One of Burnaby’s busiest SkyTrain stations is getting a huge upgrade with a $32.6 million price tag.
And I, for one, am jealous.
I’m jealous because I grew up just steps from the Brentwood mall and would have killed to have access to the SkyTrain when I was a teenager.
Instead, I grew up in the early ‘80s – long before a SkyTrain line was added along Lougheed Highway.
But I am happy to see what’s planned as TransLink announced that it will begin “major upgrades” to the Brentwood Town Centre SkyTrain station in the coming weeks to “improve station accessibility and customer flow,” said a news release. “These upgrades will greatly improve customer access at the south entrance and enhance customer connections to bus service, the nearby mall, and many residential developments.”
The upgrades will include:
- A new elevator at the street-level of the station’s southern entrance
- An expanded mezzanine with more fare gates and customer space
- Two new escalators
- Replaced staircases with enclosed glass to provide weather protection
- Additional real-time passenger information displays
- Improved lighting
- A new public art installation
These changes are badly needed. Since starting at the NOW four years ago, I’ve heard nothing but complaints about this station because it’s so busy that it has trouble handling the volume.
The only downside is that the station’s south entrance will be closed to customers for approximately one year once construction starts, said TransLink.
“This closure is necessary to allow for the addition of a street-level elevator for customers using the southern entrance,” said a news release. “Customers who normally use that entrance will need to cross Lougheed Highway and use the north entrance instead. The north entrance will remain open, and customers will be able to access SkyTrain and bus service throughout the construction period.”
Funding is coming from the federal government and TransLink. Construction is scheduled to begin in April with projected completion in 2024.
Brentwood Town Centre Station will be the first Millennium Line station to receive upgrades since the Millennium Line first opened in 2002.
Approximately 6,000 people boarded SkyTrain at Brentwood Town Centre Station each weekday in 2019.
“It is one of the busiest stations on the Millennium Line and will likely grow due to rapid residential development nearby,” said TransLink.
Follow Chris Campbell on Twitter @shinebox44.
