The proposed upgrade to Metrotown SkyTrain has a benchmark price of $37 million.
More than 60,000 riders will notice drastic changes in increments at the bustling Burnaby SkyTrain station if the project gets approved.
“Over the next 30 years, we’re expecting a million people to come into the region and we wanted to upgrade these stations to meet those capacity levels,” TransLink spokesperson Jiana Ling told the NOW.
The Metrotown SkyTrain upgrade is part of seven SkyTrains across the Lower Mainland getting upgraded, including New Westminster station.
TransLink applied to Burnaby council through a rezoning application to allow the upgrades, which will not only change the façade of the building, but also how commuters access the surrounding area.
Ling said the SkyTrain station will have white mesh and more glass replacing the older station mesh, which will be “more transparent, brighter and a safer amenity for our customers.” There will be up and down escalators from ground level to platforms on both ends, and the elevator will be replaced with two new ones.
“Metrotown is one of the bigger ones,” Ling noted. “It’s the second busiest station, it holds a lot of people. We wanted to make sure that with these upgrades they’ll meet the future capacity, as well as improve accessibility and customer amenities, and better integration with the surrounding neighbourhood.”
As the Burnaby NOW previously reported, back in May, council raised the alarm over the proposed bus exchange moving to Beresford Street.
At the time, Mayor Derek Corrigan said the bus loop move was his primary concern because it did not match council’s vision for that area.
But Ling says nothing has been finalized.
“We’re still trying to finalize what exactly will be done to the area,” Ling told the NOW. “Thanks to senior government partners, we’re able to secure the necessary funds and carry forward the upgrades.”
Construction is expected to happen between April 2014 and April 2016.
The proposed changes to the SkyTrain also aim to improve access for cyclists, pedestrians and transit users by improving pedestrian and cycle crossings that extend from Central Boulevard down to Beresford Street featuring a weather protection canopy; special paving and lighting; improved pedestrian access through the Station Square development sites; a space for small cafes, retail kiosks and more; and the potential to have public washrooms, bike storage and repair facilities within the station.
Back in October 2007, council approved, in principal, a conceptual approach for improvements for the station, based on findings of the Metrotown Transit Village Study. The study identified concepts to enhance the use of alternative modes of traveling to Metrotown using the station, transit exchange, pedestrian and bike connections.
Ling said when the Metrotown SkyTrain upgrade does happen, TransLink hopes to minimize delay customers could experience.
“We don’t know the impacts of it yet because we haven’t put together or don’t have the full construction plan yet,” she added. “It’s still being developed up until the end of the year, basically.”
