Construction officially begins on Canada Line's new $52 million Capstan Station

Sep 2 2021, 6:35 pm

After nearly a decade of fundraising and planning, the official groundbreaking on the construction of the new Capstan Station on SkyTrain Canada Line was held this morning.

This will provide the Canada Line with a new additional station near the northeast corner of the intersection of No. 3 Road and Capstan Way — between Bridgeport and Aberdeen stations.

The City of Richmond pursued the construction of the station to serve major residential developments within the Capstan Village neighbourhood, which is expected to have 16,000 residents in 6,000 homes within roughly a 10-minute walking radius from the station.

To fund the station, the municipal government collected a fee for every new home built in the neighbourhood since 2012. The area’s major developers include Concord Pacific, Polygon, Pinnacle International, and Yuangheng.

capstan station canada line map

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

capstan station no 3 road richmond construction canada line skytrain

Site of the future Capstan Station on the Canada Line, within the new Capstan Village neighbourhood in Richmond. (Google Maps)

During the very early stages of planning, the intent was to have the municipal government, through revenues collected from private development, cover the full cost of the station.

But it was revealed today that the cost of Capstan Station is now $52 million, with $32 million from the municipal government raised from the developers, and the remaining balance covered by TransLink. This is the first development-driven and funded partnership in TransLink’s history.

Capstan Station’s design is a significant improvement from other Canada Line stations, including more distinct architecture, both up and down escalators, a larger concourse, longer platforms reaching 52.5 metres to accommodate future three-car trains (as opposed to most Canada Line platforms being 40 metres), wider platforms for more waiting and circulation spaces, retail space, and public art.

This new station was designed by the Vancouver-based Office of McFarlane Biggar Architects & Designers, whereas the other three No. 3 Road corridor stations (Aberdeen, Lansdowne, and Richmond-Brighouse) were designed by Perkins & Will.

capstan station skytrain canada line

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

capstan station skytrain canada line

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

capstan station skytrain canada line

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

“Fast, frequent, reliable, and accessible transit is the best way to build strong communities,” said TransLink CEO Kevin Quinn in a statement.

“The new Capstan Station will be built right in the heart of a growing community and will help make transit the number one transportation option for so many new and current residents of Capstan Village.”

Some partial road closures will be necessary for construction activities, and single-tracking is expected for the Richmond segment of the Canada Line over certain periods of the construction process in 2022. More refined details on construction disruptions will be released later on.

The public transit authority anticipates Capstan Station will open in early 2023. It will be the second time TransLink has built a station on an existing SkyTrain line; Lake City Way Station was completed in November 2003, nearly two years after the opening of the Millennium Line.

The City of Richmond originally anticipated a 2027 completion of the station, but it was able to initiate the design process much earlier than scheduled after achieving its fundraising goal well in advance.

capstan station skytrain canada line

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

capstan station skytrain canada line

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

Capstan Station is one of four potential “future station” locations along the Canada Line, where the track is strategically designed to allow for an additional station. Other future station locations include 33rd Avenue west of Queen Elizabeth Park and 57th Avenue next to the Pearson Dogwood and Langara Gardens redevelopments, but both of these underground station locations face far higher construction costs and engineering complexities.

A fourth future station location is on Sea Island, immediately east of the track switch where the dual track transitions into a single track towards YVR Airport Station. This future station is intended to serve a future eastward terminal building expansion of Vancouver International Airport.

Kenneth ChanKenneth Chan

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