25 Years of SkyTrain Service

Yesterday I came across a post on The Buzzer Blog (via Vancouver is Awesome) that featured photos of Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s ride on the SkyTrain during Expo 86. It was December 11th, 1985 that SkyTrain took its first run through the tunnels at Waterfront Station and throughout 2011, Translink will be celebrating SkyTrain’s 25th anniversary.

Photo credit: Translink, Buzzer Blog

At the time, service only ran from Waterfront Station to New Westminster station. Two years later, construction began on the SkyBridge, Columbia Station, and Scott Road Station in Surrey. My family would cross over the Pattullo from Surrey to New Westminster every week and we would look out the window to check in on the bridge’s progress each time we passed. It would then be seven more years until the SkyTrain line expanded further into Surrey, with Gateway, Surrey Central, and the King George terminus station opening up in 1994.

In 2009, it was fun to be on the maiden voyage of the new class of Sea Bus as well as on a preview trip of the Canada Line. Looking at proposed expansions and light rail options for Metro Vancouver in the foreseeable future, it will be interesting to see how the transit landscape changes in yet another 25 years.

The SkyBridge will celebrate its 22nd anniversary March 19th. Follow @Translink on Twitter for system updates and The Buzzer Blog for transit stories, information, and even the history of the SkyTrain chime.