VANCOUVER, BC: Mayor Kennedy Stewart and his Forward Together team announced their plan to accelerate the “Vancouver Loop” SkyTrain expansion.
The plan incorporates the Expo Line, the soon-to-be-completed Broadway Subway, the approved extension to UBC, and a new line in South Vancouver along the 41st and 49th Avenue corridor connecting Metrotown to UBC, serving Langara College and Oakridge Centre along the way.
“Completing the Vancouver Loop will help us meet our livability and climate emergency goals,” said Forward Together mayoral candidate Kennedy Stewart. “I fought hard at TransLink Mayors’ Council to extend the Broadway Subway to UBC and secured millions of dollars from partners to fund it. If re-elected, I will fight just as hard to build the Vancouver Loop extension and expand rapid transit in South Vancouver.”
The Vancouver Loop would connect 18 neighbourhoods across the city: Grandview Woodland, Mount Pleasant, Fairview, Kitsilano, Point Grey, UBC, Dunbar, Arbutus Ridge, Shaughnessy, Kerrisdale, South Cambie, Oakridge, Riley Park, Sunset, Kensington Cedar-Cottage, Victoria-Fairview, Renfrew-Collingwood, and Killarney.
“We are in a climate emergency, which is why expanding rapid transit is so important. It will get people out of cars, alleviate congestion, lower emissions, improve our health, save time and money, and accelerate our push to become a 15-minute city,” said Forward Together council candidate Tesicca Truong. “Investing in rapid transit, especially in South Vancouver, will improve residents’ access to services, education and employment. I’m proud to be part of the team that will deliver this vision.”
The Broadway Subway between VCC-Clark and Arbutus is on schedule to open in 2025. The extension to UBC has been approved with stations confirmed and planning underway. A new UBC to Metrotown grade-separated line along the 41st and 49th Avenue corridor is in planning as part of TransLink’s recently approved Transport 2050 strategy.