Sapperton station

Sapperton is an elevated station on the Expo Line of Metro Vancouver's SkyTrain rapid transit system. The station is located on Brunette Avenue, above a Canadian Pacific rail right-of-way in the Sapperton neighbourhood in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada. Located nearby is the Royal Columbian Hospital, one of the oldest and busiest health care institutions in British Columbia. TransLink's head offices are also located within the vicinity of the station.[2]

Sapperton
SkyTrain station
Platform level at Sapperton station
Location	20 Spruce Street, New Westminster
Coordinates	49.22443°N 122.88964°W
Owned by	TransLink
Platforms	Side platforms
Tracks	2
Construction
Structure type	Elevated
Disabled access	Yes
Architect	Hancock Bruckner Eng & Wright
Other information
Station code	SA
Fare zone	2
History
Opened	January 2, 2002
Passengers
2019[1]	992,000  2.9%
Rank	46 of 53
Services
Preceding station   TransLink   Following station Columbia toward Waterfront Expo Line Lougheed Braid toward Production Way–University

Keary Street entrance

Spruce Street entrance

History

The station was opened in 2002 as part of the original Millennium Line project. Before the first phase of the line was completed, a short spur from Columbia station was opened in eastern New Westminster as a test track; this spur included Sapperton and Braid stations.

In 2016, SkyTrain service was reconfigured in anticipation of the opening of the Evergreen Extension; as a result, Millennium Line service was discontinued at Sapperton station. Since October 22, 2016, Sapperton has been served by an Expo Line branch with service between Waterfront and Production Way–University stations.[3]

Structure and design

Sapperton station was designed by the architecture firm Hancock Bruckner Eng & Wright[4] and, like all stations constructed as part of the original Millennium Line, has a unique design. The elevated station contains a mezzanine level connected to the platform level by stairs, escalators and elevators. There are two side platforms, separated by an artwork wheel. There was previously a stationary bike on the mezzanine level which would rotate the artwork wheel when ridden, but it was removed after it was vandalized.

Station information

Station layout

T	Side platform; doors will open on the right
	Platform 1 Inbound	← ■ Expo Line towards Waterfront (Columbia)
	Platform 2 Outbound	■ Expo Line towards Production Way–University (Braid) →
	Side platform; doors will open on the right
C	Concourse level	Overhead walkway connects to the station, Compass vending machines and fare gates
S	Street level	Entrance/Exit

Entrances

Sapperton station is served by one official entrance. It is located at the northeast end of the station. This entrance is connected to ground level by a walkway over Brunette Avenue that exits on Keary Street, across from the Royal Columbian Hospital.[5]

A second, unofficial entrance is at the south end of the station and is not wheelchair accessible. This entrance is technically an emergency exit,[6] but people commonly use it as a safe way to access the station from Spruce Street, which is next to the station but not accessible using the official entrance. TransLink nevertheless installed Compass card readers at the site.[7]

Transit connections

Sapperton station is not served directly by any bus routes. Connections can be made to the 109 bus route, a short walk from the station at the intersection of Columbia Street and Keary Street:

Stop number	Routes
53111	109 Lougheed Station
53218	109 New Westminster Station

References

1. "2019 Transit Service Performance Review – SkyTrain Stations Ranked by Annual Boardings" (PDF). translink.ca. TransLink. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
2. TransLink General Contact Information
3. "Changes Coming to SkyTrain October 22". TransLink. September 19, 2016. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
4. Taggart, Jim (July 1, 2001). "Vancouver's Millennium Line". Canadian Architect. Archived from the original on March 31, 2019. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
5. TransLink. Sapperton Station Entrance Location (PDF) (Map). Retrieved January 22, 2018.
6. TransLink BC [@TransLink] (February 25, 2019). "Technically it is an emergency exit/entrance but people have been using this door as a safe way to get to Spruce street hence the installation of the card reader.^kv" (Tweet). Retrieved March 3, 2019 – via Twitter.
7. TransLink BC [@TransLink] (February 24, 2019). "You can use the door to get to Spruce street. The Card reader was installed for people using this door so that they would have valid fare as they would be in a fare paid zone. Hope this answers your question.^kv" (Tweet). Retrieved March 3, 2019 – via Twitter.