TransLink is searching for innovative ideas to repurpose its original SkyTrain cars

TransLink is looking for a new home for its original fleet of SkyTrains. (Courtesy: TransLink)

Whether public artwork, museum artefact, children’s playground piece or backyard accoutrement, what next lives await the first fleet of SkyTrain carriages is anyone’s guess.

TransLink is on the hunt for innovative ideas to repurpose around 150 of its retiring Mark I SkyTrain cars, which are reaching the end of their lifespan after over four decades of service.

“We are putting out the call to organizations to come up with a retirement plan for the first SkyTrain cars that were on the fleet all the way back in 1986,” said TranLink’s Thor Diakow.

“Relocating the original fleet and finding homes for these cars presents a unique opportunity to celebrate the region's transit history.”

The cars, classic in their original red, white and blue, were unveiled during the 1986 World Exposition on Transportation and Communication fair, known as Expo 86. With its launch coinciding with the fair’s theme "Transportation and Communication: World in Motion – World in Touch," it marked the introduction of the first rapid transit system to Vancouver.

“The Mark 1's are particularly historic because they are emblematic of a different era in Vancouver, and they have served millions of transit riders for nearly 40 years,” said Diakow.

Diakow said there are “transit enthusiasts all over Metro Vancouver” in excitement over the cars because they are “a part of the fabric of the history” of the Vancouver community.

“When you see one of those old school, red, white, and blue ones, it really takes you back to the '80s. They really remind people of when the city was a lot different to what it is now,” he said.

To replace the iconic originals, TransLink hopes to have new, Mark 5 cars added to the fleet by 2027. Offering more comfort, more amenities, and a generally “smoother ride," Diakow said they are a testament to just how far SkyTrain carriages have come since their introduction in 1986.

With TransLink looking for multiple projects and multiple organisations to carry the carriages into their next journey, Diakow said there are no ideas “too big or small” as to what their new purpose could be.

Several cars have already been purchased by a production company, with plans to have them appear in a future television series. Trainspotters might want one for their own, personal, trainspotting use, while local museums could hope to seize the opportunity to preserve transport history in their own establishments, said Diakow.

Preference, he said, will be given to those concepts that benefit the community, and pay ode to the historical use of the car.

Interested community organizations, municipalities, developers, and individuals can submit their proposals for the Mark I trains through the online form. Successful bidders will be responsible for funding the move of the carriage from the BC Rapid Transit Company’s storage facility in Burnaby, alongside covering the costs of its restoration or repurpose plan.

Proposals will be accepted until Dec. 6, with applications set to reopen later as more vehicles become retired from service.