15 years later, there are still reminders of Vancouver 2010 on transit | Daily Hive

15 years later, there are still direct reminders of Vancouver 2010 on public transit

VANOC-branded sign on Metro Vancouver's public transit system, as of February 2025. (Kenneth Chan)

Last month marked 15 years since Vancouver hosted the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, and this month brings the same milestone for the Paralympic Winter Games.

Coupled with the opening of SkyTrain’s Canada Line just months earlier, the Olympics in February 2010 dramatically transformed public perception and enthusiasm for public transit. To this day, this shift in public sentiment stands as one of the Olympics’ most lasting legacies.

VANOC provided TransLink with $17 million to significantly increase service levels to their maximum possible capacity and frequency for the duration of the Olympics. This funding also covered the cost of granting free public transit to anyone with an Olympic event ticket on the day of their event, and buying up all of TransLink’s advertising space.

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Thousands of wayfinding signs were made by VANOC to direct passengers to venues and other important sites across Metro Vancouver and Whistler, and for getting around TransLink’s public transit system. After the Games, they were removed — well, almost all of them.

TransLink’s public transit passes (pre-Compass) during the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. (TransLink)

Transit “lifeguards” helped direct crowds walking between King Edward Station and Vancouver Olympic Centre (now known as Hillcrest Centre) for curling events during the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. (TransLink)

Crowds flood into Waterfront Station from the West Coast Express, February 19, 2010. (TransLink)

A cheerful crowd waits to board the SeaBus after the Olympic opening ceremony, Friday February 12, 2010. (TransLink)

Crowds on the Canada Line after the men’s ice hockey gold medal win on Sunday, February 28, 2010. (TransLink)

Despite the passage of time, some of VANOC’s wayfinding signage can still be found throughout Metro Vancouver’s public transit system.

Not that we’re complaining — it’s a neat, quirky, nostalgic throwback, serving as a subtle reminder of the last time Vancouver truly welcomed the world, and was the centre of global attention (Note: Dear TransLink, upon reading this please don’t remove these signs — their presence sparks nostalgia rather than confusion.).

Unlike TransLink-branded wayfinding signage, these leftover signs follow the specific official branding standards of VANOC, the local organizing committee for the Olympics and Paralympics, including the unmistakable font, colours, and smooth rock shape-inspired motifs.

For example, when it comes to VANOC signs that still exist today on the TransLink network, on the north side of Commercial-Broadway Station, there is signage that directs passengers to board the 99 B-Line for reaching UBC Thunderbird Arena (now known as the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre), which held Olympic ice hockey events and Paralympic sled ice hockey events, also known as Para ice hockey. The posted sign that still exists today was of the Paralympic variant (replacing the previous Olympic-time sign), with the sign featuring VANOC’s sport pictogram of Para ice hockey.

VANOC-branded sign on Metro Vancouver’s public transit system, as of February 2025. (Kenneth Chan)

At Waterfront Station, some signs remain on movable poles that were once used to inform people of queue wait times for public transit. One of these signs still marks a one-hour wait time.

And these signs have text written in both English and French, another VANOC standard.

Another example is a sign inside Granville Station marking the direction to Vancouver City Centre Station for transferring from the Expo Line to the Canada Line.

VANOC-branded sign on Metro Vancouver’s public transit system, as of February 2025. (Kenneth Chan)

While these relics have long outlived their purpose, they have become an amusing piece of local history — especially for any avid eagle-eyed public transit riders.

In Summer 2026, downtown Vancouver and Hastings Park are expected to be adorned with decorations, wayfinding signage, and other displays featuring the official branding of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. BC Place Stadium will host seven matches of the tournament, while the PNE fairgrounds — including the brand-new PNE Amphitheatre — will serve as the venue for Vancouver’s official FIFA Fan Fest.

Map of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay. (VANOC)

Day 106 – Torchbearer John Brock is passing the flame to torchbearer John Brockin front of the official countdown clock in Vancouver. (VANOC/City of Vancouver Archives)

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