Translink is seeking the public’s input on the potential Skytrain extension to UBC in a new survey.
On April 19, Translink put out a 10-question survey asking for feedback on the Millenium Line UBC Extension project to better understand the public’s priorities and considerations regarding the potential extension, route and station options.
The survey closes on May 14.
The project will extend the Millennium Line past Arbutus Street to UBC’s Vancouver campus and, when finished, will make the commute to the university within 60 minutes for over one million people, according to the project’s website.
“This potential project could better connect students in the region through improved access to study, housing and job opportunities while offering a sustainable transportation choice that would reduce car usage and greenhouse gases emissions,” wrote Tina Lovgreen, Translink’s senior manager of media relations and issues management, in a statement to The Ubyssey.
Lovgreen added that the potential Skytrain extension to UBC would help reduce the ridership on the 99 B-line route, which is currently the most overcrowded route in Metro Vancouver.
According to Lovgreen, the survey’s results will be shared with regional decision-makers in the coming months as an engagement summary report along with technical analysis on soil conditions and possible route options.
Logan van de Wetering, a second-year honours biochemistry student, said he hopes that the Millennium Line extension shortens his commute so that he can dedicate more time to the academic and social aspects of student life.
“[Three to four hours a day] is a lot of wasted time, so anything that can cut down on that is going to be good for the student commuter experience,” Wetering said.
UBC has long been an advocate for the project as one of the three partners who originally proposed the extension in November 2019, along with the City of Vancouver and the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Development Corporation.
The university has been urging students to fill out the Translink survey on their Twitter and Instagram accounts.
The AMS has also been calling on students to complete the survey on social media.
“It is essential that students voice their support for the Skytrain-to-UBC through this consultation process as this will be an initiative that supports the transit needs of UBC students, faculty, and staff for generations to come,” wrote VP External Saad Shoaib in a statement to The Ubyssey.
Shoaib said that he hopes that the survey’s results demonstrates the need for an extension of the Millennium Line to the Mayor’s Council, a body made up of mayors from the region.
“In understanding that the UBC Extension has major benefits … the AMS is going to continue to work with the involved stakeholders to ensure that a Skytrain-to-UBC is being prioritized by all levels of government and Translink,” Shoaib wrote.