SkyTrain (Vancouver)
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 2022, the system had a ridership of 116,569,000, or about 447,000 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2023.
| SkyTrain | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Owner | Province of British Columbia | ||
| Locale | Metro Vancouver, British Columbia | ||
| Transit type | Medium-capacity rapid transit system | ||
| Number of lines | 3 | ||
| Number of stations | 53 (6 under construction) (List of stations) | ||
| Daily ridership | 447,000 (weekdays, Q3 2023) | ||
| Annual ridership | 116,569,000 (2022) | ||
| Website | TransLink | ||
| Operation | |||
| Began operation | December 11, 1985 | ||
| Operator(s) | TransLink | ||
| Character | Elevated, underground, and at-grade | ||
| Number of vehicles | 298 | ||
| Train length | 2-, 4- or 6-car trainsets | ||
| Headway |
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| Technical | |||
| System length |
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| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge | ||
| Electrification | 650 V DC third rail linear induction (Expo and Millennium Lines) 750 V DC third rail conventional traction motors (Canada Line) | ||
| Average speed |
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| Top speed | 80 km/h (50 mph) | ||
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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 and Dubai Metro have since surpassed those of SkyTrain.
SkyTrain has 53 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.