TransLink says testing on selected Expo and Millennium line tracks will run overnight beginning Oct. 3, 2026, ahead of a new operations control centre opening in 2027.
The Story
For more than 40 years, SkyTrain’s operations “brain and nerve centre” has operated out of the Edmonds operations and maintenance centre (OMC1) in Burnaby, overseeing the Expo and Millennium lines.
TransLink officials said in 2023, during an interview and tour of OMC1, that the facilities no longer met modern standards or the system’s current and future needs, with control room operators working side by side in cramped conditions.
Built in 1985 and integrated into OMC1’s maintenance and storage facilities, the original control centre has become outdated and too small for a growing network, including as technology and systems were expanded and updated over time but limited by the existing space.
To replace it, TransLink has been constructing a new, standalone Operations Control Centre building across the street at OMC2, a smaller maintenance complex on the south side of Southridge Drive, while OMC1 is on the north side.
The four-storey-tall, oval-shaped building, clad in reflective stainless steel, is visible to Expo Line passengers in the area, and its new control room replaces the older room’s many separate main display screens with a single, large, seamless display wall.
TransLink says the new system brings together information from dozens of sources, including automatic train control, staff communications, track intrusion detection, CCTV and fare gate operations, designed to give operators a comprehensive view of the Expo and Millennium lines so they can assess situations quickly, support staff in the field and maintain reliable service.
The control room is on the top floor, supported by a major data centre on a lower level, with the building described as having about 40,300 sq. ft. of total floor area, including 28,500 sq. ft. of office and control centre space and 11,800 sq. ft. for the data centre and storage.
The facility is being designed to meet the Expo and Millennium lines’ needs for decades, support a larger train fleet and additional operations and maintenance centres, and withstand earthquakes, floods and fires, including a secured perimeter and guardhouse.
TransLink says the new control centre is expected to open in 2027, with system testing “nearly complete,” including checks that the systems work together and that staff can use them effectively.
Remaining tests include longer simulations of situations staff will encounter during regular service, with TransLink also gathering evidence needed to demonstrate the facility can operate safely before moving to the next preparation stage.
As part of the final testing stages, TransLink announced that all train models used on the Expo and Millennium lines will undergo overnight tests on selected track sections to avoid disrupting passengers.
Testing will begin Oct. 3, 2026, and run from 1:45 to 5:45 a.m. on Saturdays, 1:45 to 6:45 a.m. on Sundays, and 12:45 to 4:45 a.m. on Mondays, continuing for about five months through early 2027.
TransLink says residents near outdoor sections of the lines may hear trains during times when service would not normally be running, and it will rotate testing locations to reduce noise impacts instead of using the same area every night, while suspending alarms and announcements.
While SkyTrain’s Canada Line has its own separate control centre near Bridgeport Station, built in 2009 as part of that line’s project, TransLink is also expanding operations and maintenance capacity for the Expo and Millennium lines.
TransLink is building OMC3 near Braid Station in Coquitlam, described as a $1.3-billion facility on 27 acres expected to open in 2029 with capacity to maintain and store 145 cars and room for future expansion.
Further ahead, TransLink says it plans to build OMC5 on a 37-acre site near the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain extension, with major construction expected to begin in the early 2030s and early site work already underway, including clearing trees and vegetation and placing gravel and sand over the peat.
TransLink says the new OMC5 preload settlement period began in summer 2027 and is scheduled to continue until late 2029.
← More stories