New poll shows strong region-wide support for SkyTrain extension to UBC

“A recent independent poll commissioned by the University of British Columbia shows broad regional support for extending SkyTrain to the university’s Vancouver campus, with respondents citing the project’s potential to increase housing supply and contribute to long-term economic growth across the region. The poll shows overall support for the extension of SkyTrain to UBC is high across Metro Vancouver, with more than three-quarters (76 per cent) of respondents saying they strongly or somewhat support the project, and just 11 per cent saying they oppose it. AT CTV NEWS… SkyTrain to UBC: New poll shows widespread support While the majority of the proposed seven-kilometre extension of the Millennium Line SkyTrain is in the City of Vancouver (where overall support is measured at 76 per cent), some of the highest levels of support are found in other municipalities: Burnaby/Richmond/New Westminster – 80 per cent strongly or somewhat support North Shore – 74 per cent strongly or somewhat support Surrey – 69 per cent strongly or somewhat support “UBC is a major employer, and a leading teaching, research and innovation hub with community connections that extend far beyond the Point Grey peninsula and the City of Vancouver,” said UBC President and Vice-Chancellor, Benoit-Antoine Bacon. “It’s not surprising to see this type of support across the region.” When asked about the potential benefits of extending SkyTrain to UBC, at least four out of five respondents say the following benefits are important to them: reducing road congestion in Metro Vancouver (84 per cent) creating thousands of high-paying, family supporting jobs for British Columbians on a major, long-term construction project (84 per cent) increasing the availability of affordable housing in Metro Vancouver through transit-oriented development (81 per cent) saving commuting time from across the region for UBC’s 60,000 students, 15,000 employees and others who work on and visit campus (81 per cent) Almost three out of four respondents (74 per cent) said investing in Canadian public infrastructure projects is a good way to grow the Metro Vancouver economy and make it more resilient, and more than three-quarters (78 per cent) said despite challenging economic circumstances and competing demands for limited provincial funding, the BC government should continue investing in major transit infrastructure projects in Metro Vancouver. Over seven in 10 (72 per cent) agree that connecting major research and innovations hubs across Metro Vancouver is an important project benefit. “People across Metro Vancouver clearly see that the SkyTrain extension will not only solve significant congestion issues but also generate good, high-paying jobs, boost the regional economy and make it more resilient, and create opportunities to deliver much-needed housing, including affordable housing,” said Michael White, associate vice-president of Campus and Community Planning at UBC. The extension of SkyTrain to UBC is expected to enable the development of significant new and diverse housing options, including affordable housing opportunities, along the route in the City of Vancouver, at the Jericho Lands, through the University Endowment Lands and on the UBC campus, integrated with the region’s rapid transit system. UBC alone plans to double its campus residential population to over 53,000 neighbourhood and student residents by 2050. The new rapid transit line will also fully connect Metro Vancouver’s economic, education, employment, research, innovation and health centres, helping to grow the regional economy and expand the reach of UBC’s research and innovation impact, particularly in the life sciences and bio-innovation sector. The online poll of 1,931 adult residents from across Metro Vancouver was conducted from March 28 to April 5, 2025 by Research Co. Support is high even among respondents who say they have no connection to the university whatsoever (about 40 per cent of respondents) with nearly two-thirds (65 per cent) strongly or somewhat support extending SkyTrain to campus. UBC has committed to working with partners to enable the extension of SkyTrain to the Vancouver campus as a continuation of the Broadway Subway Project. UBC is an active participant in the current planning work being led by the provincial government. Past technical work, as well as ongoing system modelling by TransLink, demonstrates the high demand for transit service to UBC via the Broadway Corridor today and well into the future. The Broadway Subway Project, currently under construction and scheduled to be completed in late 2027, will terminate at Arbutus Street. On opening day of the Broadway Subway, almost 4,000 people are expected to get off at the Arbutus station during the morning peak. With buses running every two minutes, the shortened 99 B-Line between Arbutus and UBC will have a practical capacity of 2,250 people per hour—leaving a significant number of riders waiting for space on an overcrowded bus to go the rest of the way to UBC. Once complete, the central UBC SkyTrain station is projected to be busier than any current SkyTrain station is today, with about 10,000 people an hour arriving during the morning rush by 2045. This is more than double today’s peak-hour arrivals at the network’s busiest stations. The poll is considered accurate to within +/- 2.3 per cent 19 times out of 20. A link to the poll details is available here .

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