The Evergreen Extension: the Tri-Cities' SkyTrain, explained

Before 2016, the Tri-Cities were the biggest urban area in Metro Vancouver without rapid rail. The Evergreen Extension fixed that, pulling Coquitlam and Port Moody onto the SkyTrain network and reshaping how the region commutes, shops and builds.

What it is and where it runs

The Evergreen Extension is the northeastern arm of the Millennium Line. Millennium Line trains run from VCC-Clark Station in Vancouver through Burnaby and on to the Tri-Cities, ending at Lafarge Lake-Douglas Station beside Coquitlam's Town Centre Park.

Within and around the Tri-Cities, the stations are:

• Burquitlam, on the Coquitlam-Burnaby border
• Moody Centre in Port Moody
• Inlet Centre in Port Moody
• Coquitlam Central, the city-centre hub and bus exchange
• Lincoln, serving the Lincoln area of Coquitlam
• Lafarge Lake-Douglas, the terminus at Town Centre Park

The extension opened on December 2, 2016, and Coquitlam's own planning documents credit it with accelerating the growth of the city centre ever since.

How it connects

Two of the Tri-Cities stations are true hubs. At Moody Centre and Coquitlam Central, the SkyTrain meets the West Coast Express commuter rail, so riders from Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows and Mission can transfer between the WCE's rush-hour trains and all-day SkyTrain service. Both stations also anchor bus loops covering the three cities.

Coquitlam Central doubles as the main bus exchange for the northeast sector, with routes fanning out to Port Coquitlam, which has no SkyTrain station of its own, and up to Burke Mountain and the newer northeastern neighbourhoods.

What it changed

The Evergreen Extension did more than shave commute times. It redrew the development map: high-rise towers have climbed around Coquitlam Central and Burquitlam, Port Moody's Moody Centre area has added transit-oriented development, and Town Centre Park became a genuinely regional destination once the train started landing at its edge.

For visitors, it also made the Tri-Cities an easy day trip: you can ride the Millennium Line to Moody Centre, walk to Rocky Point Park and the Brewers Row breweries, and never touch a car.

Riding it

Millennium Line service is part of TransLink's three-line SkyTrain network: the Expo Line connects downtown Vancouver with Burnaby, New Westminster and Surrey; the Canada Line runs to the airport and Richmond; and the Millennium Line carries you from East Vancouver through Burnaby into Port Moody and Coquitlam.

Fares use the Compass card zone system, integrated with buses, SeaBus and the West Coast Express. Trains run frequently through the day, every day, unlike the rush-hour-only West Coast Express.

Before Evergreen

The Millennium Line originally opened in 2002, running through Vancouver and Burnaby but stopping short of the Tri-Cities. For 14 years, northeast-sector commuters relied on buses and the West Coast Express. The Evergreen Extension, named for the evergreen trees of the region it serves, closed that gap in 2016.

Station by station

Burquitlam serves the Burquitlam neighbourhood on the Coquitlam-Burnaby border, an area now mid-transformation with new towers rising around the station.

Moody Centre is Port Moody's hub: transfer here to the West Coast Express, or walk about 10 minutes to Rocky Point Park and the Murray Street breweries.

Inlet Centre is the quieter Port Moody stop, serving the inlet-side residential neighbourhoods.

Coquitlam Central is the workhorse: a major bus exchange, West Coast Express connection, and the jumping-off point for buses to Port Coquitlam and Burke Mountain.

Lincoln and Lafarge Lake-Douglas serve Coquitlam's city centre, with the terminus landing directly beside Town Centre Park and a short hop from Coquitlam Centre mall.

Fares and zones

The Tri-Cities stations sit in TransLink's Zone 3. Compass cards work across SkyTrain, buses, SeaBus and the West Coast Express, and trips through multiple zones are charged accordingly. Trains run frequently all day, every day, in both directions, which is the key difference from the rush-hour-only West Coast Express.

Tips for riders

The Millennium Line interlines with the Expo Line between VCC-Clark and Production Way-University, so if you are heading downtown check the destination board: some trips are faster with a transfer to the Expo Line at Commercial-Broadway or Production Way. Trains are driverless and frequent, and every station on the extension is fully accessible with elevators. Peak direction is toward Vancouver in the morning and back to the Tri-Cities in the evening; riding against the flow is noticeably roomier.

The extension's stations were built with bus loops and bike facilities in mind, so the last leg of most Tri-Cities trips is a short bus ride or bike ride from the platform. For Port Coquitlam residents, the 160 and other routes bridge the gap to Coquitlam Central through the day. The extension also quietly rewired weekend life. Downtown concerts, Canucks games and Granville Street are now a direct train ride from all three cities, and the reverse flow is real too: Vancouver residents ride out for Buntzen Lake shuttles, Brewers Row afternoons and Town Centre Park festivals. For a region that once felt like the end of the transit map, the Tri-Cities now sit squarely on it.