Opinion: Does downtown Vancouver need a second train station?

Opinion: Does downtown Vancouver need a second main train station?

Waterfront Station in downtown Vancouver. (Shawn.ccf/Shutterstock)

Written for Daily Hive Urbanized by Gwyer Webber, a Nanaimo resident and an advocate for improved rail public transit in British Columbia.

Waterfront Station has, for many decades, served as the main public transportation hub for downtown Vancouver.

A growing problem with expanding Waterfront Station for commuter rail (West Coast Express) and potentially intercity or regional rail is the increase in freight traffic on the existing railways leading to the transit hub and the adjacent railyard. With freight traffic prioritized by private railway owners and operators, significantly improving Waterfront Station’s rail passenger services becomes particularly challenging.

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The existing configuration of Waterfront Station would allow for SkyTrain expansion eastward and possibly some additional platforms for the West Coast Express, but there may not be room for additional train lines.

It is also difficult for new lines to access the station. The other option is Pacific Central Station on the easternmost border of the downtown Vancouver peninsula — located just south of the Chinatown district and future St. Paul’s Hospital campus — but it does not lend itself to easy access, either. It is not within downtown Vancouver, and freight traffic is expected to increase over the years. The station can continue to be the western terminus for VIA Rail.

So what is the potential theoretical solution? A second downtown Vancouver station would make it easier for additional lines to access British Columbia’s cultural, economic, financial, and tourism hub.

Stick with me; this concept calls for a touch of imagination.

A secondary station in downtown Vancouver could theoretically support a passenger rail revolution, linking the city centre with the rest of the Lower Mainland in a new way, as well as with the Sea-to-Sky corridor and the other two major metropolitan regions of Cascadia.

This secondary downtown Vancouver station would be in a “T” shape within the general vicinity of Robson Square, with platforms along Howe Street for the new high-speed rail line to Seattle and Portland and a new Fraser Valley intercity rail line, and platforms along Robson Street for the new Sea-to-Sky intercity rail line reaching Squamish, Whistler, Pemberton, and Lillooet. The main station access would be at the intersection of Robson and Howe streets for both sets of platforms.

Additionally, this new station would have access to SkyTrain’s existing Canada Line and Expo Line and a new extension of SkyTrain to Park Royal via West Georgia Street and the Second Narrows.

New secondary T-shaped downtown Vancouver train station. (Submitted)

The high-speed rail line to Washington State and Oregon would cross the border at Peace Arch and run along Highway 99, Highway 91, Knight Street, and the CPKC right of way, then underground along Oak Street and Howe Street to reach the new station. There would be access to Vancouver International Airport (YVR) via the Canada Line at Marine Drive and access to Surrey via a SkyTrain running along King George Boulevard and 152nd Street.

The Fraser Valley intercity rail would be a passenger rail service between Chilliwack and Vancouver. It would not really be a regional rail service as it would connect cities and towns along the existing interurban route and the CPKC line in South Vancouver. The rail service would be about 120 km long and have station stops at Chilliwack, Sardis, Abbotsford, Langley, Cloverdale, Newton, New Westminster, South Vancouver/Marine Drive, and downtown Vancouver. This line would share a right-of-way segment of the high-speed rail line between South Vancouver and downtown Vancouver. There would be a connection to YVR via the Canada Line at the Marine Dr Station as well.

High-speed rail to Seattle and Portland. (Submitted)

Fraser Valley intercity rail. (Submitted)

The travel time from Chilliwack to Vancouver would be approximately two hours, which is comparable to the driving time along a similar route. Initially, there would be two trains starting at each end, running all day long every two hours, increasing to hourly when ridership warrants it. There would be some upgrades, such as double tracking from 232nd Street to Cloverdale and for the crossing across the Fraser River at New Westminster.

The Sea-to-Sky intercity rail line would initially connect the communities and destinations between Lillooet and Ambleside in West Vancouver on the CN railway. The rail service would be 254 km long and have stations at Ambleside, Lions Bay, Britannia Beach, Squamish, Whistler, Pemberton, Mt Currie, D’Arcy, Seaton Portage, and Lillooet. The travel time from Lillooet to Ambleside is approximately four hours, and initially two trains would run starting at each end and do one return trip a day. The line could then extend to downtown Vancouver via Brockton Point and then underground along Robson Street to the new station in downtown Vancouver. The line could extend north of Lillooet in the future if required.

Building additional passenger rail lines to reach Waterfront Station would be the first and most optimal scenario, but it may not be the most realistic option.

Sea-to-Sky intercity rail. (Submitted)

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