TransLink makes moves towards opening new public washrooms

Wayfinding sign in the London Underground showing the location of a public washroom. (Shutterstock)

The first new and improved public washrooms on Metro Vancouver’s public transit system are in the works, with TransLink now kicking off the process of seeking a contractor to outfit the facilities.

At this time, the public transit authority is looking to retrofit the existing washroom facilities at SkyTrain Metrotown Station and within the SeaBus terminals of Waterfront Station and Lonsdale Quay.

The public washroom facility within Metrotown Station was completed in 2017 as part of the station’s complete retrofit and expansion and as a previous condition of the City of Burnaby’s project approval. In 2021, this washroom was a sticking point for the municipal government, as the fixtures are fully installed, but TransLink never opened due in part to the high operating and security costs.

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For SeaBus, the public washrooms already exist within the waiting area of both ferry terminals in the fare-paid zone. Both washrooms were last renovated about six years ago.

TransLink spokesperson Dan Mountain told Daily Hive Urbanized the contractors may work on installing full-height stall walls, CCTV cameras outside of the washrooms, and seating areas for washroom attendants, as well as the replacement of washroom fixtures and upgrades to walls, floor, and ceiling finishes.

The procurement documents also show the retrofits will have accessibility considerations, such as grab bars in all stalls and automatic door openers.

Public washrooms at both SeaBus terminals were renovated in 2017. (TransLink)

These upgrades are part of TransLink’s Customer Washroom Program, which is supported by $6.4 million in capital funding toward construction expenses. TransLink first announced such a program in 2022 with the intention of operating six washroom locations.

Mountain says the timeline, locations, and operating and security policies for all of the washroom locations will be released through a forthcoming Washroom Implementation Strategy.

The availability of public washrooms on the public transit system was the top request in TransLink’s survey two years ago on new and improved passenger amenities.

Two future stations on the SkyTrain Millennium Line Broadway Extension — Arbutus Station and Broadway-City Hall Station — will have void spaces with plumbing designed for the eventual operation of public washrooms.

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