The Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure of British Columbia, Rob Fleming, and the CEO TransLink, Kevin Quinn, launched the tunnel excavation of Vancouver Broadway Subway project, extending the Millennium Line with 5.7 km and 6 underground stations.
The twin bores of the metro line are excavated sing two tunnel boring machines (TBM), each six metres in diameter. The TMBs will be launched separately from the Great Northern Way-Emily Carr station and tunnel 5 km to reach their destination at Cypress Street, near the future Arbutus station. TBM Elsie is about to start tunnelling, while TBM Phyllis is being assembled and is expected to begin operating this winter.
“This is an exciting milestone for a critical infrastructure project that will transform the way people travel and live in and around the Broadway corridor.The Broadway Subway will provide affordable and efficient transit connections throughout the Lower Mainland, and it’s also going to create new opportunities for affordable housing, community amenities and commercial services along the route,” Rob Fleming said.
In preparation for the TBMs, tunnel liner rings, manufactured in Nanaimo, were transported to the construction site as crews built the concrete base slab and assembled the conveyor system to transport the excavated material out of the tunnel. At the same time, work is progressing on the elevated guideway and station locations along the line, including relocating utilities, building traffic decks and excavation.
Once tunnel boring finishes, crews will complete construction of the underground stations, and install the train tracks and supporting systems. The final steps include testing and commissioning the new line.
“The Broadway Subway project will provide fast, affordable and sustainable transit service for people, and will mean fewer cars on the road, supporting our commitment to reducing climate pollution and building a cleaner economy for everyone. It also opens up huge potential for transit-oriented development of new and much-needed affordable rentals and housing,” George Heyman, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy said.
Vancouver Broadway Subway will extend the Millennium Line from VCC-Clark station to Broadway and Arbutus, providing people with fast, convenient SkyTrain service along the Broadway corridor, B.C.’s second largest jobs centre, health-care services, an emerging innovation and research hub, and growing residential communities.
The project will result in faster travel, better access and fewer cars on the road in this heavily used corridor. Once open, the trip from VCC-Clark to Arbutus station will take 11 minutes, saving the average transit commuter almost 30 minutes a day and relieving congestion along Broadway.
“This major milestone brings us one step closer to opening a vital zero-emission rapid transit connection that will move approximately 150,000 people per day, reduce congestion and lower greenhouse gas emissions,” the CEO of TransLink said.
In 2020, the Acciona-Ghella joint venture was selected to carry out the construction works while Thales will install the CBTC technology on the line.
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