Main Street-Science World Station
Encyclopedia
SkyTrain (Vancouver)
SkyTrain is a light rapid transit system in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. SkyTrain has of track and uses fully automated trains on grade-separated tracks, running mostly on elevated guideways, which helps SkyTrain to hold consistently high on-time reliability...
system in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The station is accessible from both sides of Main Street
Main Street (Vancouver)
Main Street is a major north-south thoroughfare bisecting Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It runs from Waterfront Road by Burrard Inlet in the north, to Kent Avenue alongside the north arm of the Fraser River in the south.-Route:...
at the intersection of Main Street and Terminal Avenue, and is adjacent to Pacific Central Station
Pacific Central Station (Vancouver)
Pacific Central Station in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada is a railway station that acts as the western terminus of Via Rail's cross-country The Canadian to Toronto and the northern terminus of Amtrak’s Cascades to Seattle, Portland, and Eugene, Oregon...
, the city's inter-city railway and bus terminal.
History
Prior to SkyTrain opening for full revenue service, the station served as the western terminus of a short 1 km demonstration track during the summer of 1983. A single two-car prototype train ran both eastbound and westbound on the current westbound track, between the station and what was at that time the end of the completed guideway, at the eastern end of the centre median of Terminal Avenue.In December 1985, SkyTrain began revenue service with the station opening as "Main Street Station" and was one of two stations that served the Expo 86
Expo 86
The 1986 World Exposition on Transportation and Communication, or simply Expo '86, was a World's Fair held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada from Friday, May 2 until Monday, October 13, 1986...
site: the other being Stadium–Chinatown Station. This station served as an access point to the East Gate of Expo. This was the first elevated SkyTrain station to have buildings built around and above it, as witnessed by the Vancity
Vancity
Vancouver City Savings Credit Union, commonly referred to as Vancity, is a member-owned financial institution in Vancouver, British Columbia and the largest English-speaking credit union in Canada...
tower on the west side of the station.
Once Expo 86
Expo 86
The 1986 World Exposition on Transportation and Communication, or simply Expo '86, was a World's Fair held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada from Friday, May 2 until Monday, October 13, 1986...
had ended, many of its buildings had either been torn down or removed. One of the few to remain was the nearby geodesic dome, known during the fair as "Expo Centre." Now one of the city's most recognizable landmarks, a science museum known as Science World moved into this space. On September 21, 1990, the station's name was hyphenated adding "Science World", due to its proximity to the then-newly popular landmark attraction one block away. Original maps designated the station as "Science World-Main Street."
With the station remaining the oldest on the Expo Line, plans to re-design as well as lengthen the 27-year old structure are currently underway, with construction set to commence in 2012.
Services
- The Main Street-Science World station is a major connection point for the TransLink Main Street trolley bus routes, as well as for the Via RailVIA RailVia Rail Canada is an independent crown corporation offering intercity passenger rail services in Canada. It is headquartered near Montreal Central Station at 3 Place Ville-Marie in Montreal, Quebec....
and AmtrakAmtrakThe National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
trains that arrive and depart from the nearby Pacific Central StationPacific Central Station (Vancouver)Pacific Central Station in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada is a railway station that acts as the western terminus of Via Rail's cross-country The Canadian to Toronto and the northern terminus of Amtrak’s Cascades to Seattle, Portland, and Eugene, Oregon... - The eastern terminus of the Downtown Historic RailwayVancouver Downtown Historic RailwayThe Vancouver Downtown Historic Railway is a heritage streetcar line that operates between Granville Island and the Cambie Station in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It operates only on weekends and holidays, usually from May to mid-October, and is aimed primarily at tourists...
is located near this station; that line's streetcars run westbound along the south side of False CreekFalse CreekFalse Creek is a short inlet in the heart of Vancouver. It separates downtown from the rest of the city. It was named by George Henry Richards during his Hydrographic survey of 1856-63. Science World is located at its eastern end and the Burrard Street Bridge crosses its western end. False Creek is...
to Granville IslandGranville IslandGranville Island is a peninsula and shopping district in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is located in False Creek directly across from Downtown Vancouver's peninsula, under the south end of the Granville Street Bridge....
