Broadway Subway, SkyTrain extension work reach major milestones

Key Takeaways:

• The Broadway Subway expansion will complete all trackwork this week, moving closer to its scheduled fall 2027 opening while work progresses on restoring surface traffic along West Broadway.
• The 16-kilometre Dave Barrett Extension reached 65% overall guideway completion as the specialized “Langley Launcher” gantry began installing precast concrete segments in Langley.
• Jointly funded by federal, provincial, and municipal governments, the two rapid transit projects are expected significantly reduce regional congestion and add high-capacity rail options across Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley.

The Whole Story:

B.C. public transit network has achieved key construction benchmarks on two mega-projects, with trackwork completion on the Broadway Subway extension in Vancouver and guideway assembly expanding into Langley on the Surrey Langley SkyTrain project.

In Vancouver, crews are completing all trackwork along the $3-billion, 5.7-kilometre Broadway Subway expansion, which extends the Millennium Line westward from VCC-Clark Station to Arbutus Street. The project includes five kilometres of tunneled track, 700 metres of elevated guideway, and six new underground stations. Simultaneously, crews are removing surface traffic decks along West Broadway to backfill underground stations and restore street-level traffic flow, with full vehicular access anticipated to reopen by January 2027 ahead of passenger service in fall 2027. Once operational, the extension will cut travel times along the corridor by nearly 30 minutes daily.

South of the Fraser River, civil construction on the 16-kilometre Dave Barrett Extension reached a landmark step as the 440-tonne “Langley Launcher” gantry crossed municipal lines from Surrey into Langley to construct elevated guideway sections over Willowbrook Drive. The extension, operating as a continuation of the Expo Line, is now roughly 65 percent complete on total guideway construction, with foundation piles and support columns over 95 percent finished across all eight planned station sites. A second massive gantry, the “Surrey Sprinter,” will deploy at Green Timbers Station in the coming weeks, keeping the extension on track for a 2029 opening date that will shorten travel times between Langley City Centre and King George Station to 22 minutes.

“The Broadway Subway Project is creating faster, more reliable transit to better connect people with services, work and school, and will help reduce congestion along one of the busiest corridors in the region,” said Mike Farnworth, B.C. Minister of Transportation and Transit. Turning to the Fraser Valley expansion, Farnworth added, “The Langley Launcher’s arrival in Langley, together with the upcoming deployment of the Surrey Sprinter, is an exciting sign of the substantial progress being made on the Dave Barrett Extension. With guideway construction steadily advancing, we’re maintaining strong momentum on this key transit project that will benefit people and communities south of the Fraser for years to come.”

Federal and regional representatives highlighted the long-term urban impacts of expanding rapid transit capacity across the province’s largest metropolitan area. Former Vancouver mayor and federal Minister of Housing and Infrastructure Gregor Robertson emphasized that the Broadway extension will strengthen the health-care, commercial, and transit corridor for generations, while federal Secretary of State Randeep Sarai noted the Dave Barrett Extension will unlock economic development, support 14 kilometres of new active transportation paths, and generate up to 26,700 direct and indirect jobs across the region.