Real-time info, new displays and upgraded sound at 33 stations

NEW WESTMINSTER, BC — TransLink is launching a program that will replace existing information displays, improve sound on platforms and further enhance safety measures at 33 SkyTrain stations along the Expo and Millennium Lines.

Over the next 18 months, TransLink will replace the existing 1980s-era information displays and audio systems with modern equipment that gives customers the ability to see when the next train is arriving and clearly hear in-station announcements. The program will also install new cameras to provide more visibility to guideways and improve TransLink’s ability to quickly check into the cause of alarms triggered on guideways.

“This is a part of our plan to improve the customer experience,” said TransLink’s CEO Kevin Desmond. “We’ve been listening to our customers and we know they rely on us to receive accurate and timely information.” Improvements will roll out station-by-station on beginning with Edmonds and Lougheed.

Real-time digital signage

• 140 new ‘next train’ signs on platforms replacing the existing signs
• 140 new information signs outside SkyTrain station entrances and on platforms

Better sound in stations and on trains

• 1,000 new speakers along the Millennium Line
• 320 speakers in stations and at designated entrances
• Enhancing the Expo Line speakers

Better visibility on platforms and guideways

• 1,200 CCTV platform cameras improving safety and security
• 265 guideway cameras reducing delays when intrusion alarms are triggered

These Customer Communication upgrades are being funded through the Public Transit Infrastructure Fund (PTIF). PTIF is funded by the Government of Canada at 50 per cent, Province of British Columbia at 33 per cent and TransLink at 17 per cent.

Construction impacts will vary depending on the station. We thank customers and our neighbours for their patience while we make these improvements.

Quotes:

Honourable Francois-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, Government of Canada –

“The Government of Canada is proud to support these important improvements to stations along the Expo and Millennium Lines. Investing in the modernization of existing transit facilities is essential to keeping up with the changing needs of users while ensuring the long-term functionality of our existing infrastructure. These upgrades will not only introduce modern technology into these stations, but will help increase passenger safety so that transit users can safely navigate the SkyTrain network for years to come.”

Bowinn Ma, Parliamentary Secretary for TransLink and MLA for North Vancouver - Lonsdale –

“Providing riders with the information they need to appropriately plan their trips helps to increase the reliability of TransLink’s public transit network. With millions of passengers riding these routes every year, the B.C. government remains enthusiastically committed to making the significant investments necessary to support transit and transportation improvements throughout the region.”

Informational video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rck3mRve4Pk

Media contact:

TransLink Media Relations

C: (778) 375-7788

E: media@translink.ca