. - The eastern terminus of both False Creek FerriesFalse Creek FerriesFalse Creek Ferries, a division of Granville Island Ferries Ltd, is a privately owned and operated ferry service that operates on False Creek near downtown Vancouver, Canada...
and the AquabusThe AquabusThe Aquabus, also known as, Aquabus Ferries Ltd., is a privately owned and operated ferry service that provides commuter and sightseeing services to locations all along False Creek of central Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada...
can also be found nearby just south of Science World. - The station is within walking distance of four fast food chains including StarbucksStarbucksStarbucks Corporation is an international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 17,009 stores in 55 countries, including over 11,000 in the United States, over 1,000 in Canada, over 700 in the United Kingdom, and...
, Burger KingBurger KingBurger King, often abbreviated as BK, is a global chain of hamburger fast food restaurants headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The company began in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida-based restaurant chain...
, McDonald'sMcDonald's CanadaMcDonald's Restaurants of Canada, Ltd. is the Canadian branch of the popular fast-food restaurant chain McDonald's. One of Canada's largest fast-food restaurant chains, the franchise sells food items including hamburgers, chicken, french fries and soft drinks all across the country...
and Tim HortonsTim HortonsTim Hortons Inc. is a Canadian fast casual restaurant known for its coffee and doughnuts. It is also Canada's largest fast food service with over 3000 stores nationwide. It was founded in 1964 in Hamilton, Ontario, by Canadian hockey player Tim Horton and Jim Charade, after an initial venture in...
. Prior to the opening of Starbucks, the same space was occupied by the "The Exchange"—a small newspaper/snack outlet that opened in 1986 as part of a retail programme initially set up with the introduction of SkyTrain.
Station layout
| T | Train Level | |
|---|---|---|
| C | Concourse Level | West entrance only |
| S | Street Level |
Platform assignment
| Platform | Direction | Line | Destination | Opened |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Westbound | ■ Expo | Waterfront Waterfront Station (Vancouver) Waterfront Station is a major intermodal public transportation facility and the main transit terminus in Downtown Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.-Location:... |
1985 |
| ■ Millennium Millennium Line The Millennium Line is the second rapid transit line built in the SkyTrain light metro rapid transit system in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The line is owned and operated by TransLink. Millennium Line uses the colour yellow on route maps, wayfinding and station signage.-History:When... |
||||
| 2 | Eastbound | ■ Expo | King George King George Station King George Station is located on an elevated portion of the Expo Line, a part of Metro Vancouver's SkyTrain rapid transit system. The station itself is in Surrey and is the current eastbound terminus of the Expo Line.-Location:... |
|
| ■ Millennium Millennium Line The Millennium Line is the second rapid transit line built in the SkyTrain light metro rapid transit system in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The line is owned and operated by TransLink. Millennium Line uses the colour yellow on route maps, wayfinding and station signage.-History:When... |
VCC–Clark |
Station entrances and connections
West Entrance is located at west end of Main Street, serving to Science World and the False Creek ferries. Up escalator is available between concourse and platform level, but no escalator is provided from the street level.- Transit connection includes local bus routes travelling southbound on Main Street:
-
- 3 Main / Marine Drive Station
- 8 Fraser
- 19 Stanley Park
- 22 Knight via Terminal Avenue (peak only)
- N8 Fraser Night Bus
- N19 Downtown Night Bus
- Community shuttle service C21 Beach is also available on Quebec Street beside Science World, one block away from the station entrance.
West Entrance Elevator Access is separated from the main entrance, located on the far west end of the platform. No access to concourse from the elevator, and tickets must be purchased from TVM located at street level. See West Entrance above for transit connections.
East Entrance located on the east side of Main Street, beside Thronton Park and with close proximity to Pacific Central Station
Pacific Central Station (Vancouver)
Pacific Central Station in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada is a railway station that acts as the western terminus of Via Rail's cross-country The Canadian to Toronto and the northern terminus of Amtrak’s Cascades to Seattle, Portland, and Eugene, Oregon...
for long-distance rail and bus services. There is no station house and concourse for this entrance, and passenger must purchase or validate tickets from the machines located at platform level. There is also no elevator and escalator access.
- Transit connection includes local bus routes travelling northbound on Main Street:
-
- 3 Downtown
- 8 Downtown
- 19 Metrotown Station
- 22 Macdonald (peak only)
- N8 Downtown Night Bus
- N19 Surrey Central Station
- In addition, community shuttle C21 Beach and C23 Main Street Station start/terminating on Station Street in front of Pacific Central Station, one block away from the entrance.