SkyTrain ridership growth in the Tri-Cities is outpacing the rest of the region, according to new data released by TransLink on Thursday.
The numbers show that total annual boardings at Evergreen Extension stations rose 10.9% in 2018, higher than the 5.7% average increase seen in the rest of the system.
Burquitlam Station saw the largest ridership jump, rising 14.6% to 1,375,313 total annual boardings, while Moody Centre Station increased 13% to 731,715 total annual boardings.
"Ridership is exploding and our region is growing," said Mayors' Council chair and New Westminster Mayor Jonathan Cote in a news release. "If we are going to cure congestion, we need to invest in both new transportation infrastructure and service expansion to make commutes quicker and easier now and into the future."
| Station | 2018 Total Boardings | 2017 Total Boardings | % Change |
| Coquitlam Central | 1,456,716 | 1,310,389 | 11.2% |
| Burquitlam | 1,375,313 | 1,199,996 | 14.6% |
| Lincoln | 1,325,174 | 1,210,939 | 9.4% |
| Lafarge Lake-Douglas | 896,882 | 833,714 | 7.6% |
| Moody Centre | 731,715 | 647,521 | 13% |
| Inlet Centre | 656,267 | 608,355 | 7.9% |
Evergreen Extension ridership is still dwarfed by some of the busier stations in the system.
For comparison, Waterfront Station is the busiest with 12.6 million boardings in 2018, while Metrotown had 8.2 million and Commercial-Broadway had 8.1 million.
Bus boardings are also up in the Tri-Cities, however it has not matched the ridership increases seen in other parts of the Lower Mainland.
The number of people taking the bus rose 5.7% in the northeast sector, behind the southeast (north Delta, Surrey, Langley and White Rock), which jumped 15.6%, and the southwest (Richmond, south Delta, Tsawwassen First Nation), which increased 8.8%.
System-wide, TransLink said total boardings, including bus, SkyTrain, SeaBus, West Coast Express and HandyDART, rose 7.1%, for the biggest annual increase in the organization's history.
The data not only shows the rising use of public transit, it also helps TransLink identify areas the urgently need improvement, said TransLink CEO Kevin Desmond.
For example, the numbers round that 52 bus routes experience chronic overcrowding, stresses in the system he said will be addressed with the addition of 620,000 new service hours over the next three years.
TransLink will also be adding 350 new buses to the fleet, including four electric buses, 32 double-decker buses and 56 HandyDART vehicles.
"The release of this performance review is a matter of transparency for TransLink," Desmond said in a press release. "We want the public to see the numbers for themselves and understand where we need to invest more in transit services."
@gmckennaTC
