New visual progress on Broadway Subway construction (PHOTOS)

Construction progress on the Broadway Subway, as of March 13, 2023: the Millennium Line at Broadway-City Hall Station (left) and the elevated guideway in the False Creek Flats (right). (Government of BC | Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

While the subway portion of SkyTrain’s Millennium Line Broadway Extension gets most of the project’s attention, construction also recently reached a new milestone on the short elevated track segment of the project within the False Creek Flats.

Earlier this month, construction crews progressed to the installation of the first girders above a series of 21 concrete columns that form the 700-metre-long elevated guideway between the existing VCC-Clark Station and the future underground Great Northern Way-Emily Carr Station.

You might also like:

The girders that have been installed to date, located just northeast of the Emily Carr University of Arts and Design building, mark the start of the transition from an elevated track to tunnel.

skytrain broadway subway millennium line guideway march 2023

Construction progress on the elevated guideway for the SkyTrain Millennium Line Broadway Extension, as of March 13, 2023. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

As for the latest progress on the five-km-long subway segment, the tunnel boring machine named Elsie began digging towards Broadway-City Hall Station from Mount Pleasant Station (intersection of Main Street and East Broadway) on March 4.

Elsie made her first station breakthrough on January 23, when she arrived at Mount Pleasant Station. She first began building the eastbound tunnel on October 7, when she was launched from the tunnel boring staging area and future site of Great Northern Way-Emily Carr Station.

Phyllis, the second tunnel boring machine for building the westbound tunnel, first launched on November 29, and she is expected to make her first breakthrough very soon within days at Mount Pleasant Station.

When the tunnel boring machines make daylight at the stations, it is also an opportunity for crews to conduct regular maintenance on the equipment. Within the station boxes, these machines slowly slide along temporary steel tracks to reach the other end of the station and prepare to resume their boring work.

mount pleasant station broadway subway construction january 2023

Construction progress on the Mount Pleasant Station entrance, as of January 2023. (Government of BC)

broadway city hall station construction january 2023

Construction progress on Mount Pleasant Station, as of January 2023. (Government of BC)

mount pleasant station broadway subway construction february 2023

The first columns to support the underground multi-level structure of Mount Pleasant Station begin to rise, shortly after the arrival of tunnel boring machine Elsie. Construction progress as of February 2023. (Government of BC)

Excavation and shoring works are ongoing for the remaining stations of Broadway-City Hall, Oak-VGH, and South Granville in preparation for the arrival of the twin tunnel boring machines.

At Broadway-City Hall Station, excavation is now underway on Cambie Street south of West Broadway to build the direct underground pathway between the Canada Line’s southbound platform level and the new Millennium Line concourse deep under West Broadway. This follows earlier works to relocate and expand the combined trunk sewer under this area of Cambie Street.

But full-scale major construction activities on the multi-level underground station structures towards completion will only begin after the tunnel boring machines pass through the stations.

Diagram showing the interchange hub between the Millennium Line and Canada Line at Broadway-City Hall Station. (Government of BC)

broadway city hall station subway march 2023

Excavation on Cambie Street north of West Broadway for the underground pathway link between the Canada Line’s southbound platform level to the Millennium Line concourse. Construction progress as of March 13, 2023. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

broadway-city hall station skytrain subway march 2023

Construction progress on the Millennium Line station structure beneath West Broadway for Broadway-City Hall Station, as of March 2023. (Government of BC)

oak vgh station broadway subway construction february 2023

Construction progress on Oak-VGH Station, as of February 2023. (Government of BC)

Construction progress on Oak-VGH Station, as of March 13, 2023. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

If all goes as planned, tunnel boring works will reach full completion sometime in Fall 2023.

Both tunnel boring machines will be extracted from a pit at Cypress Street — one block east of Arbutus Station.

The two city block span of West Broadway between Arbutus and Maple streets are in the process of being excavated, with the westernmost block set to become Arbutus Station and the easternmost block dedicated for a significant track switch, which will provide the ability for trains at the terminus station to reverse course.

The entire 5.7-km-long extension of the Millennium Line and the six new subway stations are anticipated to open in early 2026. This accounts for a slight delay; the project was originally scheduled for an opening in late 2025, but a five-week strike of local concrete plant workers in June 2022 pushed the start of tunnel boring from Summer 2022 to Fall 2022.

Construction on PCI Developments’ 39-storey, mixed-use building has also progressed to the rental housing tower portion above the multi-level base podium of retail and office uses. The building’s prominent ground-level corner space with the intersection of Granville Street and West Broadway will provide an integrated entrance into South Granville Station.

south granville station broadway subway march 2023

Construction progress on PCI Developments’ tower at 1477 West Broadway and South Granville Station, as of March 13, 2023. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

arbutus station construction broadway subway maple street march 2023

Construction progress on Arbutus Station, as of March 2023. (Government of BC)

On a seamless one-train ride on the Millennium Line, travel times from Arbutus Station will be about six minutes to Broadway-City Hall Station, 11 minutes to VCC-Clark Station, 12 minutes to Commercial-Broadway Station, and 47 minutes to Lafarge-Lake Douglas Station in Coquitlam.

Upon opening, the $2.8-billion Broadway Extension is expected to see a significant ridership of between 135,000 and 150,000 boardings per day — more than the entire Canada Line in 2019.

You might also like: