Burnaby Mountain Gondola

Red Whistler Peak-to-Peak Gondola

In 2010 and 2011, TransLink looked at the feasibility of building a gondola to connect SkyTrain (Production Way – University Station) with Burnaby Mountain, including the main campus of Simon Fraser University. This process concluded that the concept has considerable merit and, as a result, it will be a candidate for inclusion in one of TransLink's future strategic transportation plans.

A Business Case analysis conducted by CH2M Hill, one of Canada's leading engineering consultants, found that the gondola would generate substantial benefits to commuters and the region, estimated at 3.6 times its cost in dollar terms, but the cost to TransLink of building and operating it would be $12 million greater than continuing to serve the SFU campus by bus over the next 25 years.

 

Future of the Burnaby Mountain Gondola

TransLink's 2012 Transportation Supplemental Plan (Moving Forward) already has a full list of priorities, including the Evergreen SkyTrain Line. However, because its business case is strong, the gondola is a good candidate to be considered for future expansion plans. This will allow time to:

  • Close the financial gap.
  • Fund the reallocation of Burnaby Mountain buses to improve services in other parts of the region.
  • Carry out an appropriate regional discussion about the project.

If the gondola project is included in a funded plan, TransLink will return to the community to explore ways to address the issues that arose in early consultations.

 

The latest project information can be found in the Burnaby Mountain Gondola Document Library.