Cost estimate quadruples on Coquitlam SkyTrain maintenance centre

Building a new SkyTrain operations and maintenance centre on North Road in Coquitlam is now projected to cost $1.29 billion, according to the latest estimate from TransLink.

The project was pegged to cost $300 million when it was announced in the spring of 2021. However, a variety of factors combined to bump up costs, according to a TransLink spokesperson.

“Over the last 18 months, steel prices have increased by 65 per cent and there is additional uncertainty due to potential steel tariffs,” a TransLink spokesperson wrote in an email to the Dispatch.

The spokesperson declined to be named.

Besides the inflated cost of materials, there have also been delays getting third party permits approved and higher than expected construction bids.

The design has also been altered.

“Maintenance bays were completely redesigned to include a sunken floor, which ensures maintenance of the new Mark V trains can be conducted most effectively,” the TransLink spokesperson stated.

Located on a 27-acre parcel at 225 North Rd. sandwiched between Highway 1 and the Brunette River, the maintenance centre is essential to facilitate a looming SkyTrain expansion.

The transit is looking to boost its fleet of SkyTrain cars by more than a third – going from 294 to 397 cars by 2027, according to a prior statement from TransLink major projects manager James Low.

The maintenance centre should eventually have capacity for 170 cars, according to Low.

While he stipulated some jobs may be transferred to Coquitlam from other sites, Low guessed the maintenance centre will create about 100 jobs.

The centre was previously slated to be up and running by early 2026.

Coquitlam Mayor Richard Stewart previously pushed for a pedestrian bridge connecting the maintenance yard with Braid Street station, thus allowing workers to commute via SkyTrain. However, TransLink stated there were “no plans” to connect the maintenance yard with Braid.