Skytrain (Translink), Vancouver

Introduction
SkyTrain is the world's longest automated light rapid transit system. The SkyTrain moves Vancouverites quickly and safely along 49 kilometres of rails and through 32 stations.

SkyTrain has two lines. The Expo line opened in the 80's for the Expo that was held in Vancouver. The line stretches from Downtown Vancouver all the way to Surrey. The more recent line, that opened two years ago, called the Millenium line, makes a circle around the city starting in the Downtown area, passing via Lougheed back to Commercial Drive.

SkyTrain is not only fast but it is environment friendly. It runs on electricity and is therefore energy efficient. Since the trains travel on elevated guideways they miss all the traffic and the rush hour. The SkyTrain arrives every 2 to 8 minutes.

Bikes / Wheelchairs / Baby strollers
An added perk of the SkyTrain is that during off-peak hours you are able to take your bike on board (into the end cars only and only one bike per car). SkyTrain is also accessible for people in wheelchairs and baby strollers. All stations except Granville have elevators. An elevator is being currently built at the Granville station but the project won't be completed until 2006.

Connections
All SkyTrain stations have bus loops that allow you to connect to the extensive network of buses and at the Watefront station you can connect to the West Coast Express and the SeaBus.

Purchasing a ticket
At all SkyTrain Stations you'll find ticket vending machines. They take Canadian coins, $5, $10 and $20 bills as well as credit and debit cards.
The tickets are valid also for TransLink buses and the SeaBus.

Vancouver skytrain will limited in area is an efficient form of transportation to around Vancouver, ecspecially from the suburbs. The tickets were kind of pricey at eight dallors for a day pass, but much cheaper and more enviromentally friendly than driving.

Skytrain is Vancouver's rapid transit system. While some of its tracks are underground, the majority is elevated. This gives you a nice view of the city and its suburbs while riding the train.

Skytrain has two lines: Expo and Millennium. Their routes overlap for some distance. With a little planning, you can completely cover both routes in two hours.

What struck me about the Skytrain is that it is fully automated! That is, there are no engineers or drivers on board! The usual seat of the driver is available to the public on a first come-first served basis (see picture).

SkyTrain's Expo Line trains operate from Waterfront to King George Station. The line runs along a scenic 28 kilometer track from Vancouver to Burnaby, New Westminster, and Surrey in just 39 minutes. There are currently 20 stations along this route. Four downtown stations are underground and marked at street level. The other 16 are elevated and visible from the street.

The ticket vending machines that have been installed at SkyTrain stations accept payment from Canadian $5, $10 and $20 bills and coins.

Slowly but surely, Vancouver is expanding its rapid transit network. Right now, there are two Skytrain (metro) lines:
- "E"xpo: This is the original line which first openned for the World's Fair in 1986. It runs from Waterfront Station (Downtown near the Canada Place cruise ship terminal) through the cities of Burnaby and New Westminster to King George Station at King George and Fraser highways in Surrey (a suburb south of the Fraser River about 30 km SE of Vancouver).
- "M"illenium: Finally openned in late-2002 (2 years late and slightly truncated) This line begins at Waterfront and follows the Expo line to Columbia Station in New Westminster. There it swings north to Lougheed Town Centre (on the boundary between Burnaby and Coquitlam) and travels back west paralleling the Lougheed Highway and East Broadway to Commercial Station (which is directly below Broadway Station on the Expo line).
Commercial/Broadway is the main interchange station. Numerous buses connect with the Skytrain and fares are transferable (a bus transfer gets you on the Skytrain and vice versa). Tickets are valid for 90 minutes of unlimited transit rides. "Zone" fares apply weekdays from first run to 6:30 p.m.
Discussions about building a line from Downtown to the Airport and Richmond are ongoing. Another extension north to Prot Moody and Coquitlam is planned, but is likely many years away.

Vancouver's rapid transit system was first constructed for 1986, when we hosted a World Exposition -- cleverly called, "Expo 86."

Hey, our city is beautiful, we don't NEED to be original.

Anyway, we now have forever, the largely above-ground concrete monstrosity known as SkyTrain. It's convenient -- trains run every four minutes or so -- but they should have built a subway instead of marring our gorgeous landscape above ground.

All our buses congregate around the SkyTrain stops, and several huge malls (not to mention the new hockey arena) were built for easy SkyTrain access. The train goes from downtown to Burnaby, New Westminster, Surrey and, eventually, to Coquitlam and Richmond. Bus connections get you everywhere else.

Prices can be confusing for newcomers. The service area for buses, SkyTrain and the SeaBus (I'll explain THAT in another tip) is rather large -- geographically the largest transit service area in Canada -- and so it's divided up into several zones.

If you travel within one zone, you pay $2.00 for adult fare. For each additional zone you travel into or through, add $1. Don't worry, the max is $4. This fare is good for all travel on bus, SkyTrain or SeaBus for about 90 minutes -- including round trip if you're fast enough.

Schedules and maps are available at libraries and online. Watch out, the last train leaves at 1 am -- Translink is a public transportation company, but not socially conscious -- they'd rather you drove home drunk than let you train home after the bar.

Although Vancouver doesn't have an underground subway system, it does have an above ground metro system called the Skytrain. The skytrain runs from the waterfront, all the way to the suburb of Surrey. There is also a new line that will take you into Burnaby. Tickets are cheap, and it's relatively fast.

Vancouvers transit system is somewhat in the dark ages compared to other metropolitan cities.This continues to be a major issue come election time and is discussed or argued always among the local politicians.We have what we call a skytrain system, connecting surrey to north vancouver, it is an elevated train so to speak.All communities along the way, have a skytrain station, and connecting buses all the way along.Many people do rely on transit to get around, but with the nuisance of it, so many people continue to use their own transportation.Myself included.A day pass for all transit(buses/skytrain/seabus) is $8 for an adult,a nd just a 2.5hr 3 zone pass is $2, depending on what time of day.

Sky Train SkyTrain runs along a scenic 28 kilometer track from Vancouver to Burnaby, New Westminster, and Surrey in just 39 minutes. There are currently 20 stations along the route. Four downtown stations are underground and marked at street level. The other 16 are elevated and visible from the street. SkyTrain links with a network of buses at many stations and with SeaBus at Waterfront Station in downtown Vancouver. Daily service is provided every three to five minutes.

The Skytrain,thje expo line, the millenium line and two other new ones, that includes a link from airport to city ?? and when ??
===car, boat ,plus plus