Alternative travel plans needed for customers requiring use of station elevator

VANCOUVER, BC – TransLink is replacing the 40-year-old elevator at Stadium–Chinatown SkyTrain Station with a higher-capacity one. The new elevator will have 20 per cent more room — roughly equal to three standing adults or two extra manual wheelchairs.

Replacement work will start on October 21 and take approximately four months to complete. During this time, the Stadium–Chinatown Station elevator will be closed. Customers who require an elevator can use nearby stations connected by frequent bus service, including:

• 5 Robson/Downtown via Burrard Station

  • Beatty Street entrance

• 23 Pacific/English Bay via Main Street–Science World Station

  • Expo Boulevard entrance

Please allow for up to 20 minutes of extra travel time. Go to translink.ca/elevators for full detour directions.

This closure will also impact those with accessibility needs travelling to and from Rogers Arena or BC Place for games, concerts, and other events.

Elevator access to the Lost Property Office will be available via the Keefer Plaza elevator and station entrance.

Additional staff and signage will be in place at the station to direct customers. For real-time wayfinding or help planning routes in advance, customers can call Customer Information at 604.953.3333.

Customers can also receive live texts or email updates about elevator closures at specific stations by signing up for Transit Alerts. Updated details about elevator closures can be found in the Station Access section of the Transit Alerts webpage.

The Expo Line Elevator Replacement Program will improve SkyTrain station accessibility and reliability for customers by replacing 21 original elevators across 15 stations. Once complete, all the original Expo Line elevators will have been replaced with modern, more spacious ones. Work is currently underway at Nanaimo and 22nd Street stations, with Waterfront Station scheduled to start later this fall.

The new Expo Line elevators will feature:

• More room for customers with mobility devices, strollers, bikes, and luggage.
• Better reliability and reduced downtime for maintenance.
• Better resilience in warm weather.

TransLink thanks customers for their patience during this important infrastructure work and apologizes for any inconvenience caused while these upgrades are underway.

Media contact:
TransLink Media Relations
E: media@translink.ca