Columbia Station

Columbia
SkyTrain station
Location	435 Columbia Street, New Westminster
Coordinates	49°12′17″N 122°54′22″W / 49.20476°N 122.906161°W / 49.20476; -122.906161Coordinates: 49°12′17″N 122°54′22″W / 49.20476°N 122.906161°W / 49.20476; -122.906161
Owned by	BC Transit, TransLink
Platforms	Side platforms
Tracks	2
Construction
Structure type	At grade and underground
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Station code	CO
Fare zone	2
History
Opened	February 14, 1989
Traffic
Passengers (2011[1])	24,976
Services
Preceding station   TransLink   Following station New Westminster toward Waterfront Expo Line Scott Road toward King George Millennium Line Sapperton toward VCC–Clark

Columbia Station is located in the short underground section of the Expo Line in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada. It is a part of Metro Vancouver's SkyTrain rapid transit system, and one of two transfer points to the newer Millennium Line.

Location

Columbia Station is located near the corner of 4th Street and Carnarvon Street in New Westminster, and is named after Columbia Street one block south. The station was built horizontally on a slope, so that the inbound platform in the north is underground while the outbound platform in the south is predominantly at grade. The track at both ends of the station dips underground below Clarkson Street.

History

Columbia Station was built between 1988 and 1989, and served as the system’s temporary terminus (replacing New Westminster Station) until it was extended to Scott Road the following year, following the completion of the Skybridge. During planning and construction, it was known as 4th Street Station.^[2]

Originally, the station served as a secondary transfer point for regional buses from Port Moody, Coquitlam, and Port Coquitlam. After the opening of Millennium Line in 2002, the station became a major transfer point between the two SkyTrain lines and the regional bus connections moved north along Millennium Line to Braid and Lougheed Town Centre Stations. Currently, the station connects only to local bus and shuttle routes servicing the New Westminster area.

The station was not planned to be a major transfer point during construction. Cross-platform transfer is not possible as the station is side-platformed, and there is only one up-escalator provided at the station's inbound platform. A second up-escalator is proposed for the outbound platform as part of the Expo Line upgrade.^[3]

Station information

Station layout

Station entrances and connections

Columbia Street Entrance connects the west side of the station with Columbia Street, half level above, through a small shopping mall. An elevator is provided by the mall for station access. However, since this elevator is not a property of TransLink, the reliability of this accessible entrance is not guaranteed and it had been reported that the elevator was out of service for an extended amount of time.^[4] An up escalator is provided between the lower street level and the platform for inbound (westbound) only. Passengers accessing the outbound (eastbound) platform must climb up a full flight of 36 stairs.^[4]

• Local transit connection is provided on Columbia Street in front of the entrance:

321 New Westminster Station (limited service)

C3 New Westminster Station

C4 New Westminster Station

C9 New Westminster Station

C9 Lougheed Station

N19 Downtown Night Bus

Clarkson Street Entrance connects Clarkson Street with the station through a series of stairs. The entrance is located at the north end of the lower street level, on the opposite side of Columbia Street entrance.

Fourth Street Entrance is located at the east side of the station. Unlike the other two entrances, the entrance from 4th Street is located above the platform level. Neither elevator nor escalator is provided for this entrance.

• Transit connection to uptown New Westminster is available on the opposite side of 4th Street:

C3 Fraserview

C4 Uptown

References

External links