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New Westminster’s Columbia SkyTrain station wasn’t built to be a major transfer hub when it opened in 1989.
But when the Millennium Line launched in 2002, the small underground station became a busy transfer point for commuters travelling between several Metro Vancouver cities.
At Columbia station, the Expo Line track splits into two: one goes further into New Westminster, while the other goes over the Fraser River into Surrey.
Thirty-seven years after its opening, transit advocates and municipal leaders are calling for upgrades to the station, or even a replacement.
They say the stop is riddled with accessibility and operational issues due to its small size, aging infrastructure and a layout that relies on stairs. And they worry those issues will only grow as a SkyTrain expansion promises more traffic in the near future.
WATCH | Columbia needs upgrades, but making them happen is challenging:
TransLink told CBC News a feasibility study is underway, but it said the limitations of the station’s location and its initial design make the undertaking complex.
“It will be the most technically challenging station upgrade project that we’ve ever taken on,” said TransLink spokesperson Dan Mountain. “We’re looking to see what’s possible and we’re moving forward with upgrades as quickly as possible.”
Unreliable lift, limited space
Columbia is an underground station nestled on a slope. Its layout has two platforms on opposite sides of the tracks, and the transfer process between platforms can involve going up and down steep flights of stairs.
People with wheelchairs rely on one lift system — accessed through the main entrance from Columbia Street — to be able to reach the station.
But it often breaks down, according to New Westminster Mayor Patrick Johnstone, leaving people with mobility needs without any way in.
The only lift that allows people with mobility issues to access the Columbia SkyTrain station is shown out of service on Wednesday, May 6. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
Once in the mezzanine, there is only one elevator to get down to each platform and on the platforms themselves, there is limited space to move about.
All of this can pose significant challenges for people with disabilities and people with strollers or large luggage, said Denis Agar, executive director of transit advocacy group Movement YVR.
According to Mountain, the location is also integrated with parcels of land that TransLink doesn’t own. He said TransLink hopes to complete the feasibility study this year, but said he couldn’t specify a timeline due to the complexity of the assessments.
Johnstone said the city has been advocating for upgrades for years.
“New Westminster is the most transit-dependent city in the Lower Mainland and [the state of Columbia station] really impacts the entire region,” he said.
A sign at the Columbia SkyTrain station directs people to the only entrance where an elevator is available. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
Mountain said the feasibility study is looking at widening platforms to allow for more passengers and operational improvements to make transferring between platforms easier. Asked about the lift, he said they will consult with the City of New Westminster and the accessibility community on upgrades but didn’t provide specifics.
TransLink launched an elevator replacement program in July 2025 to replace all original elevators in the Expo Line, but it doesn’t include adding any additional ones.
In 2021, TransLink purchased the Boucher Centre, the commercial building adjacent to the station, and it has tapped architectural firm Perkins&Will to design an upgraded site.
But there’s been no material changes to the site yet, with Mountain saying the COVID-19 pandemic put a number of transit projects on hold.
More passenger traffic expected
Transit advocates warn upgrades need to happen soon, before the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain extension, set to be ready by late 2029, brings even more traffic into the transfer hub.
The Surrey-Langley SkyTrain extension, seen under construction here in December 2025, is expected to be completed by late 2029. (Ethan Cairns/CBC)
“The extension to Langley and potentially the addition of an SFU gondola are gonna dump people into the station,” said Agar, referring to a proposal to connect Simon Fraser University to a SkyTrain station.
Johnstone agreed the need to upgrade Columbia station is great. He said pulling off the retrofit will come down to higher levels of government investing in the budget.
“It’s going to require us to have that long-promised permanent transit funding from the federal government and to secure funding from the provincial government,” he said.