Evolution of the Vancouver SkyTrain 1985-2035 (animation)

The history and the future of SkyTrain, the rapid transit system of Metro Vancouver, are shown in this animation.
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/ @metroliner
#vancouver #skytrain #canada

[@minertransit]

Rode skytrain in February, it is definitely the best rapid transit system in North America in terms of service quality; automated elevated trains that come every 3-5 minutes with amazing stations, wayfinding, and an amazing airport connection

[@jmstransit]

It’s weird because in practice I can take a vacation from Vancouver to visit the Yamamoto Line in Tokyo and be used to the frequencies.

[@somethingsomething404]

I’m from london Ontario and moved to Vancouver not solely for the skytrain but the transit in general here is 1000x what london Ontario has

[@rwgosse]

Hometown born and raised. Born in 82. The Skytrain, it's demo runs and the Expo Fair were such a huge deal for the city. I remember watching the huge trucks bringing in the sections of track, piece by piece. Thanks for making this.

[@J-Bahn]

What’s ironic is that expo 86 and skytrain was brought to Vancouver but the fiscally conservative bill Bennett social credit party. But so glad they did it. They propelled automated metros into existence.

[@J-Bahn]

Just was in Vancouver. Skytrain is awesome because the trains run crazy frequent even off peak because of driverless automation.

[@dominikr8428]

I went to Vancouver in June and I loved the skytrain! And all of the public transport in general - it was so easy, clean and convenient. Especially after being in Seattle a week prior 😅 My very first ride was on the Canada Line, Bridgeport-Waterfront. I didn't know it was automatic so sitting in the very front of the train (on elevated tracks) and enjoying the stunning skyline of the city right in front of me was unexpected and absolutely magical.

[@denelson83]

I still want to see the Canada Line get extended all the way to the Peace Arch and the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal.

[@appletree13]

I think the Peace Arch part at least will be part of a potential high speed rail line in the future.

[@michaeljames0204]

I completely agree with this!

[@Kwang-Min-Lee]

That would be super awesome!!

[@bluequiltedness]

Hell yeah!

[@098saw]

canada line to north van could be something to think about as well

[@jhuang7736]

With the opening of the first section of the Montreal REM light metro coming up on July 31st, 2023, would it be possible to consider making a evolution of rail transit (metro + REM) in Montreal?

[@user-mrfrog]

D'accord avec vous! 🙂

[@GojiMet86]

Proof that even smaller North American cities, with the right planning and investments, are capable of rapid rail transit.

[@user-ul5tf8ui6t]

Small? Vancouver metro population is 2,6 million 🥶🥶🥶🥶 It is a very huge city, the outskirts of which stretch for almost 50 kilometers from the center. A small city is somewhere around 300 thousand inhabitants or less. In my mind. Well, maybe 400 thousand is also a small city. But definitely not 2 and a half million. Unless you take China.

[@madingthree]

IDK if you could call Vancouver small, for North American standards it's pretty massive

[@Propapanda0213]

Man Vancouver ain’t no small… 😂😂

[@stevens1041]

Its called Canada. No one needed proof that Canadians can have good transit.

[@user-ul5tf8ui6t]

@@stevens1041 Toronto has

[@AndrewG1989]

I definitely would like to go to Vancouver and to ride on the Skytrain. My cousin lives near Vancouver and it is such a lovely city in Western Canada.

[@austinh.]

Ty for doing an evolution of the system in my hometown. Vancouver’s system is such a one of a kind being elevated and driverless made me a metro fan. (Dat timing I was just making a skytrain fantasy map on “my google maps” and this person just uploaded a timeline of the said city 5hrs ago)

[@jmstransit]

1:46 ah the old pretzel route - one of the few metro systems to have a route that loops back through itself. And the Millennium Line (was) not the only LIM line to do so - gotta go to Tokyo to find that out.

[@HowlingWolf518]

Some background for non-locals: the Millennium was originally going to cut across New West to Lougheed and Coquitlam (where the 2016/Evergreen extension is now), but when the NDP beat the Liberals in the provincial election, they accused it of servicing all the Lib ridings, hijacked it and took it through all the NDP ridings instead. The resulting line's uselessness basically killed all rapid transit spending for the next eight years.

[@moofey]

Not sure if that's the full story. There was a lot of debate in Port Moody about whether they wanted to line to cut through their city, as well as talks about crime around stations. It got to the point that, after it was scrapped, they considered making it a light rail line down St. John's Street instead, or even for it to go the other way around Coquitlam past Colony Farm. In the end, it ended up following the CPR through Port Moody anyway when it did finally get built.

[@gordonpi8674]

A line connecting King George in Surrey and Brighouse in Richmond would be great idea.

[@Lucifer87666]

Let's make the Montreal subway so that all subways in Canada are complete.

[@lvalledor3440]

I may be born & raised in Toronto but I've taken Vancouver's Skytrains more than a few times now & I actually enjoy riding the Skytrains so much more than the subways in Toronto, especially the Mk1s. The sound the Mk1s make when they leave the station is always very satisfying. It's music to my ears. Toronto subways sometimes hardly go 50 km whereas the Skytrains travel 50 mph. For someone born & raised in Toronto, I can honestly say that Vancouver's Skytrains really give Toronto's subways literally.....a RUN for it's money!

[@dxkaiyuan4177]

well u guys have, or used to have, the scarborough RT. its basically the same technology as skytrain

[@lvalledor3440]

@@dxkaiyuan4177 actually the difference with Toronto's former Line 3 is that they don't use the same driverless operation as Vancouver's Skytrains & Detroit's People Movers. Manual operation was chosen due to pressure from the union being skeptical of driverless trains. IMO Toronto's former Line 3 was quite mediocre for me because of the option for manual operation & Line 3 being too short. A lot shorter than Detroit's People Mover. Although the People Mover Mk1s travel slower than both the Expo Line & Line 3. Line 3 Mk1s hardly ever travel at the same high speed as the Mk1 Skytrains. They travel at the same speed the Skytrains used to travel at prior to 2010. Therefore in the end, Vancouver Skytrains for the win.

[@nonenowherebye]

There's also the SFU Gondola that is likely to occurr. It will be a 3 cable gondola type system (similar to the Peak2Peak at Whistler/Blackcomb) that runs up from Production Way - University to Simon Fraser University

[@TalwinderDhillonTravels]

There’s a whole new line planned in Surrey you could’ve added in future section. Guilford mall to newton via surrey central

[@avrowolf]

Skytrain would be nice to those two (they should build a line down to South Surrey/White Rock area and to Tsawwassen; Skytrain line to Chilliwack (from both Coquitlam and Langley) would be amazing

[@jmstransit]

Those plans are much less set in stone than what they have going for the Willingdon corridor as of late

[@HowlingWolf518]

Because nobody knows what that line will look like yet. Some people want to bring the streetcar plan back, others want a full SkyTrain line, TransLink and the ex-mayor want an Expo spur to Newton (cutting out Guildford entirely).

[@lionelhutz5137]

Abbotsford sorely needs a skytrain system.

[@sgnevillechand]

@@lionelhutz5137unfortunately Abbotsford lies outside of Translink’s boundaries and relies on BC Transit instead. They wouldn’t get a Skytrain but something similar. More or less a streetcar system that can reach into aldergrove or maybe into Langley Centre and meet with Skytrain there

[@thuydoan7496]

The chronological animation of this SkyTrain map is historically precise. I am unsure about future plans, but I'm guessing it will be near to the planned timing of the new SkyTrain routes.

[@jmstransit]

2:57 there’s also a planned spur off Coquitlam station to PoCo town center There are also plans to run a Willingdon Line from Metrotown to the North Shore and possibly Hastings Street. None of these have concrete terminals or stations at the time of posting

[@HowlingWolf518]

Don't forget the hypothetical extension down 49th, then 41st at Oakridge to UBC.

[@sdt1225]

the SkyTrain kind of acts like 2 systems in 1 with the Canada line being separated from the other lines until the Broadway subway is completed in 2025

[@willd1790]

Not really, for all intents and purposes they are one system that connect at Waterfront. The transfer is a bit long and the operations framework and tech is different but for the rider experience it's integrated pretty smoothly. If only the Granville/City Center transfer was less of a huge pain.

[@sdt1225]

Nah but at waterfront you tap out then tap in to transfer it’s not exactly free or easy. So that makes it kind of like 2 systems with the riders from the Canada Line have to tap out with their cards at waterfront until the broadway subway is built so that’s y it kinda acts like 2 systems

[@willd1790]

@@sdt1225 It's the same as transferring to or from a bus though-it's no extra charge within 90 minutes. The longest travel time on either the Canada Line or the Expo Line is something like 40 minutes, so the transfer is basically free. Really, I think it's a distinction without a difference.

[@moofey]

@@sdt1225 If you tap in at a Canada Line station, tap out at waterfront, then go towards the Expo Line/Seabus the tap in there within 90 minutes from the time you first tapped, it _should_ still be part of the same trip.

[@2002ChevyFan]

Finally been waiting for this!

[@khaziayin]

great video as always! please make a Kyiv metro evolution, I think it'd be quite fascinating to see an animation of that!

[@flare2000x]

My home system and it's a real nice one. Small amount of lines but the service is excellent and the network is clean, easy to use, efficient, and some of the cheapest fares in Canada.

[@somethingsomething404]

Liked before I even watched 2 Seconds because I’m glad this video was made

[@mosaloquendo]

Do the Buenos Aires Subte and the Commuter Rail!

[@kjancku]

AHHH IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS SINCE FOREVER

[@oilwings]

Skytrain times are great. The frequency of most buses on Sundays and Stat days must improve. The Hasting corridor from downtown to Port Moody/Coquitlam/Pt Coquitlam needs an extension imo. UBC/41st corridor needs a line too imo.

[@Slenderman63323]

So basically replace the R4 and R5 with skytrain? I suggest we replace the R1 in Surrey with skytrain first. Then get the gondola to SFU built instead of the R5 skytrain. Then I would replace the R3 from Coquitlam to Maple Ridge with a skytrain. Finally in the far future, replace the R4 with skytrain when South Vancouver becomes more densely populated (UBC already has the Millennium Line by this point).

[@jonathandowling7311]

By about 2030 Vancouver will have a great network of rapid rail but I can't help feeling there should be at least one more line that covers downtown.

[@RipCityBassWorks]

Considering the size of the city and the quality of service, Skytrain is one of the best metro systems in the world.

[@noelgenoway9360]

Ya no it is not! Vancouver needs about 7 lines to hold that title for a city of 2.6 million!

[@_KRose]

Here's hoping they can break the nimbys and stretch the Millennium Line out past Arbutus within my lifetime

[@user-op9mv5lq1u]

How old are you lol

[@edsontransports9400]

Pls do Montreal. Thanks.

[@Nori-xo7vv]

Beautiful Video:)

[@MetroLiner]

Thank you very much!

[@rowanguy9528]

YESS!!! I BEGGED AND YOU LISTENED. I LOVE YOU

[@KaplaWorld]

Vancouver SkyTrain 🇨🇦 1985 Expo Line 2002 Millennium Line 2009 Canada Line

[@kjebi1854]

Do a video on the Seattle light rail in the future. Lots of expansion going on recently and in the coming years

[@stevens1041]

Can't wait for the future buildout. Good on Vancouver for making these investments.

[@jacobringenwald]

Great video! You should do Philadelphia at some point

[@Propapanda0213]

It will prolly take another century for the Millennium line to be extended to UBC 😂😂

[@noelgenoway9360]

or two! It take way to long to build one single line in Canada and Vancouver!!!!

[@westskynephi9686]

I love watching your videos! If you don't mind me asking, how do you make them? What software do you use?

[@StudioHonzasTV]

Wo I didn't know that this city is existing and they even have metro?! That's amazing

[@TalwinderDhillonTravels]

Lmao 😂

[@moofey]

Bruh we've hosted an Olympics 😅

[@user-mx3yk6ie1y]

How do you not know Vancouver?

[@quarringtonz231]

@@user-mx3yk6ie1y I think he's American

[@Kuricang31]

​@@moofeyAn Olympic that is remembered by a handful of people. Same thing goes for the 1986 Expo, even local Vancouver residents forgot that their city once hosted one of the world's most prestigious event

[@IkhFa1002]

Impressive. I'll be waiting in Jakarta rail from Commuter, ex-Tram, until MRT. Maybe you can try to make BRT lines (name Transjakarta)

[@Kwang-Min-Lee]

I really want sky train on Marine drive/Marine way, so it can connect YVR and New Westminster,directly.

[@arisolight]

Lovely video! Can you please do Perth, Australia?

[@jmstransit]

SkyTrain is like Tokyo Frequencies with NA Light Rail capacity. If anything, It’s very clear that it’s better to *not* run super long trains with 8 or less trips/hour.

[@yellowscout2467]

Evolution of the LRT (Light Rail Transit) and MRT (Metro Rail Transit) in the Philippines (1984- 2040) Please make one. I love train discoveries, loves loves. ♥️♥️♥️🇵🇭🇵🇭🇵🇭♥️♥️♥️

[@dawwnbrk3r653]

Why are people gassing this up? We talked about the broadway line extension to UBC for like 3 decades and we're barely gonna build half of it by 2030

[@Groostav]

No Mention of Burrard Inlet Rapid Transit (BIRT) feels bad. at this point it seems like extending the expo line out along hastings and then across the water beside the Iron Workers Bridge and then back in to Lonsdale and/or Park Royal seems like its going to happen, construction to being (optimistically: 2030, pessimistically, 2045).

[@lionelhutz5137]

It's long overdue that the North Shore gets a few skytrain stations

[@DMTHOTH]

And they still hesitate to invest money on more lines? It seems like they don't want to be sustainable.

[@ragellejean]

There is a grand plan called “Transport 2050” which in itself currently contains the more detailed 10-year Plan or priorities. The former mentions a few other potential expansions to the SkyTrain network that were understandably not shown in the video. However, most of the expansion is focused on other forms of transit like cycling, local and express buses, BRT, etc...

[@Kuricang31]

​@@ragellejeanTerrible plan, but still it's a start

[@ragellejean]

I wouldn’t call it an outright *terrible* plan. Quite frankly, some of the goals regarding the bus network for 2035 are actually fairly ambitious and rather promising. Although, I do agree that there should be a greater push for expanding the SkyTrain for the greater scheme of things.

[@travistam560]

do San Francisco BART please

[@stanandrzej2273]

Hi, i really love your content and i'd love to try doing a similar animation for a personal fiction project around paris metro, and since i don't know a lot about mapping and animation, i really like to know how you make such videos, if you won't share whats behind your work, and apologize if this is a question you get so often. Thanks for your amazing content and any reply (sorry for my poor english btw).

[@Lvlaple4Ever]

Idk why when I was kid living in Vancouver back in the 2000s I thought there was only like 4 stations all in downtown xD Guess Translink didn’t advertise things well back then 😅

[@losttrains]

Very cool video! Can you please do Buenos-Aires, Argentina?

[@ninyaninjabrifsanovichthes45]

You should do a video for Boston's MBTA at some point.

[@carpediemsrce]

I moved out of Vancouver in 2012, I can see not much has changed with the skytrain routes since then lol.

[@Jaybro8]

I can’t wait for it to expand to 203rd st

[@TonboIV]

Am I the only one who thinks the extension of the Expo line to Langley is a little weird? The Skytrain is a metro, but that route seems more like regional rail. It's probably going to be over an hour, on a metro train with mostly standing room, stopping at every station along the way. I wonder if it wouldn't have been better to use this as a chance to transform the West Coast Express into a real regional rail system, with frequent all day service. Riding to Langley would certainly be more pleasant on an express train designed for seated passengers, even if doesn't end up being any faster.

[@ingaman]

Do you live in Surrey or Langley? If no, have you ever been to Surrey or Langley?

[@TonboIV]

@@ingaman I prefer not to answer such questions on the internet. Is there some point you wanted to make?

[@ingaman]

@@TonboIV Lol reflecting on my wording, that's totally fair. Sorry about that. As someone from Surrey, it's frustrating to see Surrey continuously be pushed into the box that is 'the suburbs.' A Skytrain extension will serve people in Surrey / Langley not necessarily to go to Vancouver, but also commute within the cities. One of the stops is near my home and I'd love to be able to hop on a 10-15 minute train to get to Willowbrook mall rather than drive for half an hour. Hell, even going to New West would be a LOT faster than driving. Regional rail is great, but only serves to bring people in/out of Vancouver, which can also be handled with express routes on Skytrain if necessary.

[@TonboIV]

@@ingaman Regional rail doesn't have to be that way. It can make frequent stops in the valley, but then run as an express with only a few major stop in Burnaby, Richmond, Vancouver etc where people can transfer to the Skytrain or bus for more local trips.

[@ingaman]

@@TonboIV Yeah that's great and all, but it still primarily functions as a means to bring people in/out of Vancouver. With Surrey slowly becoming more densely populated, rapid transit is necessary to reduce road traffic within the city. WCE should still be expanded, but maybe out to Chilliwack, Agassiz and Hope where the population is more sparse and rural.

[@pineapplesareyummy6352]

That's an exceptionally long time to build just a few lines. Over any 20 year period, entire metro systems in China and India with hundreds of stations would have been built.

[@vancitynico1958]

yeah and those systems service zillions of people while our system is busy only at rush hour and by 7pm there is literally noone on the train

[@clintkrum]

Uhm those countries, considering their massive population and huuuge cities, needed those hundreds, or thousands of stations decades ago. Vancouver would be a small district compared to cities in India and China, so why not ask them why they just built their system 20 yrs ago when a very small city (to Indian and Chinese standards) started theirs 40 yrs ago.

[@wp40]

I wish my city, Seattle, started back in 1985.

[@luisyanez5943]

Felicitaciones los trabajadores estan avanzado las nuevas estaciones trenes cada lineas en el Metro de Vancouver, Canada

[@vikramo6994]

Why dont they just expand it to ubc rn, its literally one the largest universities in Canada, rn students need to take many buses!

[@AyaansCornerYT]

What they also should do is extend the canada line from richmond down to Ladner

[@elbandano2721]

short but intense

[@YoloMenace001]

How do you make the maps?

[@LDTV22OfficialChannel]

We still wish every city had an automatic subway

[@Antonis_Gk]

Can you make a video about the metro in Athens?

[@foxthep]

Make a video about Tashkent Metro, please

[@CharyStudios]

Si nuevo video

[@human_3217]

there is a switch located just before coquitlam central that splits off to the east, and the rails terminate immediately after, i think they're keeping a maple ridge or even mission extension open for the future?

[@maikotter9945]

I hope that Vancouver, someday will host the Olympic Summer Games, too! 2024; Paris 2028; "Los Angeles" 2032; Brisbane Vancouver´s City Council: 11 members female Mayor: Mrs. Kim (Korean) 8; ABC Vancouver 2; Green Party of Vancouver 1; One City Vancouver

[@Bennny.H]

Could you do the progress of the Melbourne train or tram network?

[@MUMyA48]

Please do Budapest Metro next 🥺

[@Nimqo]

Helsinki next? 😮

[@rileynavarra7652]

i hope there's a 41st avenue skytrain at some point

[@Danpungip]

??

[@Danpungip]

use the rapid bus smh

[@tntmaster1104]

Do one of Atlanta pls

[@ZylyNuttel]

Do Buenos Aires!! ♥

[@taavipiipponen3085]

Do the Munich metro, please!

[@pieterwatson611]

Video is on other channel. Find yourself.

[@mission4714]

I wish the video would show the location of The Woodlands Station. Even though it was never built I find it interesting and historic. Why was that one proposed but never built?

