SkyTrain Canada Line in Richmond to end service hours early until Christmas

SkyTrain Canada Line service in Richmond to end hours early until Christmas

July 2023 construction progress on Capstan Station on SkyTrain Canada Line. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

There’s a saying about enduring short-term pain for long-term gain.

Well, SkyTrain Canada Line’s late-night riders within Richmond can expect even more of that over a period in excess of three months between Tuesday, September 5 and Tuesday, December 19, just in time for Christmas 2023. Regular service will resume on Wednesday, December 20.

This is all part of the final dash in construction work to complete the new Capstan Station, which has seen its opening date shifted to early 2024 from Fall 2023. Construction on the station was previously anticipated to finish in Summer 2023.

But this will be the longest planned service disruption to accommodate the construction project of building an additional station on an active metro line.

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In a bulletin today, similar to previous scheduled service disruptions, TransLink states SkyTrain services on the Richmond branch between Bridgeport Station and Richmond-Brighouse Station will close about four hours early at 9:30 pm on weekdays only.

The early nightly closure on weekdays impacts Bridgeport, Aberdeen, Lansdowne, and Richmond-Brighouse stations. Services between Waterfront Station and YVR-Airport Station will be unaffected.

Like the previous service disruptions due to Capstan Station construction, TransLink will deploy more bus service linking the impacted stations within Richmond, with buses stopping at each station about every 10 minutes.

The next station is… #Capstan.

The wood panel roofs over the platforms for the new #SkyTrain Canada Line station have been installed.

Opening later in 2023. #TransLink #vanre #vanpoli pic.twitter.com/ruUEmLf0w0

— Kenneth Chan (@iamkennethchan) March 12, 2023

skytrain capstan station canada line construction july 9 2023 f1

July 2023 construction progress on Capstan Station on SkyTrain Canada Line. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

skytrain capstan station canada line construction july 2023 f

July 2023 construction progress on Capstan Station on SkyTrain Canada Line. (TransLink)

skytrain canada line capstan station construction impacts august 2022

Canada Line service disruptions, August 2-4, 2022. (TransLink)

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

TransLink states the latest round of service disruptions will enable crews to safely work on completing the station roof and platform, including installing tiling and signage and integrating the station with the existing tracks.

Capstan Station is located at the northeast corner of the intersection of No. 3 Road and Capstan Way — roughly mid-way between Brighouse and Aberdeen stations.

The $52 million station will serve the new high-density Capstan Village neighbourhood, which is expected to grow to 16,000 residents living in 6,000 homes within roughly a 10-minute walking radius from the station. Between 2012 and 2020, the City of Richmond collected $32 million from the area’s residential developers to cover the cost of building the station, with TransLink covering the remaining $20 million.

The station will offer new and improved design features compared to the original Canada Line stations on No. 3 Road, including longer and wider platforms, both up and down escalators, larger circulation areas for passengers, and space for a retail unit. The station’s design was created by the Office of McFarlane Biggar Architects & Designers.

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

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