New Westminster station

New Westminster
SkyTrain station
Location	32 8th Street, New Westminster
Coordinates	49°12′05″N 122°54′46″W / 49.201354°N 122.912716°W / 49.201354; -122.912716Coordinates: 49°12′05″N 122°54′46″W / 49.201354°N 122.912716°W / 49.201354; -122.912716
Owned by	BC Transit, TransLink
Platforms	Side platforms
Tracks	2
Construction
Structure type	Elevated
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Station code	NW
Fare zone	2
History
Opened	December 11, 1985
Rebuilt	2015–16
Traffic
Passengers (2011[1])	17,324
Services
Preceding station   TransLink   Following station 22nd Street toward Waterfront Expo Line Surrey Columbia toward King George Expo Line Lougheed Columbia toward Production Way–University

New Westminster station is located on an at-grade portion of the SkyTrain rapid transit system serving Metro Vancouver, situated at the intersection of Columbia Street and 8th Street in New Westminster, BC. The station opened in 1985 as part of the original Expo Line and was the original eastern terminus of the Skytrain system prior to the completion of Columbia Station in 1989.

History

The station was completed and opened in December 1985, providing a transportation link to Expo 86 being held in the City of Vancouver, and also serving development and shopping districts along the New Westminster Quay. New Westminster still serves as a temporary terminus for the Expo Line towards closing hours of revenue service. During the station's period as terminus station, a temporary platform had been built over the westbound guideway with trains thus arriving and departing on the eastbound track.

At its inception, New Westminster served as the major transfer point for bus services toward Port Moody, Coquitlam, and Port Coquitlam. After the completion of Millennium Line, this function has been replaced by Braid and Lougheed Town Centre stations in the north.

For a long time, the adjacent city blocks included run down buildings and empty lots, and drug dealers and prostitutes hung around the stairs up to the station. However, a major mixed-use development called Plaza 88 is now under construction.^[2] The development includes at least 4 high rises, the first three of which are 33, 35 and 37 stories. The 37 floor tower will be the tallest in the city.

Between May 2015 and November 2016, the station received $12 million in upgrades which included integrating the station into the neighbouring shopping complex that was built as part of 'Plaza 88 Project' as well as broader plans to upgrade SkyTrain's Expo Line as put forth by TransLink and the British Columbia Rapid Transit Company (BCRTC).^[3][4]

Services

• New Westminster connects to local bus and shuttle services to Quayside and Uptown areas, as well as regional bus connections to Burnaby.
• The station is the terminus for some late-night trips of Millennium trains from VCC–Clark and Expo trains from King George.
• The station houses the "New Westminster Smoke Shoppe", a small convenience store that opened with the opening of SkyTrain's formal revenue service in 1986.
• New Westminster Quay and River Market is one block south of the station. A pedestrian overpass across the railway track connects the station area with the quay.
• A shopping centre along with a 10-screens Landmark Cinemas theatre from the Plaza 88 mall connects directly with the station.^[5]

Station information

Station layout

Entrances

• 8th Street Entrance is the east entrance of the station, located on 8th Street between Columbia Street and Carnarvon Street. Of the two entrances to the station, the 8th Street entrance has the higher pedestrian activity.^[6] Bicycle racks are available at this entrance. Temporary connections to the New Westminster community shuttles are provided at Bay 6 and 7 near this entrance.
• McNeely Street Entrance served the original off-street bus loop and the current temporary on-street temporary transit exchange for conventional buses (bay 1 to 5) on Carnarvon Street. It is located on the west end of the station and connected to the 8th Avenue entrance at concourse level.
• Quayside Drive Entrance was opened in December 2011 as part of the Plaza 88 development. This entrance offers a connection between the concourse level of the station and the Quayside overpass through Plaza 88 mall.

Transit connections

The bus loop for New Westminster station is located under Plaza 88 between Carnarvon Street and Columbia Street, west of 8th Street. Bus bay assignments of the exchange are as follows:^[7]

References