The latest construction progress on the Broadway Subway (PHOTOS)

SkyTrain Millennium Line's Broadway Extension route begins west of the existing VCC-Clark Station. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

So far, most of the progress updates on the construction of SkyTrain Millennium Line’s Broadway Extension have focused on the tunnel boring operation.

Both tunnel boring machines are still making their way westward towards their final destination at Cypress Street, just before the future Arbutus Station. Their next breakthrough is at the future Oak-VGH Station — the mid-way point of their five-km-long journey, after starting from the pit of the future Great Northern Way-Emily Carr Station in Fall 2022.

Tunnel boring is expected to reach completion before the end of this year.

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But other aspects of the project, the finer details, are now also starting to take visual shape.

If all goes as planned, the 5.7-km-long extension of the Millennium Line with six subway stations will open in early 2026.

Here is a rundown of just a few project features based on recently released construction photos:

Elevated guideway

The short 700-metre elevated guideway between the existing VCC-Clark Station and the tunnel portal is built using girder construction.

Construction crews have nearly finished installing prefabricated deck panels on the girders to enable a concrete deck to be poured on top of the prefabricated deck panels. After the concrete deck is created on top of the panels, work will begin on installing the railway tracks.

Installation of the pre-fabricated deck panels on the elevated guideway. (Government of BC)

Tunnel portal next to Great Northern Way-Emily Carr Station

The tunnel portal, where the elevated guideway transitions into a tunnel, is really starting to take shape. It is situated immediately north of the Emily Carr University of Art & Design building, and just east of the future underground Great Northern Way-Emily Carr Station

This transition box tunnel portal will be squared shape, unlike the round tunnels made by the tunnel boring machines west of Great Northern Way-Emily Carr Station.

Tunnel portal just before the future Great Northern Way-Emily Carr Station. (Government of BC)

great northern way emily carr tunnel portal

Tunnel portal just before the future Great Northern Way-Emily Carr Station. (Government of BC)

Mount Pleasant Station

The concrete underground walls that will be seen from inside Mount Pleasant Station are being poured.

Large pieces of blue and yellow formwork are used to shape the walls while concrete is poured inside. Once the concrete is strong enough, the formwork is removed to reveal the finished walls.

The first concrete walls of Mount Pleasant Station. (Government of BC)

Broadway-City Hall Station

Crews are tunnelling the footpath tunnels at Broadway-City Hall Station that will allow passengers to directly transfer between the Canada Line platform level and the Millennium Line platform level.

The prolonged lane closures on Cambie Street next to this station construction site accommodated the previous sewer relocation project. The traffic configuration has remained for the current task of building the footpath tunnels, specifically the footpath to reach the Canada Line’s southbound platform under Cambie Street’s southbound road lanes.

At some point, relatively soon, the walls on the northern end of both Canada Line platforms will be knocked out for the footpath tunnel connections, and the 10-metre extension of both platforms to reach a length of 50 metres. This Canada Line platform extension will provide more capacity for the heavy passenger volumes waiting and transferring between the Canada Line and Millennium Line.

Footpath tunnels at Broadway-City Hall Station between the Canada Line platform level and the Millennium Line platform level. (Government of BC)

broadway-city hall station construction august 2 2023

Construction progress on the underground footpath between the Canada Line’s southbound platform and the future Millennium Line platforms at Broadway-City Hall Station, as of August 2, 2023. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

broadway city hall station millennium line skytrain

SkyTrain Broadway-City Hall Station design concept, April 2021. (Government of BC)

SkyTrain Millennium Line Broadway Extension Subway Broadway-City Hall Station

Conceptual cross-section artistic rendering of Broadway-City Hall Station’s interchange between the Millennium Line and existing Canada Line. (Government of BC)

Oak-VGH Station

A waterproofing membrane being installed inside the Oak-VGH Station pit ahead of the breakthrough of both tunnel boring machines.

Crews installing waterproofing membrane inside the Oak-VGH Station area. (Government of BC)

South Granville Station and the 39-storey tower

The temporarily sealed opening in the wall is the footpath tunnel that leads to the future South Granville Station street entrance within the ground level of PCI Developments’ 39-storey, mixed-use tower under construction.

This opening links the street entrance with the underground station concourse.

Temporarily sealed wall for the South Granville Station entrance. (Government of BC)

Rebar is being installed on top of the orange waterproofing member at the pit of South Granville Station.

The orange membrane will keep the station dry, and the rebar will reinforce the station’s base slab foundation. The next step will be to pour the concrete foundation.

Rebar being installed at South Granville Station. (Government of BC)

At the southeast corner of the intersection of Granville Street and West Broadway, right next to the subway station pit for South Granville Station, PCI Developments’ is making clear progress on the construction of its 39-storey, mixed-use tower.

The tower has now ascended past its halfway point in height, with workers currently pouring the 24th floor.

The station entrance will be prominently located at the intersection corner, fully integrated into the building. The tower will contain 223 rental homes, 100,000 sq ft of office space, 7,000 sq ft of retail/restaurant uses, and a 22,000 sq ft Loblaws City Market grocery store.

Construction on the tower is scheduled to reach completion in 2025.

1477 west broadway south granville station pci august 1 2023 construction 1

Construction progress on the 39-storey tower at the future South Granville Station, as of August 1, 2023. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

1477 west broadway south granville station pci august 1 2023 construction

Construction progress on the 39-storey tower at the future South Granville Station, as of August 1, 2023. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

Arbutus Station

Compared to the other stations, Arbutus Station is in an earlier construction progress stage, as it is the last station on the excavation route of the tunnel boring machines.

Both tunnel boring machines will end their journey at the site of the future crossover tracks just west of the terminus station’s platforms.

Excavation and traffic deck construction at Arbutus Station. (Government of BC)

From Arbutus Station, the $2.83-billion, 5.7-km-long Millennium Line Broadway Extension will enable travel times of only 11 minutes to VCC-Clark Station, 12 minutes to Commercial-Broadway Station, 32 minutes to Lougheed Town Centre Station, and 47 minutes to Lafarge-Lake Douglas Station in Coquitlam.

For the remaining journey to the University of British Columbia campus, passengers will board a truncated 99 B-Line service starting from the bus exchange at Arbutus Station, until the Millennium Line is further extended westward to reach the campus.

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