Production Way–University station

Production Way–University is an elevated station on the Expo and Millennium Lines of Metro Vancouver's SkyTrain rapid transit system. The station is located at the intersection of Lougheed Highway and Production Way in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. Initially a Millennium Line station, a reorganization of SkyTrain service patterns in 2016 made Production Way–University a terminus for a branch of the Expo Line.

Production Way–University
SkyTrain station
Platform level at Production Way–University
Location3298 Production Way, Burnaby
Coordinates49.25337°N 122.91815°W / 49.25337; -122.91815
Owned byTransLink
PlatformsCentre platform
Tracks2
Construction
Structure typeElevated
Parking220
Disabled accessYes
ArchitectHotson Bakker Architects
Other information
Station codePW
Fare zone2
History
OpenedAugust 31, 2002
Passengers
2019[1]1,861,000  1.8%
Rank30 of 53
Services
Preceding station   TransLink   Following station
toward Waterfront via Columbia
Expo Line
Lougheed
Terminus
toward VCC–Clark
Millennium Line
Production Way entrance
Bus exchange entrance

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.[2]

In 2016, SkyTrain service was reconfigured in anticipation of the opening of the Evergreen Extension; 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 stations – later extended to Lafarge Lake–Douglas station when service began on the Evergreen Extension – instead of the previous service between VCC–Clark and Waterfront stations.[3]

Services

Production Way–University station is a major transfer point for Simon Fraser University, 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 space has a Circle K convenience store, a Subway restaurant, a pizza restaurant, and a coffee shop. The station also has a 220-space park and ride.

Proposed gondola

The SFU Community Trust has proposed extending the TransLink system from this station through the installation of a tri-cable gondola lift 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 Peak 2 Peak Gondola. 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,[4] 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.[5] 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.[6]

Station information

Station layout
T Platform 1
Inbound		 ← ■ Expo Line termination track
← ■ Millennium Line towards VCC–Clark (Lake City Way)
Island platform; doors will open on the left
Platform 2
Outbound		 ■ Millennium Line towards Lafarge Lake–Douglas (Lougheed Town Centre) and ■ Expo Line towards Waterfront (Lougheed Town Centre) →
C Concourse Compass vending machines and fare gates
S Street level Entrance/Exit

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.[7]

Transit connections
See also: List of bus routes in Metro Vancouver

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

Bay Route number Destination
1 145 SFU
Loading only
2 110 Metrotown Station
136 Lougheed Station
N9 Coquitlam Station
NightBus
3 110 Lougheed Station
136 Brentwood Station
4 145 Production Way Station
Unloading only
N9 Downtown
NightBus

References
  1. "2019 Transit Service Performance Review – SkyTrain Stations Ranked by Annual Boardings" (PDF). translink.ca. TransLink. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  2. Taggart, Jim (July 1, 2001). "Vancouver's Millennium Line". Canadian Architect. Archived from the original on April 14, 2019. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
  3. Coling, Adrienne (September 19, 2016). "Everything Evergreen: New SkyTrain operating pattern for Expo and Millennium Lines". The Buzzer Blog. TransLink. Archived from the original on October 5, 2016. Retrieved November 12, 2017.
  4. "Gondola aired". Simon Fraser University. 2009-02-19. Retrieved 2009-08-20.
  5. "Burnaby Mtn. gondola shelved by TransLink". CBC News. January 11, 2012. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  6. Chan, Kenneth (December 31, 2018). "Planned SFU gondola needs funding, says TransLink CEO". Daily Hive. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  7. TransLink. Production Way–University Station Entrance Locations (PDF) (Map). Retrieved March 31, 2019.
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