Sushi vending machine smashed, emptied 3 weeks after debut at Coquitlam SkyTrain station

Images from the scene show caution tape set up and broken glass strewn across the floor in front of the machine, which has had nearly all of its sushi offerings removed. (CTV)

That didn't last long.

Just three weeks after it was installed at Lafarge Lake-Douglas SkyTrain Station, TransLink's experimental sushi vending machine was smashed up Friday morning.

Images from the scene show caution tape set up and broken glass strewn across the floor in front of the machine, which has had nearly all of its sushi offerings removed.

"We can confirm that a vending machine at Lafarge Lake Douglas Station was reported as vandalized this morning and is currently under investigation," said TransLink spokesperson Dan Mountain in an email to CTV News Friday.

"We are in contact with the vendor, but we do not have a timeline for repair at this time."

Metro Vancouver Transit Police said in an email that they were notified of the incident around 6:15 a.m. and are investigating.

No suspects have been identified, and investigators have requested surveillance video for review, police said.

The sushi vending machine was part of a pilot project TransLink began rolling out earlier this summer. The transit agency said earlier this month that its goal was "elevating" its customer experience with nine "innovative and convenient new vending machines" at stations around the region. 

TransLink partnered with several local businesses – including Sushi Mori, Nicli Pizzeria, Khaykery Bakery and Da Candy Craze – on the project, which is expected to eventually include vending machines at Lonsdale Quay, Coquitlam Central, Joyce-Collingwood, Metrotown, Edmonds, Burquitlam, Moody Centre and Commercial-Broadway, in addition to Lafarge Lake.

Asked whether Friday's incident in Coquitlam would change TransLink's thinking about the pilot project, Mountain said the company had not changed its plans regarding vending machines.