New Westminster station
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New Westminster is an elevated station on the Expo Line of
Metro Vancouver The Metro Vancouver Regional District (MVRD), or simply Metro Vancouver, is a Canadian political subdivision and corporate entity representing the metropolitan area of Greater Vancouver, designated by provincial legislation as one of the 28 ...
's SkyTrain
rapid transit Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT), also known as heavy rail or metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport generally found in urban areas. A rapid transit system that primarily or traditionally runs below the surface may be c ...
system. The station is located at the intersection of Columbia Street and 8th Street in
New Westminster, British Columbia New Westminster (colloquially known as New West) is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada, and a member municipality of the Metro Vancouver Regional District. It was founded by Major-General Richard Moody as the capita ...
. In 2012, the station was incorporated into the
Shops at New West Shops at New West is a shopping centre in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada. The complex is unique for its integration into New Westminster station, a SkyTrain station on Metro Vancouver's metropolitan rail system. The shopping centre ope ...
complex, making it the first train station in Canada to have a direct connection to a shopping centre at the platform level.


History

New Westminster station was built in 1985 as part of the original SkyTrain system (now known as the Expo Line), providing a transportation link to
Expo 86 The 1986 World Exposition on Transportation and Communication, or simply Expo 86, was a World's Fair held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada from May 2 until October 13, 1986. The fair, the theme of which was "Transportation and Communicatio ...
being held in the city of
Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
. The
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
n architecture firm Architektengruppe U-Bahn was responsible for designing the station. The station also served as part of a strategy for redeveloping the districts along the New Westminster Quay. Upon opening, New Westminster station was the original eastern terminus of the SkyTrain system, and remained so until the completion of Columbia station in 1989. The station still serves as a temporary terminus for the Expo Line towards closing hours of revenue service. During the station's period as terminus station, a temporary platform had been built over the westbound guideway with trains thus arriving and departing on the eastbound track. At its inception, New Westminster served as the major transfer point for buses servicing
Coquitlam Coquitlam ( ) is a city in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada. Mainly suburban, Coquitlam is the List of cities in British Columbia, sixth-largest city in the province, with a population of 148,625 in 2021, and one of the 21 municipa ...
,
Langley Langley may refer to: People * Langley (surname), a common English surname, including a list of notable people with the name * Dawn Langley Simmons (1922–2000), English author and biographer * Elizabeth Langley (born 1933), Canadian perfor ...
,
Port Coquitlam Port Coquitlam ( ) is a city in British Columbia, Canada. Located east of Vancouver, it is on the north bank of the confluence of the Fraser River and the Pitt River. Coquitlam borders it on the north, the Coquitlam River borders it on the west, ...
,
Port Moody Port Moody is a city in British Columbia, Canada, and a member municipality of the Metro Vancouver Regional District. It envelops the east end of Burrard Inlet and is the smallest of the Tri-Cities, bordered by Coquitlam on the east and south a ...
and
Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
. After the Expo Line extension in 1990, Langley and Surrey buses were rerouted to terminate at
Scott Road station Scott Road is an elevated station on the Expo Line of Metro Vancouver's SkyTrain rapid transit system. The station is located near the south end of the Pattullo Bridge in the South Westminster neighbourhood of Surrey, British Columbia, Canada ...
. Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody buses were eventually rerouted after the completion of
Millennium Line The Millennium Line is the second line of the SkyTrain rapid transit system in the Metro Vancouver region of British Columbia, Canada. The line is owned and operated by BC Rapid Transit Company, a subsidiary of TransLink, and links the cities ...
in 2002; these routes now terminate at either
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,
Lougheed Town Centre The City of Lougheed is the second-largest shopping centre in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, with and over 160 shops and services. It is located in the northeast corner of Burnaby near the Coquitlam border. The centre is located adjacent to ...
, or Burquitlam stations. In 2012, the
Shops at New West Shops at New West is a shopping centre in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada. The complex is unique for its integration into New Westminster station, a SkyTrain station on Metro Vancouver's metropolitan rail system. The shopping centre ope ...
shopping centre was integrated into the station. The shopping centre was a major component of the
mixed-use development Mixed-use is a kind of urban development, urban design, urban planning and/or a zoning type that blends multiple uses, such as residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or entertainment, into one space, where those functions are to some ...
of Plaza 88. Between May 2015 and November 2016, the station received $12 million in upgrades which included better integration with the Shops at New West complex that was built as part of Plaza 88 project. Broader plans to upgrade the station and Expo Line were put forth by
TransLink Translink (or TransLink) may refer to: * TransLink (British Columbia), the public transport operator in Vancouver, Canada * Translink (Northern Ireland) Translink is the brand name of the Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company (NITHCo), a ...
and the British Columbia Rapid Transit Company (BCRTC).


Services

* The station connects to local bus and shuttle services to Quayside and Uptown areas, as well as regional bus connections to
Burnaby Burnaby is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. Located in the centre of the Burrard Peninsula, it neighbours the City of Vancouver to the west, the District of North Vancouver across the confluence of the Burrard I ...
. * Select late-night Expo Line trips from Production Way–University and King George terminate at this station. * The station houses the "New Westminster Smoke Shoppe", a small convenience store that opened with the opening of SkyTrain's formal revenue service in 1986. * New Westminster Quay and River Market are two blocks south of the station, across railway tracks. Pedestrians can access the Quay via a pedestrian overpass or via a ground-level crossing. * A pedestrian overpass across the SkyTrain tracks connects the upper levels of the station. * The
Shops at New West Shops at New West is a shopping centre in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada. The complex is unique for its integration into New Westminster station, a SkyTrain station on Metro Vancouver's metropolitan rail system. The shopping centre ope ...
, along with a 10-screen
Landmark Cinemas Landmark Cinema of Canada Inc. is a Canadian cinema chain. Based in Calgary, Alberta, Landmark operates 40 theatres with 325 screens, primarily in Ontario and western Canada. Its holdings include much of the former Empire Theatres chain which it ...
theatre, are directly accessible from the station.


Station information


Station layout


Entrances

* 8th Street entrance: This is the east entrance of the station, located on 8th Street between Columbia Street and Carnarvon Street. Of the three entrances to the station, the 8th Street entrance has the higher pedestrian activity. Bicycle racks are available at this entrance. Temporary connections to the New Westminster community shuttles are provided at Bay 6 and 7 near this entrance. * McNeely Street entrance : This entrance served the original off-street bus loop and serves the current temporary on-street temporary transit exchange for conventional buses (bays 1 to 5) on Carnarvon Street. It is located at the west end of the station and is connected to the other two entrances at the concourse level. * Quayside Drive entrance : This entrance was opened in December 2011 as part of the Plaza 88 development. It offers a connection between the concourse level of the station and the Quayside overpass through the
Shops at New West Shops at New West is a shopping centre in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada. The complex is unique for its integration into New Westminster station, a SkyTrain station on Metro Vancouver's metropolitan rail system. The shopping centre ope ...
.


Transit connections

The bus loop at New Westminster station is located under the
Shops at New West Shops at New West is a shopping centre in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada. The complex is unique for its integration into New Westminster station, a SkyTrain station on Metro Vancouver's metropolitan rail system. The shopping centre ope ...
between Carnarvon Street and Columbia Street, west of 8th Street. Bus bay assignments of the exchange are as follows:


References

{{TransLink Services Expo Line (SkyTrain) stations Railway stations in Canada opened in 1985 Buildings and structures in New Westminster