TransLink to Overhaul Fleet with Bombardier Contract

Vancouver, Canada’s TransLink awarded a contract to Bombardier Transportation for 205 new SkyTrain cars for the agency’s Expo and Millennium Lines.

The new SkyTrain cars will allow TransLink to retire older vehicles, improve fleet quality, and maintain reliable service for customers. The contract will also support service expansion as the region’s transit network grows with the Broadway Subway Project and Surrey Langley SkyTrain. The first new SkyTrain car is expected to arrive in 2023, with all new vehicles in service by the end of 2027.

The highlights of the $722.6 million order are as follows:

• 125 new SkyTrain cars to replace first-generation MKI vehicles which entered service in 1985, and to support the Broadway Subway Project;
• 80 SkyTrain cars to improve capacity on the Expo and Millennium Lines; and
• An option for additional cars to support Surrey Langley SkyTrain.

The selection of Bombardier follows the completion of a competitive and transparent procurement process. The project was an open market RFP issued in July 2019 allowing any organization that met the requirements to submit a proposal. The full report to the TransLink Board can be found here.

The purchase of these SkyTrain cars is part of the Expo Millennium Line Upgrade Program. The program is funded with an investment of $1.47 billion through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program with contributions from the Government of Canada, Government of B.C., and TransLink.