Canada Line single-tracking in Richmond for Capstan Station construction

Site of SkyTrain Canada Line's future Capstan Station. (Google Maps)

For the next month, during most of the day on most days, SkyTrain Canada Line will be operating in a single-tracking configuration within Richmond to allow for the next steps of major construction on Capstan Station to proceed.

Using a shuttle train, the segment of Canada Line that will operate on a single track is between Bridgeport Station and Richmond-Brighouse Station. Expect reduced frequencies from Monday, January 10 to Wednesday, February 2, with single tracking occurring from the start of service until 4 pm on Mondays through Fridays, and the start of service until 8 pm on Saturdays.

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All trains leaving Waterfront Station will have YVR Airport displayed as its terminus station on digital signage, as there will be no direct trains into Richmond. In order to reach Richmond, passengers will need to take a YVR Airport-bound train, and then transfer at Bridgeport Station to a shuttle train reaching Richmond-Brighouse Station.

The frequencies during peak hours will change to:

Between Bridgeport Station and Richmond-Brighouse Station: reduced frequency of 11 minutes
Between Bridgeport Station and Waterfront Station: reduced frequency of about 45 seconds
Between YVR Airport Station and Waterfront Station: increased frequency by 2.5 minutes

TransLink is urging passengers within the Richmond segment to allow for extra travel time in order for the construction work to be conducted safely. Extra bus service will be deployed between Bridgeport Station and Richmond-Brighouse Station to meet capacity needs.

After a decade of planning and fundraising by developers, construction on Capstan Station officially began in September 2020 with a scheduled completion date of early 2023. The cost of building the additional station is $52 million, with the City of Richmond providing $32 million collected from developers for their condominium projects within the Capstan Village area, and TransLink covering the remainder.

Artistic rendering of Capstan Station on SkyTrain Canada Line. (Office of McFarlane Biggar Architects & Designers/TransLink)

Capstan Station’s cost also accounts for a higher degree of design excellence than the typical Canada Line station, including longer platforms, both up and down escalators, overall more circulation capacity to handle more passengers, and a better aesthetic design with high-quality materials.

Capstan Station will be located near the northeast corner of the intersection of No. 3 Road and Capstan Way — between Bridgeport Station and Aberdeen Station. The municipal government pursued the station to serve the transportation demands of 16,000 residents in 6,000 homes upon the full buildout of Capstan Village.

Artistic rendering of Capstan Station on SkyTrain Canada Line. (Office of McFarlane Biggar Architects & Designers/TransLink)

Location of the future Capstan Station on the Canada Line. (TransLink)

The station site is one of four potential future station sites on the Canada Line, where segments of track were constructed in a way that could possibly accommodate additional stations.

This includes a future elevated station site east of YVR Airport Station to serve a potential expansion of the international terminal building of Vancouver International Airport, as well as future subway station sites on Cambie Street at the intersections of 33rd Avenue (Queen Elizabeth Park) and West 57th Avenue.

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