British ColumbiaThe SkyTrain opened its doors to passengers 40 years ago today.Built for Expo 86, the Metro Vancouver transit system has been expanded several times in the last 40 yearsCBC News · Posted: Dec 11, 2025 9:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 2 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.Former B.C. premier Bill Bennett looks on as the first SkyTrain arrives at downtown Vancouver’s Waterfront Station on Dec. 11, 1985. (CBC News)The SkyTrain opened its doors to passengers 40 years ago today.CBC News cameras were there on Dec. 11, 1985, when Premier Bill Bennett unveiled the new transit system ahead of the Expo 86 world fair in Vancouver.“The world will come to see the future, and they can see that future at Expo, but they will see the future of transportation through the SkyTrain,” said Bennett at a ceremony on the day of the opening. WATCH | SkyTrain’s opening day in 1985:Holding a large walkie-talkie, Bennett officially called in the first train to Waterfront Station. Four Mark 1 SkyTrain cars — with their distinctive white, red and blue design – broke through a series of banners and arrived at the station. It remains the world’s oldest driverless rapid transit system.The first day of the SkyTrain came on the 10th anniversary of Bennett’s 1975 provincial election win.Despite the fanfare, not everything ran smoothly that day. Some escalators didn’t work and a train sat at Stadium–Chinatown Station for 15 minutes after its doors jammed. An attendant had to unlock the doors manually and passengers had to get off and wait for another train.However, the technical glitches didn’t seem to dampen Bennett’s enthusiasm about the SkyTrain, which had an estimated price tag north of $800 million.“Today is just the first of a lot of exciting things that are part of a total package that means exciting things that will continue to happen,” he said.WATCH | UBC students call for SkyTrain extension to campus:New push for Skytrain extension to UBC campusIt’s a thing a lot of UBC students want, for obvious reasons; a Skytrain line straight to campus. But as CBC’s Justin McElroy reports the wish might remain only a dream for students and faculty alike. The SkyTrain has become part of life in Metro Vancouver — there were more than 400 million boardings last year, according to TransLink — and its three-note chime that tells passengers of closing doors is familiar to countless residents. A 1985 report by The Canadian Press said that decision-makers chose to name the system SkyTrain over other suggested names, such as ‘Van Go.’ Over the last four decades, the transit system has been extended multiple times. The original line, dubbed the Expo Line, was eventually extended to King George Station in Surrey. The Millennium Line, which now links Vancouver, Burnaby, Coquitlam, and Port Moody, opened its first stages in 2002.The Canada Line, which connects downtown Vancouver to Richmond and the Vancouver International Airport, began operations in 2009, months ahead of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. That particular line came at a reported cost of $1.9 billion. The project was controversial at the time, as construction blocked access to hundreds of retail businesses for years.Similar criticisms have been heard about the current Broadway Subway project, which will add six new SkyTrain stations to the Millennium Line, ending at Arbutus Street in Vancouver’s west side.Advocates have long called for the line to extend all the way to the University of British Columbia’s Point Grey campus.In October, Vancouver city council unanimously passed a motion calling on the province to accelerate the planning and funding for an extension, following a rally by UBC students.The currently under construction Surrey-Langley SkyTrain extension will connect King George Station to Langley City Centre. Two of the new SkyTrain stations included in that project will be built in Surrey’s North Cloverdale and Clayton communities, traditionally rural areas near farmland. Some nearby resident expect the new transit line will change the community forever.With files from Jon Azpiri, Justin McElroy, Jon Hernandez and The Canadian Press
Metro Vancouver’s SkyTrain celebrates its 40th anniversary
