‘Expect delays’: Granville SkyTrain station main escalators closing for 2 years

The main escalators at Granville SkyTrain station are being replaced after 32 years of service, but commuters shouldn’t expect to use the new ones any time soon.

The project will take two years to complete. According to TransLink’s website, the replacement is complicated because the escalators will be “built piece-by-piece on site.”

The three escalators are the longest in Metro Vancouver, moving more than 10 million passengers per year, according to TransLink.

The project is estimated to cost $14.5 million.

WATCH: Elevator woes at Translink Stations

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The replacement means the Seymour Street entrance will be closed starting Saturday and will remain closed until spring 2020. Passengers are being asked to use the Dunsmuir entrance instead.

“There will be people who won’t be aware of the change so in the first few days I think there may be some confusion, but we will also have some street teams on site to assist with customers as well as our regular staff,” said Chris Bryan with TransLink.

The company says customers should allow for extra travel time, noting they should consider using Burrard station or the Stadium-Chinatown station.

“Every effort is being made to keep the station open for customers, but we do expect there to be disruptions,” TransLink says on its website.

The replacement is part of a major maintenance and repair program underway, which will see 37 escalators at Expo Line and West Coast Express stations replaced.

~With files from Erin Ubels and Simon Little