The Expo Line
-Originally consisting of one station (Main Street/Science World), built to showcase what was then "new" Skytrain technology in 1983, it expanded for Expo 86, running from Waterfront Station to New Westminster. Later expansions reached as far as King George Station in Surrey (1994).
One of the biggest communities to arise out of the construction of the Expo Line is Metrotown. Originally opened in 1986, Metrotown Mall, along with its adjoining Skytrain station, became one of the key contributors to the growth of the area. With the high traffic coming from commuters and shoppers, it quickly grew in terms of businesses (two Metrotowers, along with surrounding office space) and residences (highrises surround the mall along the Kingsway corridor).The joining of Metropolis and Metrotown malls into "Metropolis at Metrotown" made it the largest shopping centre in BC and second largest in Canada. Today, Metrotown is known as the central business district, or the “downtown” of Burnaby.
The Millennium Line
-Originally proposed as an extension from the Expo Line in New Westminster to Lougheed Mall and Coquitlam, plans later called for a direct route from VCC-Clark to Lougheed Mall, later extending to Coquitlam (Evergreen Line). The line opened in 2002, with VCC-Clark added in 2006.
One of the most interesting communities to arise out of this is the area around Brentwood Town Centre. Brentwood Mall, along with its bus terminal, has long been a large transit hub in North Burnaby, with links to Downtown Vancouver and New Westminster, and originally the starting point of the 99 B-Line. With the opening of the Millennium Line, Brentwood Town Centre became an even more important connection point, linking Coquitlam, New Westminster and SFU to Downtown Vancouver and UBC.
As a result, there has been a large amount of residential high-rise construction around the station. Other stations that are experiencing residential development booms include the stops before and after Brentwood Town Centre, Gilmore and Holdom Stations. Many have seen this rapid expansion as something akin to "Metrotown North."The Evergreen Line
-Originally supposed to be part of the Millennium Line, but put on hold due to cost overruns, the Evergreen Line will link Lougheed Town Centre to Coquitlam Centre when it opens in 2011.
This new connection will no doubt spur growth around the Lougheed Town Centre area, as it will become a link to both New Westminster and Coquitlam. It will be interesting to see if it will become as successful as Metrotown in the near future.
The Canada Line
-This link between Downtown Vancouver, the airport and Richmond is a vital connection, especially with the Olympics coming in 2010. Although a link from the city’s core to the airport is indeed useful (in terms of for tourists and businessmen alike), it is unlikely that the majority of users will be using the line to go to the airport. One of the more pressing concerns for Translink (and probably their next project) is a rapid transit line along the Broadway corridor, from Commercial Drive to UBC, to ease current congestion.
However, links between Downtown and Richmond will undoubtedly spur the growth of certain communities, some of which include, Yaletown, Cambie Village,
Oakridge and Aberdeen (more to come later). It will be interesting to see how the opening of the Canada Line will change these communities, as it is already well documented how current construction has hurt businesses along Cambie Street. Will the current communities be able to survive the disruptive construction? Or will we be seeing completely new neighbourhoods emerge in the future?
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