Premier David Eby says a re-elected BC NDP-led provincial government will extend SkyTrain’s Millennium Line from Arbutus Station to the University of British Columbia (UBC) campus. The BC Greens have explicitly included the extension in their platform document, and the BC Conservatives have responded to a question about the project with a broader statement on infrastructure spending and supporting SkyTrain projects with clear benefits.
The planned extension would continue the Millennium Line west from Arbutus Street to the university. It would follow the Broadway extension, which is currently under construction between the existing VCC-Clark Station and the new Arbutus Station and is scheduled to open in late 2027.
During an unrelated press conference on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026, Eby was asked whether he would commit to moving the UBC SkyTrain extension forward, following renewed calls from Vancouver’s incoming municipal leadership.
Vancouver mayor-elect Pete Fry wants to set a binding timeline for bringing SkyTrain to UBC.
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“We will deliver that, and it’ll be a cooperative effort from a number of different partners, so it’s an important piece,” said Eby this week.
The provincial government assumed the leadership of planning the extension in Fall 2022 — taking over the project’s jurisdiction from TransLink — and is advancing detailed design, technical analysis, the business case, and a funding strategy. It was also a key priority in the BC NDP’s platform for the previous provincial election campaign in Fall 2024 and the subsequent mandate letter provided to B.C. Minister of Transportation and Transit Mike Farnworth.
Eby pointed to funding from the provincial government for the project’s approximate $40-million business case work involving detailed technical design and planning starting in 2023, explaining that the work involved geotechnical borehole soil sample investigations, with drilling to help determine the decisions about the exact route and station locations. A substantial portion of the business case work has since been completed, according to previous details shared by Farnworth.
Eby also highlighted the number of organizations involved, including UBC, TransLink, the federal government, City of Vancouver, and the First Nations-owned MST Development Corporation, which is pursuing the Jericho Lands redevelopment. An on-site Jericho Lands station is expected to be a part of the project.
Other expected station locations are at Macdonald Street (on West Broadway) and Alma Street (on West Broadway), as well as the approximate location of the existing UBC trolley loop where University Boulevard and East Mall meet, which would serve the academic core of the university campus.
TransLink’s recommended route and station locations for UBC SkyTrain, April 2022. (TransLink)
Terminus station location for the UBC SkyTrain extension of the Millennium Line, April 2022. (TransLink)
“We’re engaging in those conversations with UBC, MST, the feds and others about how this is going to be funded properly to reflect the benefits that everybody’s going to see from this,” said Eby.
Although UBC SkyTrain is not specifically named on the BC NDP’s official platform materials, Eby’s remarks provide an explicit commitment to delivering it. When asked about the timeline, over the years, the BC NDP have often referenced TransLink’s Mayors’ Council’s 10-year plan, which places the UBC SkyTrain extension’s implementation in the first half of the 2030s.
The BC Greens, led by Emily Lowan, have put their support directly into their full platform document. “Bring the SkyTrain to UBC,” reads one of their transportation commitments.
The BC Conservatives, led by Lorne Doerkson, did not offer a specific commitment to UBC SkyTrain in their response to an inquiry from Daily Hive Urbanized.
The Conservatives said they would change how projects are approved, contracts are awarded, and construction is overseen. They also pointed to seeking federal contributions and private-sector involvement, with safeguards for public money.
“Our first priority is getting essential projects built with firm accountability for cost, timing, and results. Projects must solve real problems, and taxpayers deserve confidence that delays and costs will not spiral,” a party spokesperson told Daily Hive Urbanized.
“Our platform will improve approvals, procurement, and oversight, relieve transportation bottlenecks, and pursue federal investment and private-sector partnerships with clear protections for taxpayers.”
The Conservatives’ published platform does not specifically name UBC SkyTrain. It does, however, clearly support expanding SkyTrain, Bus Rapid Transit, RapidBus, conventional buses, and ferries where population and passenger demand justify the investment. The party also proposes reviewing the provincial capital plan and reporting its findings and recommendations within six months.
“Expand transit where it makes sense. We will support SkyTrain, BRT/RapidBus, bus, and ferry expansion where population and ridership demonstrate the need,” reads the Conservative Party’s platform.
Earlier this week, both the Conservatives and the BC NDP have announced specific platform commitments to extend SkyTrain’s Expo Line along King George Boulevard from Surrey City Centre to Newton. This aligns with the civic election platform promise made by Surrey mayor-elect Doug McCallum and his Safe Surrey Coalition party, which has won a supermajority in Surrey City Council.
McCallum favoured the Conservatives’ explicit commitment to build the Newton SkyTrain extension, saying the BC NDP had only expressed a willingness to discuss the project. He also appeared at a Conservative campaign rally yesterday in Surrey, where he formally endorsed Doerkson’s party.
The provincial general election is scheduled for this Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. Polls are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voters in each of the province’s 93 ridings will select their MLA, and the overall result will help determine which provincial party forms government and who becomes premier.
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- BC NDP and Conservatives promise extending SkyTrain to Newton, aligning with Surrey mayor-elect Doug McCallum's plan
- TransLink stresses funding needs as provincial parties promise SkyTrain extension to Newton
- David Eby's BC NDP commit $250 million toward TransLink's new Bus Rapid Transit line in Surrey
- Cost of TransLink's King George Boulevard Bus Rapid Transit line soars to $700 million
- David Eby's BC NDP promises new TransLink funding source without higher costs for drivers
- Lorne Doerkson's B.C. Conservatives promise 10-lane George Massey Bridge instead of $8.5-billion, eight-lane immersed tunnel