Transit apocalypse: Iconic SkyTrain cars make creepy cameo in "The Last of Us" Season 2
Eagle-eyed viewers have spotted a very Metro Vancouver addition in the highly anticipated season two trailer for The Last of Us.
Fans have been awaiting the return of the post-apocalyptic videogame-turned-TV series, and earlier this week, HBO dropped the first preview of what’s to come for Joel and Ellie.
Much of the game takes place in Seattle, which Vancouver and other parts of BC were disguised as for this season. The first season was filmed in Alberta.
While it’s hard to spot many standout Vancouver landmarks in the 60-second preview, there’s one quick scene where locals could point out a recognizable mode of transportation.
“Nice to see those Mark I SkyTrains still being used right up until outbreak day,” one person shared on the Vancouver subreddit.
Nice to see those Mark I SkyTrains still being used right up until Outbreak Day
byu/Kodeki invancouver
The Redditor is correct: TransLink’s old Mark I trains make a cameo in the upcoming season of The Last Of Us.
The preview only shows a few seconds, but if you pause the frame, you can see the interior of a Mark I, which has been transformed into an abandoned and scary-looking train car being attacked by the “infected.”
The Last of Us / (HBO/Screenshot)
The Last of Us / (HBO/Screenshot)
In a statement to Daily Hive, TransLink confirmed that Bear and Pear Productions purchased six of its retired Mark I SkyTrain cars in spring 2024.
“I don’t have any details on where filming took place but the SkyTrain cars were rebranded to represent Seattle transit for the production,” said TransLink’s senior media relations advisor, Thor Diakow.
“This partnership is also an example of possible retirement options being explored for our Mark I fleet,” he added.
The Mark I trains are SkyTrain’s oldest cars, dating back to the 1980s and early 1990s. They’re recognized for their iconic blue and red-striped exterior and interior, which features the same colours.
The aging fleet of about 150 Mark I cars is expected to enter retirement before the end of this decade, once TransLink’s new replacement and expanded fleet of 235 new generation Mark V cars arrive.
“This partnership is also an example of possible retirement options being explored for our Mark I fleet,” added Diakow.
This isn’t the first time Mark I trains have been spotted on screen.
Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan. (Paramount Pictures)
You may remember Jason Voorhees from the iconic Friday the 13th franchise terrorizing passengers on SkyTrain (disguised as the New York subway) in the 1989 slasher Friday the 13th VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan.
The Last of Us filming spotted around Vancouver
There’s been a lot of hype around The Last of Us season two, especially here in Hollywood North, as areas around the city and province were transformed for the show’s filming throughout 2024.
Daily Hive
Richard N. Liu @richardliu18/X
Last May, parts of the Downtown Eastside were altered to look like an overgrown, abandoned city. Filming also took place in Nanaimo and Chinatown.
While we still don’t know the exact date the first episode of season two will air, the latest trailer says it will be released in April.
With files from Amir Ali and Kenneth Chan