VANCOUVER -- Hoping to ensure a SkyTrain extension will be built all the way to the University of British Columbia, a major agreement between the post-secondary institution, the City of Vancouver and local First Nations was announced Wednesday.
At a joint news conference, representatives from the city, UBC and the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Development Corporation said the groups are joining forces to advocate for the completion of a SkyTrain line to the university as soon as possible.
The partnership was made late last year, the organizations said.
"This agreement sets a new example for how city-building in the 21st Century should work," said Mayor Kennedy Stewart in a news release.
"Building SkyTrain all the way to UBC is a regional priority that will not only help connect academic and health sciences along Broadway with the rest of Metro, it will put reconciliation into practice as we work in partnership with the MST Development Corporation."
The group said it needs to secure commitments and funding from federal and provincial partners to make sure the project moves forward.
The Vancouver mayor will visit Ottawa in February and plans to raise awareness about the project.
Currently, the Broadway Subway Project is slated to be a 5.7-kilometre extension of the Millennium Line, from VCC-Clark Station to Broadway and Arbutus.
According the province, once the line is built, the trip from VCC-Clark Station to Arbutus Station will take 11 minutes. For the time being, riders will then have to transfer to buses to get all the way to UBC.
Construction on the extension is scheduled to begin this fall, with the line in service in 2025.
