- ACCIONA Canada and joint venture partner, Ghella, achieve the second TBM breakthrough on the Broadway Subway Project
Phyllis, the second of two tunnel-boring machines (TBMs) constructing twin five kilometer tunnels for the Broadway Subway Project, arrived at the future Mount Pleasant Station early Saturday morning.
Since her departure from Great Northern Way last fall, Phyllis has excavated 725 metres of tunnel and installed 494 concrete tunnel liner rings.
The first TBM, Elsie, arrived at Mount Pleasant Station in late January and began tunnelling toward the future Broadway-City Hall Station on March 4.
The TBMs, which launched separately from Great Northern Way-Emily Carr Station, will each take about one year to reach their final destination at Cypress Street, near the future Arbutus Station.
Progress continues to be made at the elevated guideway, where crews are installing girders to connect the 21 columns between VCC-Clark Station and the future Great Northern Way-Emily Carr Station. Excavation and construction of the station foundations are ongoing at the Broadway-City Hall, Oak-VGH, South Granville and Arbutus sites, where traffic decks keep people moving above the work below. Construction of the interior columns is underway at the future Mount Pleasant and Great Northern Way-Emily Carr stations.
The Broadway Subway Project is scheduled for completion in 2026 and will extend the Millennium Line 5.7 kilometres from VCC-Clark Station to West Broadway and Arbutus Street. The extended line will provide fast, convenient SkyTrain service along the Broadway corridor which is home to B.C.’s second largest jobs centre, world-class health care services, an emerging innovation and research hub, and growing residential communities.
The Broadway Subway will result in faster travel, better access, and fewer cars on the road in this heavily used corridor. Once in service, the ride on SkyTrain from VCC-Clark to Arbutus Station will take 11 minutes, saving the average transit commuter almost 30 minutes a day and relieving congestion along Broadway.
The project will also support new transit-oriented developments, which create efficient, connected communities where people can easily access public transit and have their day-to-day needs conveniently located close to home.
It is estimated the Broadway Subway Project will create more than 13,000 direct and indirect jobs during construction, supporting economic development within the region and beyond.
The subway line is scheduled to open in 2026.