Production Way–University is an elevated station on the Expo and

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 ...

s of

Metro Vancouver The Metro Vancouver Regional District (MVRD), or simply Metro Vancouver, is a Canadian political subdivision and Corporation, corporate entity representing the metropolitan area of Greater Vancouver, designated by provincial legislation as o ...

's SkyTrain

rapid transit Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT) or heavy rail, commonly referred to as metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport that is generally built in urban areas. A grade separation, grade separated rapid transit line below ground su ...

system. The station is located at the intersection of Lougheed Highway and Production Way in

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 In ...

, British Columbia, Canada. Initially a

station, a reorganization of SkyTrain service patterns in 2016 made Production Way–University a terminus for a branch of the Expo Line.

History

Production Way–University station was opened in 2002 as part of the original Millennium Line project. The station was designed by the architecture firm Hotson Bakker Architects. In 2016, SkyTrain service was reconfigured in anticipation of the opening of the

Evergreen Extension The Evergreen Extension (previously known as the Evergreen Line) is a extension of the Millennium Line of Metro Vancouver's SkyTrain rapid transit system. The extension runs from Lougheed Town Centre in Burnaby to Lafarge Lake–Douglas in ...

; as a result, Production Way–University station became a terminus station of an Expo Line branch running between this station and Waterfront station in Downtown Vancouver. At the same time, the Millennium Line service was altered with trains running between VCC–Clark and Lougheed Town Centre stationslater extended to Lafarge Lake–Douglas station when service began on the Evergreen Extensioninstead of the previous service between VCC–Clark and Waterfront stations.

Services

Production Way–University station is a major transfer point for

Simon Fraser University Simon Fraser University (SFU) is a Public university, public research university in British Columbia, Canada. It maintains three campuses in Greater Vancouver, respectively located in Burnaby (main campus), Surrey, British Columbia, Surrey, and ...

, as well as providing connections to local suburban buses. It is the terminus of the 145 bus route running to SFU, which carries just over half of all bus traffic to the university. The station's commercial spaces include a convenience store and several restaurants. The station also has a 220-space parking lot.

Proposed gondola

The SFU Community Trust has proposed extending the TransLink system from this station through the installation of a tri-cable

gondola lift A gondola lift is a means of cable transport and type of aerial lift which is supported and propelled by cables from above. It consists of a loop of steel wire rope that is strung between two stations, sometimes over intermediate suppo ...

that would travel up Burnaby Mountain to the SFU Transit Exchange. The proposed lift would use a 30-passenger Doppelmayr Garaventa 3S Gondola, the same model as the

Whistler Blackcomb Whistler Blackcomb is a ski resort located in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada. By many measures, it is the largest ski resort in North America and has the greatest uphill lift capacity. It features the Peak 2 Peak Gondola for moving between ...

Peak 2 Peak Gondola The Peak 2 Peak Gondola is a tricable gondola lift at Whistler Blackcomb Resort in Whistler, British Columbia, linking Whistler Mountain's Roundhouse Lodge with Blackcomb Mountain's Rendezvous Lodge. It is the first lift to join the two side-by-s ...

. The Trust has proposed the gondola because it felt the system is not weather-dependent like buses, cheaper to maintain, and more environmentally friendly. The provincial government commissioned a feasibility study for the proposal, but in 2012, a business case concluded that building and operating a gondola would cost $12 million more compared to continuing to serve the SFU campus by bus. Therefore, the construction of a gondola was shelved. In December 2018, Kevin Desmond, TransLink's CEO, indicated that while a gondola to SFU had been added to the second phase of the TransLink 10-Year Investment Plan in 2018, its construction hinged on funding from senior levels of government.

Station information

As there is no crossover at the station itself, terminating Expo Line trains proceed to a crossover located west of the station to reverse.

Entrances

The main point of entry to Production Way–University station is located on the western side of the stationhouse at the northeast corner of Production Way and Lougheed Highway. A secondary entrance is located adjacent to the stations bus exchange.

Transit connections

Bays 1 to 3 are located inside the loop while bay 4 is located on Lougheed Highway, westbound.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Production Way-University Station Expo Line (SkyTrain) stations Millennium Line stations SkyTrain stations in Burnaby Railway stations in Canada opened in 2002 Simon Fraser University 2002 establishments in British Columbia Railway stations in Canada at university and college campuses