increase operational efficiency.  

New digital screens provide operators with a complete view of the network and its many systems, helping them quickly assess situations, support field operations, and maintain reliable SkyTrain service across the region.  

While the screens themselves create huge efficiency, what’s equally helpful for operations is a new display management system that consolidates information from dozens of systems. Today, operators must keep an eye on information spread across multiple screens and systems, including CCTV, Automatic Train Control, staff communications channels, track intrusion, and faregate operation. 

The new Operations Control Centre brings everything together — think fewer “20 browser tabs open at once” and more “everything exactly where you need it.” 

This helps our control operators keep customers moving safely and reaching their destination quickly by improving situational awareness and decision-making.  

But the new control centre is built to last — it houses a significant data centre with the physical space for further network expansion in the coming decades.  

It has been carefully designed to be resilient against earthquakes, floods, and fire. A new security perimeter and guardhouse will provide an added layer of protection for this essential piece of transportation infrastructure.  

Opening in 2027

SkyTrain Control is a fast-paced, safety-critical environment, and supporting employee well-being was a key consideration throughout the design process. As we work to complete the Centre, we’ll be simultaneously testing how it works in controlling SkyTrains on the system and will have more to share on that soon.  

This facility will be a flagship command centre that supports the next generation of SkyTrain service — helping us connect more people, more communities, and more opportunities across Metro Vancouver while ensuring the system remains safe, reliable, and ready for the future.