New analysis of Expo and Millennium line incidents shows a higher rate of people making contact with trains since the pandemic, renewing interest in platform screen doors.
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TransLink says it is continuing an in-depth feasibility study into installing platform screen doors at SkyTrain stations, following the release of newly analysed safety data from Technical Safety BC. Platform screen doors are designed to create a physical barrier between the train tracks and the passenger waiting area, typically using automatically operated glass doors that open and close in sync with the train doors.
The study comes as TransLink and Technical Safety BC jointly highlighted the growing importance of guideway and platform protection measures on SkyTrain’s Expo and Millennium lines. Platform screen doors are commonly used in airport people mover systems and in metro networks across parts of Asia and other regions, and they have been applied or planned in multiple North American transit contexts.
Technical Safety BC’s review focused on incidents in which people or objects came into contact with trains—either on the platform edge or in the guideway area containing the tracks. The regulator reviewed 122 incidents on the Expo and Millennium lines between 2016 and 2025, while the Canada Line was not included in the analysis.
On the Expo and Millennium lines, Technical Safety BC found that the average incident rate between 2023 and 2025 was about twice the rate recorded between 2016 and 2019 when adjusted for passenger boardings. The report indicates that although the incident rate has declined since the height of the pandemic, it remains above the pre-pandemic baseline.
Technical Safety BC said SkyTrain safety systems functioned as intended in all 122 cases reviewed. The systems included equipment designed to detect people or objects entering the track area and trigger emergency braking. On some older Expo Line segments, the detection system uses pressure-sensitive plates within the guideway alongside station platforms, while other parts—including the original Millennium Line segments and the Canada Line—use infrared optical sensors to create an invisible detection fence along the platform edge.
While the safety systems are intended to prevent harm, Technical Safety BC notes that they are prone to false intrusion alarms that can lead to service disruptions while SkyTrain staff investigate and confirm tracks are clear. The regulator also stressed that the barriers created by platform screen door systems could reduce the number and severity of incidents requiring emergency responses.
In a statement, Derek Patterson, vice president of regulatory leadership and corporate secretary for Technical Safety BC, said, “Our safety data shows a troubling increase in incidents where individuals have come into contact with a SkyTrain.” Across the decade covered by the review, the regulator recorded an average of 12.2 incidents annually: 7.7 in the guideway and 4.5 on platforms, with year-to-year totals fluctuating.
The annual pattern described by Technical Safety BC showed increases after 2019, including 12 incidents in 2020, 16 in 2021, and 13 in 2022. The highest total for the decade was recorded in 2024 at 25 incidents, including 12 in the guideway and 13 on platforms. After that peak, incidents fell to 13 in 2025, with 10 in the guideway and three on platforms.
Technical Safety BC’s analysis also looked at the consequences of incidents. Of the 77 incidents occurring in the guideway, 36 were fatal and six resulted in severe injuries; another 13 involved major injuries and 10 involved moderate injuries. By contrast, on platforms, injuries were generally less severe, with 20 incidents resulting in minor injuries and two involving injuries classified as insignificant; seven platform incidents resulted in moderate injuries, three involved major injuries, and one was fatal. The regulator warned that platform-starting incidents can evolve into track-area falls, where outcomes can be more serious.
The review found that most platform incidents appeared unintentional. Technical Safety BC placed 39 of 45 platform incidents (87%) in the unintentional category, compared with six classified as intentional. For guideway incidents, the breakdown differed: 29 (38%) were assessed as unintentional and 48 as intentional. Nearly 60% of guideway incidents were associated with suspected suicidal behaviour, while about 2% were described as appearing to involve malicious intent, and those incidents were not fatal.
Technical Safety BC cautioned that intent assessments have limitations because they rely on observations by SkyTrain staff who witnessed an incident or reviewed available video footage. The regulator said observations do not always allow investigators to determine whether contact with a train was deliberate, particularly when reliance on video cannot fully establish intent.
TransLink’s feasibility work is also framed by operational and design constraints. The regulator’s findings highlight that the variety of trains operating on the Expo and Millennium lines historically complicated barrier installation, particularly when door spacing differs across train models. TransLink has been moving toward a more standardized fleet: it is replacing all 150 Mark I cars with Mark V trains, with the last Mark I cars expected to retire in 2027 or 2028, and it plans to retire all 108 Mark II cars in the 2030s. By later in the 2030s, TransLink expects the Expo and Millennium line fleets to consist entirely of Mark III and Mark V trains, with additional Mark V orders replacing remaining Mark II units.
TransLink has said the core objective of its platform-door feasibility analysis is improved safety. In the material provided, TransLink chief executive Kevin Quinn said in a statement that while SkyTrain systems and procedures are designed to keep people safe, incidents can have devastating impacts on people involved, loved ones, employees, first responders, and passenger witnesses. TransLink’s approach is described as focused on whether technical solutions can be adapted to existing infrastructure and service requirements, acknowledging that installation retrofits can be considerably more complex than installing the technology on a new system before passenger service begins.
The analysis also emphasizes practical engineering considerations that could affect timelines and design choices, including whether platform edges can support additional weight from glass and mechanical equipment, how barriers would affect passenger waiting space and circulation, and implications for evacuation, air temperature, and ventilation in underground stations. The joint release did not provide technical feasibility details, design options, a timetable, or a budget, and TransLink indicated it is still far from deciding whether platform screen doors will be installed. As part of the public safety context in the same material, a 24/7 suicide crisis line is available by calling or texting 9-8-8 for anyone experiencing a mental health crisis.
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