SkyTrain (Vancouver)
| SkyTrain | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Owner | Province of British Columbia |
| Locale | Metro Vancouver, British Columbia |
| Transit type | Medium-capacity rapid transit system |
| Number of lines | 3 |
| Number of stations | 54 (13 under construction) (List of stations) |
| Daily ridership | 456,300 (weekdays, Q2 2025)[1] |
| Annual ridership | 149,066,500 (2024)[2] |
| Website | TransLink |
| Operation | |
| Began operation | December 11, 1985[3] |
| Operator(s) | TransLink |
| Character | Elevated, underground, and at-grade |
| Number of vehicles | 298 |
| Train length | 2-, 4-, 5- or 6-car trainsets |
| Headway |
|
| Technical | |
| System length | |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
| Electrification | 650 V DC third rail linear induction (Expo and Millennium Lines) 750 V DC third rail conventional traction motors (Canada Line) |
| Average speed | |
| Top speed | 80 km/h (50 mph)[8][9] |
SkyTrain is the medium-capacity rapid transit system serving the Metro Vancouver region in British Columbia, Canada.[10] SkyTrain has 79.6 km (49.5 mi) of track and uses fully automated trains on grade-separated tracks running on underground and elevated guideways, allowing SkyTrain to hold consistently high on-time reliability.[4][11] In 2024, the system had an annual ridership of 149,066,500, or about 456,300 per weekday as of the second quarter of 2025, making it the 7th busiest metro system in North America and the 5th busiest in Canada and the US.
The name "SkyTrain" was coined for the system during Expo 86 because the first line (Expo) principally runs on elevated guideway outside of Downtown Vancouver, providing panoramic views of the metropolitan area. SkyTrain uses the world's third-longest cable-supported transit-only bridge, known as SkyBridge, to cross the Fraser River.[12]
With the opening of the Evergreen Extension on December 2, 2016, SkyTrain became the longest rapid transit system in Canada and the longest fully automated driverless system in the world.[13] The total lengths of the automated lines of the Shanghai Metro,[14] Singapore MRT, Kuala Lumpur Rapid KL, Dubai Metro and Riyadh Metro have since surpassed those of SkyTrain.[15]
SkyTrain has 54 stations served by three lines: the Expo Line, the Millennium Line, and the Canada Line. The Expo and Millennium Lines are operated by British Columbia Rapid Transit Company under contract from TransLink (originally BC Transit), a regional government transportation agency. The Canada Line is operated on the same principles by the private concessionaire ProTrans BC under contract to TransLink and is an integrated part of the regional transport system. SkyTrain uses a fare system shared with other local transit services and is policed by the Metro Vancouver Transit Police. SkyTrain attendants (STAs) provide first aid, emergency response, directions and customer service, inspect fares, monitor train faults, and operate the trains manually if necessary.
- ^ "Transit Ridership Report Second Quarter 2025" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. August 27, 2025. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
- ^ "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2024" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. February 19, 2025. Retrieved February 25, 2025.
- ^ "The Buzzer – 2011-01-14". TransLink. January 14, 2011. Archived from the original on October 12, 2013. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
- ^ a b "Evergreen Extension opening today". NEWS 1130. December 2, 2016. Archived from the original on August 31, 2017. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
- ^ "Broadway Subway Project – Government of British Columbia". Retrieved July 8, 2021.
- ^ "Home – Surrey Langley Skytrain". Retrieved January 18, 2025.
- ^ a b "Rail: Key Characteristics by line". TransLink. 2022. Archived from the original on November 28, 2023. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
- ^ "Quick Facts". Archived from the original on August 6, 2019. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
- ^ "Canada Line Fact Sheet The Canada Line Vehicle" (PDF). canadaline.ca (TransLink). December 14, 2007. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 26, 2009. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
- ^ "SkyTrain". TransLink. November 17, 2011. Archived from the original on July 15, 2016. Retrieved August 22, 2009.
- ^ "Expo Line Upgrades Improve Communications". TransLink. October 11, 2011. Archived from the original on December 12, 2011. Retrieved November 17, 2011.
- ^ "Skytrain Bridge". Buckland & Taylor Ltd. Archived from the original on July 6, 2008. Retrieved August 22, 2009.
- ^ Slattery, Jill (December 1, 2016). "Evergreen SkyTrain Line launched". Global News. Archived from the original on December 3, 2016. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
- ^ "Shanghai opens two new lines on longest metro in world". The Independent. December 31, 2021. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
- ^ Briginshaw, David (July 20, 2016). "Automated metros set to reach 2200 km by 2025". Archived from the original on April 15, 2018. Retrieved May 16, 2018.