TransLink planning possible big upgrade of Metrotown bus exchange | Daily Hive

TransLink planning potential major upgrade of bus exchange at Metrotown Station

Not the final design; previous 2013-created concept of the Metrotown Station renovation and expansion, with a bus exchange and BC Parkway on the Beresford Street side of the station. (VIA Architecture/TransLink)

Another upgrade could potentially be carried out at SkyTrain’s Metrotown Station, focusing on significant improvements to its bus exchange.

TransLink recently issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) seeking a contractor to perform design, scoping, and planning work for such an upgrade.

A spokesperson for TransLink told Daily Hive Urbanized this work will consider upgrades not only for the bus exchange, but also the BC Parkway on the south side of the station. This will serve to “potentially increase bus service capacity as our system expands in the coming years.”

You might also like:

When asked, the spokesperson also noted that the long-planned new replacement pedestrian overpass between the station and Metropolis at Metrotown mall is not included in the scope of this RFP, but TransLink is working closely with the City of Burnaby and mall owner Ivanhoe Cambridge to “explore opportunities to improve pedestrian connectivity and safety.”

It is also worth noting that the City of Burnaby has been developing a concept plan to upgrade the stretch of the BC Parkway between Boundary Road and Royal Oak Station, including the segment adjacent to Metrotown Station.

Disconnected old overpass of SkyTrain Metrotown Station. (Kenneth Chan)

The bus loop of SkyTrain Metrotown Station’s bus exchange. (Google Maps)

Since the old overpass was disconnected in late 2016 during the station’s major upgrades and expansion — completed in 2018 — pedestrian volumes on the ground level have significantly increased from the use of the crosswalks across Central Boulevard, reaching the station on the south side to the bus loop and mall on the north side. The old overpass with its dead end remains in place, with no timeline for its demolition.

In January 2025, renewed calls by the public were made to prioritize and expedite the construction of a new replacement overpass after a pedestrian was seriously injured by a collision with a bus outside the station on Central Boulevard.

The 2018-completed station upgrades completely rebuilt the original entrance at the east end of the station, and added two additional entrances. This included the construction of a centre stationhouse — a mid-station entrance equipped with a staircase and the station’s elevators. A mezzanine level of the centre stationhouse is designed to accommodate a future pedestrian overpass connection.

The City’s previous 2019-2023 Capital Plan allocated $17.25 million for the construction of this overpass, but it was never exercised.

Disconnected old overpass of SkyTrain Metrotown Station. (Kenneth Chan)

No design for the bus exchange upgrade has been established at this time, but the previous station upgrade concepts created in 2013 offer possible hints at what a future design might entail — and why upcoming planning with a design contractor includes upgrades to the BC Parkway.

The 2013-created artistic renderings of the station upgrades show a new on-street bus exchange on the south side of the station, within the current footprint of the BC Parkway’s pathways and open spaces. The BC Parkway’s pathways are depicted to be relocated to a widened sidewalk next to Beresford Street.

Existing condition of Beresford Street and the BC Parkway outside SkyTrain Metrotown Station:

beresford street metrotown station bc parkway

Looking west at the BC Parkway ant SkyTrain’s Metrotown Station from Beresford Street. (Google Maps)

Previous 2013-created concept for the new on-street bus exchange on Beresford Street and the upgraded BC Parkway next to SkyTrain Metrotown Station:

skytrain metrotown station bus exchange upgrade 2013 design

There are already some on-street bus bays along Central Boulevard on the north side of the station, created from the 2018-built station upgrades.

Currently, Metrotown Station’s bus exchange has a total of 14 bus bays: eight within the bus loop on mall property — including all the bays for trolley buses — and five on-street bays on the south sidewalk of Central Boulevard, adjacent to the station.

metrotown station bus exchange bus bay map

Map of the existing bus bay locations for the bus exchange at SkyTrain Metrotown Station. (TransLink)

Over the long term, Ivanhoe Cambridge has plans to redevelop the sprawling indoor mall property, including the footprint of the bus loop.

Last year, TransLink issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) seeking a contractor to upgrade the built-in public washroom at Metrotown Station — originally constructed as part of the 2018 station upgrades but never opened due to high operating and maintenance costs. Once ready, it is expected to be one of TransLink’s first new public washroom locations.

Metrotown Station saw an average of 24,000 boardings per weekday in 2023, approaching its pre-pandemic 2019 weekday average of 26,100. It also saw averages of 21,550 on Saturdays and 17,530 on Sundays/holidays in 2023. The station’s annual total ridership in 2023 was 8.2 million boardings, making it the second busiest SkyTrain station out of the total network of 53 stations.

This station also typically sees roughly 25,000 bus passengers per day on average, with many making the connection to SkyTrain.

Bus ridership at Metrotown Station’s bus exchange could rise considerably over the coming years from the Metrotown area’s continued rapid densification, and the introduction of major new and improved bus routes that start/end at this location, including the proposed route extension of the R2 Marine Drive RapidBus from its current easternmost terminus of Phibbs bus exchange in North Vancouver to Metrotown.

You might also like: