Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson announced the city’s plan for an extension of the Millennium Line at a press conference yesterday. The extension will begin at VCC-Clark Station and will run along Broadway, but will stop short of UBC at Arbutus Street.
While there had been some talk of extending the line all the way to UBC, Robertson said that Mayor’s Council’s 10-Year Vision did not include that possibility.
“Will rail eventually get to UBC? I’d say that’s probably a good chance,” said Translink CEO Kevin Desmond at the press conference. “When? I don’t know. But for now, we need to get to Arbutus [and] relieve a lot of crowding on the bus service.”
According to Translink’s website, the extension will include six kilometres of track as well as six new underground stations. The track will run diagonally from VCC-Clark to Main and Broadway, where it will then run under Broadway until it ends at Arbutus. The 99 B-Line, currently the busiest bus route in North America, will continue to be the only way to get to UBC along Broadway after Arbutus.
“We’re now working with our partners to plan, design and develop business cases for the provincial and federal government,” reads Translink’s website. “If [these plans] are accepted and funding from all three levels of government is confirmed in 2017, construction could begin as early as 2019.”
Translink will have three open houses for the Broadway extension on January 28, January 31 and February 1. An online survey will also be open from January 23 to February 13.
At the same press conference, Surrey mayor Linda Hepner also announced her city's plan for the creation of one of the two new planned LRT lines, the consultations for the first of which will begin January 24.