After traveling along the Trans-Canada Highway from the Alstom plant in Kingston, Ontario, the first SkyTrain cars of the new generation arrived at TransLink's base in Burnaby.
The five flatbed trucks, each carrying one of the five wagons of the first new Mark V train, began their highway journey about two weeks ago and arrived in Greater Vancouver earlier this week.
SkyTrain crews will now connect the wagons to create a fully articulated five-car train, which will be the longest train in the SkyTrain system and provide the highest passenger capacity.
These new trains will be used to decommission the entire fleet of 150 old Mark I cars from the 1980s and early 1990s, increase the overall capacity of the Expo and Millennium lines, and increase the capacity of the Millennium Line by the opening of the Broadway extension in 2026.
The order for 205 Mark V wagons will create 41 five-car trains that will run on the Expo and Millennium lines.
Each new five-car Mark V train will be able to carry approximately 25% more passengers than the existing four-car Mark III.
The five-car Mark V train will accommodate 672 passengers while the four-car Mark III currently accommodates 533 passengers.
This is 139 more people compared to the most spacious train, which is currently a four-car Mark III.
TransLink says that once the first five carriages are connected into a single train at Burnaby, they will undergo comprehensive testing for almost the entire year 2024. This means that if everything goes according to plan, the first Mark V train could potentially enter service later in 2024.
The remaining 40 five-car trains will gradually arrive in Burnaby and enter service between 2024 and 2028.
The new carriages also feature new interior elements such as an improved configuration of seating and standing areas with flexible spaces, a large video screen above the doors for programmatically displaying useful information, including information about the next station, and artwork by local residents.
Earlier this year, the first completed Mark V train passed comprehensive tests at the manufacturer's factory in Kingston.