One-in-three regional residents unaware Broadway Subway ends at Arbutus: survey | Daily Hive

One-in-three Metro Vancouver residents unaware Broadway Subway ends at Arbutus Station, requiring buses to UBC for the remaining trip: survey

SkyTrain Arbutus Station design concept, April 2021. (Government of BC)

The latest survey gauging public opinion on the long-proposed SkyTrain extension of the Millennium Line from the new Arbutus Station to the University of British Columbia (UBC) campus shows strong support, building on previous surveys conducted years earlier.

This is also one of the most comprehensive surveys ever conducted on the project, gauging not only sentiments about UBC SkyTrain but also public awareness and education about transportation issues and existing infrastructure. This new statistically representative survey was commissioned by UBC and conducted by local polling firm Research Co.

For example, the survey found that a significant proportion of Metro Vancouver residents are not aware of the current construction project extending the Millennium Line’s Broadway route from VCC-Clark Station to Arbutus Street. Construction on the six-km, six-station project — costing $2.95 billion — began in Spring 2021 and is set to be completed and open in Fall 2027.

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More than a quarter (27 per cent) of respondents are not aware of this existing Broadway subway construction project, including 21 per cent of respondents living in Vancouver, 25 per cent in Surrey, 32 per cent in Burnaby/Richmond/New Westminster, 32 per cent in Coquitlam/Port Coquitlam/Port Moody, and 35 per cent on the North Shore.

36% of Metro Vancouver residents unaware that the current Broadway subway project ends at Arbutus

For the remaining journey to the UBC campus, passengers will take a shortened 99 B-Line bus ride from Arbutus Station.

However, more than one-in-three (36 per cent) of the region’s residents are unaware that a transfer between SkyTrain and the 99 B-Line at Arbutus Station will be necessary once the Broadway subway opens, including 29 per cent living in Vancouver, 39 per cent in Surrey, 41 per cent in Burnaby/Richmond/New Westminster, and 45 per cent on the North Shore.

Furthermore, prior to the survey, 30 per cent of respondents were unaware of the proposal to extend SkyTrain to UBC.

TransLink 99 B-Line articulated bus. (Kenneth Chan)

After it was explained that the 99 B-Line would continue to carry the bulk of passengers between Arbutus Station and UBC for the foreseeable future, 76 per cent across Metro Vancouver expressed support for the UBC SkyTrain project. This includes 76 per cent in Vancouver, 69 per cent in Surrey, 80 per cent in Burnaby/Richmond/New Westminster, 73 per cent in Coquitlam/Port Coquitlam/Port Moody, 81 per cent in Pitt Meadows/Maple Ridge, 67 per cent in Delta/White Rock/Langleys, and 74 per cent on the North Shore.

Support levels for building the project are especially high among those connected to UBC, including 87 per cent of current students, 89 per cent of those living on campus, and 83 per cent of former students.

Currently, TransLink’s Mayors’ Council 10-year strategy through 2035 calls for implementing the UBC SkyTrain extension in the first half of the 2030s. In early 2019, both Vancouver City Council and the Mayors’ Council approved the direction that the remaining rapid transit segment from Arbutus Station to UBC will be planned as a seamless SkyTrain extension of the Millennium Line, spanning about seven km with at least four stations at Macdonald Street, Alma Street, Jericho Lands, and the UBC campus’ academic core.

arbutus station skytrain broadway extension

SkyTrain Arbutus Station design concept, April 2021. (Government of BC)

June 2019 route and station map of the Broadway Subway. (BC Ministry of Transportation)

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Map of the proposed 2027 east-west bus route changes in the Vancouver Westside due to the opening of SkyTrain’s Millennium Line Broadway extension to Arbutus. (TransLink)

translink ubc skytrain route options april 2022

TransLink’s recommended route and station locations for UBC SkyTrain, April 2022. (TransLink)

SkyTrain Arbutus Station design concept, April 2021. (Government of BC)

61% feel more positively about UBC SkyTrain for its transit-oriented development and housing opportunities

After taking over the project’s jurisdiction from TransLink, the provincial government is leading the detailed design, planning, and execution of the UBC SkyTrain project, including the business case and early geotechnical analysis. Much of the business case work is now complete, with the government and its consultants working on the financial model as of September 2025.

More than four in 10 respondents (42 per cent) believe construction should begin as soon as possible, while 38 per cent think it should wait until other major public transit projects progress further. Nine per cent oppose the project entirely, and 11 per cent are unsure.

Uniquely, for the first time in a SkyTrain project, the provincial government has incorporated high-density, transit-oriented development and housing opportunities as a major component of the business case from the very outset. The survey found that 61 per cent of respondents felt more positive (22 per cent “significantly” more positive and 39 per cent felt “somewhat” more positive), while 29 per cent were unchanged and five per cent felt more negative.

Additionally, 84 per cent of respondents valued the project’s long-term economic and job benefits, while 81 per cent valued transit-oriented development, reduced travel times, improved productivity, and time savings for UBC students and staff.

Nearly three-quarters (74 per cent) agree that building new public transit projects is a good way to grow and strengthen the economy.

Highly conceptual artistic renderings only for illustrative purposes of UBC Station of the UBC SkyTrain extension (UBC).

jericho lands mst clc vancouver concept june 2023

Jericho Station on the UBC SkyTrain; June 2023 highly preliminary concept of the Jericho Lands. (MST Development Corporation/Canada Lands Company)

Despite financial challenges facing the provincial government — including rising debt and ongoing deficits — 78 per cent of respondents believe investment in major public transit projects should continue. Earlier this year in its budget, the provincial government indicated it was looking to slow down the pace of capital projects to reduce its debt load growth and the rising interest payments from borrowing.

More than six in 10 respondents (63 per cent) said they would be upset if the UBC SkyTrain project does not proceed due to lack of funding. Additionally, 54 per cent said it would influence their vote in a federal election, and 60 per cent said it would influence their vote in a provincial election.

When asked about priorities for improving public transit, 17 per cent said fares should be the top priority, 12 per cent chose SkyTrain expansion, 10 per cent cited safety and security, seven per cent mentioned service frequency and reliability, and seven per cent pointed to road traffic affecting buses.

This survey was conducted from March 28 to April 5, 2026, with 1,939 adult respondents across Metro Vancouver. It has a margin of error of ±2.3 per cent, 19 times out of 20.

A previous survey commissioned by UBC and conducted by Research Co. in 2019 found that 82 per cent of the region’s residents supported the project.

There was also strong support in 2021 as a part of TransLink’s public consultation on the project, with 91 per cent of respondents in a non-scientific survey with over 15,000 respondents endorsing the project — one of the highest response rates ever for the public transit authority. TransLink’s separate statistically representative survey that same year — by Pollara Strategic Insights and Krik & Co. Consulting — found that 67 per cent of 1,000 adult participants.

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