Fire on aging train causes major delays on SkyTrain’s Expo Line
UPDATE at 7:45 p.m.: SkyTrain’s Expo Line service is now fully restored. The problem train has been cleared.
UPDATE at 6:10 p.m.: SkyTrain’s Expo Line is not running between Edmonds Station and New Westminster Station. Previously, trains were not operating between Edmonds Station and Columbia Station. A bus bridge between Edmonds Station and New Westminster Station is in place.
ORIGINAL STORY AT 5:57 p.m.:
SkyTrain’s Expo Line is currently experiencing very significant delays due to an apparent train fire at 22nd Street Station in New Westminster.
Video footage shared with Daily Hive Urbanized shows heavy billowing smoke coming out from the underside of an aging Mark I train parked at the station platform. Witnesses also said they saw flames underneath the problematic train, which is on the westbound side of the tracks.
The incident occurred just before 5:30 p.m. today, in the middle of the rush hour.
Fire rescue crews have arrived at the scene.
SkyTrain attendants, speaking over the public announcement system, described the incident as a “train failure.”
As of the time of writing, Expo Line service between Edmonds Station and Columbia Station is fully suspended. A bus bridge is in the process of being formed.
Passengers are advised to expect major delays and consider alternative transportation plans.
Video showing heavy smoke billowing out of a Mark I train at 22nd Street Station on #SkyTrain‘s Expo Line. #TransLinkhttps://t.co/7zEQl4oad2 pic.twitter.com/cKrXUHdEvN
— Kenneth Chan (@iamkennethchan) August 13, 2025
Another video of the Mark I fire at 22nd Street Station on #SkyTrain‘s Expo Line. #TransLinkhttps://t.co/7zEQl4oad2 pic.twitter.com/WPdLdSo5tS
— Kenneth Chan (@iamkennethchan) August 13, 2025
Upon inquiry, a TransLink spokesperson told Daily Hive Urbanized the station is closed due to smoke, and the cause of the fire is under investigation. There are no reported injuries.
The public transit authority has plans to retire all 150 Mark I cars, which were built in the 1980s and early 1990s, and have now reached the end of their lifespan. A large portion of the new generation Mark V trains now arriving will be used to replace the entire Mark I fleet over the next few years.
TransLink is seeking ideas for innovative new uses for the Mark I cars, as opposed to sending all of the aging cars to the scrapyard.