This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
12/12/2025
TransLink is recognizing 40 years of SkyTrain service in Vancouver, British Columbia.
What started with 13 miles of track has now grown to four times its original size, TransLink officials noted yesterday in a press release.
“Celebrating 40 years of SkyTrain reminds us just how far this bold Expo 86 idea has come," said TransLink CEO Kevin Quinn. "As we mark this milestone, I’m excited for how the next phase of the system will keep Metro Vancouver at the forefront of modern, climate-focused transportation.”
In the early 1980s, Vancouver area officials were looking ahead to Expo 86 and searching for a way to show the world what kind of city it wanted to be. An automated rapid transit system with frequent trains, compact stations, steep grades and a small footprint that could weave through dense urban areas matched that ambition, TransLink officials said.
Ridership in early 1986 quickly exceeded expectations, jumping from 40,000 daily riders in the first week of paid service to 50,000 by the end of the month, with Saturdays hitting 70,000.
When the Expo officially opened on May 2, 1986, SkyTrain was the world’s first fully automated driverless rapid transit system. With the turn of the century came the most significant expansion in SkyTrain’s history yet. The Millennium Line opened in 2002 and marked a new chapter in Metro Vancouver’s growth strategy; in 2009, the Canada Line added another layer of connection.
In 2016, the Evergreen Extension connected the Millennium Line to Port Moody and Coquitlam. With this, SkyTrain became a truly regional system.
Today, SkyTrain is entering an era of renewal with major expansions in progress, including the Surrey Langley SkyTrain extension and the Broadway Subway. To read more about SkyTrain's history, click here.