After nearly ten years of planning and fundraising, construction has begun on the new Capstan Station on SkyTrain Canada Line. This will provide the Canada Line with a new additional station near the northeast corner of Capstan Way and intersection No. 3 Road between Aberdeen and Bridgeport stations. The City of Richmond pursued the construction of the Capstan station to serve major residential developments within the Capstan Village neighbourhood. The neighbourhood is expected to have 16,000 residents in 6,000 homes within roughly a 10-minute walking radius from the station. To fund the station, the municipal government collected a fee for every new home built in the neighbourhood since 2012.
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During the very early stages of planning, the intention was to have the municipal government, cover the full cost of the station, through revenues collected from private development. But it was revealed that today, the station will now be worth CAD$52 million, with CAD$32 million from the municipal government raised from the developers, and the remaining balance covered by TransLink. This is the first funded partnership and development-driven in TransLink’s history. This new station was designed by the Vancouver-based Office of McFarlane Biggar Architects & Designers, whereas the other three No. 3 Road corridor stations ( Lansdowne, Aberdeen, and Richmond-Brighouse) were designed by Perkins & Will.
“Fast, frequent, reliable, and accessible transit is the best way to build strong communities. The new Capstan Station will be built right in the heart of a growing community and will help make transit the number one transportation option for so many new and current residents of Capstan Village,” said Kevin Quinn, the TransLink CEO. The public transit authority anticipates Capstan Station will open in early 2023.
