SkyTrain station | |||||||||||||||
Location | 32 8th Street, New Westminster | ||||||||||||||
Coordinates | 49°12′05″N 122°54′46″W / 49.201354°N 122.912716°WCoordinates: 49°12′05″N 122°54′46″W / 49.201354°N 122.912716°W | ||||||||||||||
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) | 17,324 | ||||||||||||||
Services | |||||||||||||||
|
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.
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 After the completion of Millennium Line, this function has been replaced by Braid and Lougheed Town Centre stations in the north.
In 2016, a major mixed-use development called Plaza 88 began construction. 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).