[@stp8614]

Do Montreal pls

[@eastlancsesteem]

“Are we there yet?” was filmed here.

[@AntonioKozak-nf1es]

Can you do the lille’s metro next plz

[@igorsiuda8108]

Maybe one of Chinese cities, like Shanghai? Or Budapest, Hungary?

[@pieterwatson611]

Chinese cities are on other channel. Find yourself.

[@Sandercrew1]

Please make a video about Copenhagen 🙏

[@nathandavidowicz3721]

The Langley Extension will not open in 2028, new Canada Line Stations at 33rd and 57th Ave. will not be open for at least 20 years or more.

[@therobertcookie7435]

Can you please do the metro evolution of Bucharest?

[@vansec5076]

Maple Ridge - Am I a joke to you!?!?

[@GG-os4is]

Why is Burquitlam station missing?

[@jerseythesmart2528]

Do you think that the skytrain will ever be extended to Maple Ridge / Pitt Meadows?

[@MichiganGirl42]

It’s very possible, there’s already proposed extension of the millennium line to Poco, but I think it’s not currently a priority just given the massive demand for the UBC extension and all. However I would LOVE to see the West Coast express to be expanded on for more frequent service so it can be connected to the skytrain network better for those areas

[@user-ok7gt1dl2u]

당신이 캐나다인인만큼 좋아하면서 만들었겄네요. I'm sure you'll like it as much as you're Canadian.

[@siosongenardmichael1817]

Can you make for metro manila railway system?

[@JB0i]

Do Montréal!

[@MarksCar-rs1nm]

I think calling it the Evergreen Extension is kinda ridiculous. I’ve never seen something be shortened and then extended to a different place. Last I checked, that’s not how true extensions work

[@user-vl7ql7zo3g]

Интересно что этот город чем-то напоминает Петербург такими же разделёнными островами

[@daviano_R.T.]

Ok I'm still wanting to know, why the country that I thought one of the richest country in North America if not the world rn, are beaten and loosing to Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, laos, Vietnam and Indonesia on building public transport infrastructure? In the same period, most of south east Asia country (except Burma aka Myanmar and Cambodia) are building way more public transport infrastructure and integrating them so their public transport are convenient and punctual compared to north America (USA and Canada) tbh some of Canada city are doing better compared to USA but still the length and project are still to slow and insignificant compared to South east Asia country that have significantly lower and tight budget compared to USA and Canada

[@atlasiscooler4694]

Probably partially population density differences, partially because of North American car culture and NIMBYism (can confirm that has affected the UBC/Broadway line they’re working on), partially budget issues, and partially red tape bullshit (it takes years to get a single building plan approved sometimes… despite there being a massive housing crisis) (Vancouverite here btw)

[@AlCatSplat]

Our government doesn't care about building transit.

[@the_yesnt1358]

when might we see a completely new line?

[@flare2000x]

Maybe 2030s or 2040s when they eventually build something to the north shore or a 41st Ave line.

[@5efrenshome497]

it’s different as #ttc

[@Lucio-Aguirre]

Make the evolution of yhe Subte of Buenos Aires pls

[@RealNotOrrio]

when are you going to do melbourne

[@pieterwatson611]

Melbourne HAS NOT a metro.

[@gucci1131]

if you live on the other side of the bridge (Surrey, langley) transit is a fucking joke hopefully with the new line going to 200th street in langley it should be much better

[@josargor8179]

i still remember the old warehouse where starbucks is now @ renfrew station. that bitch had it's cladding stripped, renovated, stripped again then demo'd. it's wild how long it used to take us to get from one side of the city to the other. still hoping for a bus going along East 1st Ave :3

[@flare2000x]

I worked in that new complex at Renfrew station for a bit. Definitely a nicer place now, good offices with a good transit connection.

[@fuatyldz8140]

please can you draw the istanbul metro too

[@pieterwatson611]

Video is on other channel.

[@Frogster88]

Minor request: could you eventually do Dallas/DART system? As one of my favorite systems to look at and critique, I kinda want to see how you do it :) Love your content btw

[@robbyraven420]

What about the Broadway line