So far, most of the progress updates on the construction of SkyTrain Millennium Line’s Broadway Extension have focused on the tunnel boring operation.
Both tunnel boring machines are still making their way westward towards their final destination at Cypress Street, just before the future Arbutus Station. Their next breakthrough is at the future Oak-VGH Station — the mid-way point of their five-km-long journey, after starting from the pit of the future Great Northern Way-Emily Carr Station in Fall 2022.
Tunnel boring is expected to reach completion before the end of this year.
You might also like:
- First look inside the new tunnels being built for the Broadway Subway (PHOTOS, VIDEO)
- New renderings of TransLink's proposed 30-storey rental housing tower at SkyTrain's future Arbutus Station
- Potential expanded design for future 152 Street Station on Surrey-Langley SkyTrain includes second entrance and overpass
- Loblaws City Market to open huge new location at future SkyTrain station
- Montreal has opened a massive SkyTrain-inspired driverless train network (PHOTOS)
But other aspects of the project, the finer details, are now also starting to take visual shape.
If all goes as planned, the 5.7-km-long extension of the Millennium Line with six subway stations will open in early 2026.
Here is a rundown of just a few project features based on recently released construction photos:
ELEVATED GUIDEWAY
The short 700-metre elevated guideway between the existing VCC-Clark Station and the tunnel portal is built using steel girder construction.
Construction crews have nearly finished installing prefabricated deck panels on the steel girders to enable a concrete deck to be poured on top of the prefabricated deck panels. After the concrete deck is created on top of the panels, work will begin on installing the railway tracks.
TUNNEL PORTAL NEXT TO GREAT NORTHERN WAY-EMILY CARR STATION
The tunnel portal, where the elevated guideway transitions into a tunnel, is really starting to take shape. It is situated immediately north of the Emily Carr University of Art & Design building, and just east of the future underground Great Northern Way-Emily Carr Station
This transition box tunnel portal will be squared shape, unlike the round tunnels made by the tunnel boring machines west of Great Northern Way-Emily Carr Station.
MOUNT PLEASANT STATION
The concrete underground walls that will be seen from inside Mount Pleasant Station are being poured.
Large pieces of blue and yellow formwork are used to shape the walls while concrete is poured inside. Once the concrete is strong enough, the formwork is removed to reveal the finished walls.
BROADWAY-CITY HALL STATION
Crews are tunnelling the footpath tunnels at Broadway-City Hall Station that will allow passengers to directly transfer between the Canada Line platform level and the Millennium Line platform level.
The prolonged lane closures on Cambie Street next to this station construction site accommodated the previous sewer relocation project. The traffic configuration has remained for the current task of building the footpath tunnels, specifically the footpath to reach the Canada Line’s southbound platform under Cambie Street’s southbound road lanes.
OAK-VGH STATION
A waterproofing membrane being installed inside the Oak-VGH Station pit ahead of the breakthrough of both tunnel boring machines.
SOUTH GRANVILLE STATION AND THE 39-STOREY TOWER
The temporarily sealed opening in the wall is the footpath tunnel that leads to the future South Granville Station street entrance within the ground level of PCI Developments’ 39-storey, mixed-use tower under construction.
This opening links the street entrance with the underground station concourse.
Rebar is being installed on top of the orange waterproofing member at the pit of South Granville Station.
The orange membrane will keep the station dry, and the rebar will reinforce the station’s base slab foundation. The next step will be to pour the concrete foundation.
At the southeast corner of the intersection of Granville Street and West Broadway, right next to the subway station pit for South Granville Station, PCI Developments’ is making clear progress on the construction of its 39-storey, mixed-use tower.
The tower has now ascended past its halfway point in height, with workers currently pouring the 24th floor.
The station entrance will be prominently located at the intersection corner, fully integrated into the building. The tower will contain 223 rental homes, 100,000 sq ft of office space, 7,000 sq ft of retail/restaurant uses, and a 22,000 sq ft Loblaws City Market grocery store.
Construction on the tower is scheduled to reach completion in 2025.
ARBUTUS STATION
Compared to the other stations, Arbutus Station is in an earlier construction progress stage, as it is the last station on the excavation route of the tunnel boring machines.
Both tunnel boring machines will end their journey at the site of the future crossover tracks just west of the terminus station’s platforms.
From Arbutus Station, the $2.83-billion, 5.7-km-long Millennium Line Broadway Extension will enable travel times of only 11 minutes to VCC-Clark Station, 12 minutes to Commercial-Broadway Station, 32 minutes to Lougheed Town Centre Station, and 47 minutes to Lafarge-Lake Douglas Station in Coquitlam.
For the remaining journey to the University of British Columbia campus, passengers will board a truncated 99 B-Line service starting from the bus exchange at Arbutus Station, until the Millennium Line is further extended westward to reach the campus.
You might also like:
- First look inside the new tunnels being built for the Broadway Subway (PHOTOS, VIDEO)
- New renderings of TransLink's proposed 30-storey rental housing tower at SkyTrain's future Arbutus Station
- Potential expanded design for future 152 Street Station on Surrey-Langley SkyTrain includes second entrance and overpass
- Loblaws City Market to open huge new location at future SkyTrain station
- Montreal has opened a massive SkyTrain-inspired driverless train network (PHOTOS)