SkyTrain (Vancouver)

SkyTrain
Overview
OwnerProvince of British Columbia
LocaleMetro Vancouver, British Columbia
Transit typeMedium-capacity rapid transit system
Number of lines3
Number of stations54 (13 under construction) (List of stations)
Daily ridership444,900 (weekdays, Q1 2025)
Annual ridership149,066,500 (2024)
WebsiteTransLink
Operation
Began operationDecember 11, 1985 (1985-12-11)
Operator(s)TransLink
CharacterElevated, underground, and at-grade
Number of vehicles298
Train length2-, 4- or 6-car trainsets
Headway
  • 2–10 minutes (Expo and Millennium Lines)
  • 3–15 minutes (Canada Line)
Technical
System length
  • 79.6 km (49.5 mi)
  • 21.7 km (13.5 mi) under construction
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge
Electrification650 V DC third rail linear induction (Expo and Millennium Lines)
750 V DC third rail conventional traction motors (Canada Line)
Average speed
  • 40 km/h (25 mph) (Expo and Millennium Lines)
  • 32 km/h (20 mph) (Canada Line)
Top speed80 km/h (50 mph)
System map
(2027)
Arbutus
Waterfront
(2027)
South Granville
Burrard
(2027)
Oak–VGH
Vancouver City Centre
Yaletown–Roundhouse
Granville
Olympic Village
Stadium–Chinatown
Broadway–
Main Street–
Science World
( 2027)
City Hall
Mount Pleasant
(2027)
King Edward
Great Northern
Way–Emily Carr
(2027)
VCC–Clark
Oakridge–
41st Avenue
Commercial–
Broadway
Renfrew
Langara–49th Avenue
Rupert
Nanaimo
Marine Drive
29th Avenue
Zone 1
Zone 2
Joyce–
Collingwood
Operations and
Maintenance Centre
Bridgeport
Patterson
Metrotown
Templeton
Royal Oak
Sea Island Centre
Gilmore
YVR–Airport
Brentwood
Town Centre
Capstan
Holdom
Aberdeen
Sperling–
Burnaby Lake
Lansdowne
Lake City Way
Richmond–Brighouse
Production Way–
University
Edmonds
Lougheed
Town Centre
Edmonds Yard
22nd Street
future storage facility
New Westminster
Braid
Columbia
Sapperton
Zone 2
Zone 3
Scott Road
Burquitlam
Gateway
Surrey Central
Moody Centre
King George
Inlet Centre
(2028)
Green Timbers
vehicle storage facility
(2028)
152 Street
Coquitlam
Central
(2028)
Fleetwood
Lincoln
(2028)
Bakerview–166 Street
Lafarge Lake–
Douglas
(2028)
Hillcrest–184 Street
(2028)
Clayton
(2028)
Willowbrook
(2028)
Langley City Centre
Key
Canada Line
Expo Line
All stations are accessible
Millennium Line

SkyTrain is the medium-capacity rapid transit system serving the Metro Vancouver region in British Columbia, Canada. SkyTrain has 79.6 km (49.5 mi) of track and uses fully automated trains on grade-separated tracks running on underground and elevated guideways, allowing SkyTrain to hold consistently high on-time reliability. In 2024, the system had a ridership of 149,066,500, or about 444,900 per weekday as of the first quarter of 2025.

The name "SkyTrain" was coined for the system during Expo 86 because the first line (Expo) principally runs on elevated guideway outside of Downtown Vancouver, providing panoramic views of the metropolitan area. SkyTrain uses the world's third-longest cable-supported transit-only bridge, known as SkyBridge, to cross the Fraser River.

With the opening of the Evergreen Extension on December 2, 2016, SkyTrain became the longest rapid transit system in Canada and the longest fully automated driverless system in the world. The total lengths of the automated lines of the Shanghai Metro, Singapore MRT, Kuala Lumpur Rapid KL, Dubai Metro and Riyadh Metro have since surpassed those of SkyTrain.

SkyTrain has 54 stations served by three lines: the Expo Line, the Millennium Line, and the Canada Line. The Expo and Millennium Lines are operated by British Columbia Rapid Transit Company under contract from TransLink (originally BC Transit), a regional government transportation agency. The Canada Line is operated on the same principles by the private concessionaire ProTrans BC under contract to TransLink and is an integrated part of the regional transport system. SkyTrain uses a fare system shared with other local transit services and is policed by the Metro Vancouver Transit Police. SkyTrain attendants (STAs) provide first aid, emergency response, directions and customer service, inspect fares, monitor train faults, and operate the trains manually if necessary.