Public transit users will have to wait at least several months before they can use Capstan Station, the new SkyTrain station on the Canada Line.
TransLink confirmed to Daily Hive Urbanized that the Capstan Station opening has been moved to mid-2024 due to “work order and conditions on the ground.” That means instead of opening in the coming weeks, it could open later this winter or sometime during the summer. Early spring.
This means further delays in the completion and opening of the Canada Line filling station in Richmond.
Capstan Station was originally scheduled to open last year, but TransLink announced in June 2023 that the station’s opening date had been pushed back to early 2024, citing “supply chain issues” at the time. It became clear that this schedule, already behind schedule, was no longer achievable.
The station is being built approximately halfway between Bridgeport and Aberdeen stations, near the northeast corner of the intersection of No. 3 Road and Capstan Way.
SkyTrain Canada Line Capstan Station construction progress in July 2023. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)
Artistic rendering of Capstan Station on the Canada Line SkyTrain. (McFarlane Biggar Architects/Translink)
When construction began in September 2021, the project had a budget of $52 million, with the City of Richmond contributing $32 million raised from Capstan Village area developers specifically toward the station’s construction. TransLink covered the remaining $20 million.
To accommodate station construction activity, major service disruptions have occurred between Bridgeport and Richmond-Brighouse stations on Richmond’s Canada Line section since 2022, particularly in the evening. Early service stoppages are occurring.
SkyTrain Canada Line Capstan Station construction progress in July 2023. (Translink)
Artistic rendering of Capstan Station on the Canada Line SkyTrain. (McFarlane Biggar Architects/Translink)
Artistic rendering of Capstan Station on the Canada Line SkyTrain. (McFarlane Biggar Architects/Translink)
When Capstan Station opens, it will create a high-density area with 16,000 residents living in 6,000 homes within a radius of about a 10-minute walk from the station.
Planned service interruptions are expected on the Expo Line over the next few years. From 10 February 2024 until early 2026, the Expo Line between Production Way University Station and Braid Station will be closed due to extensive construction work on SkyTrain’s new Operations Control Center (OMC4) near Braid Station. The number of flights will be reduced.
