TransLink adding service during World Cup as FIFA cuts off Stadium–Chinatown access during games

Stadium-Chinatown SkyTrain Station is seen in this image handed out by TransLink.

The SkyTrain station closest to B.C. Place will not be providing access to the stadium on FIFA World Cup match days, despite having “stadium” in its name.

“On local match days, Stadium–Chinatown and Yaletown–Roundhouse stations will not provide pedestrian access to B.C. Place Vancouver due to the secure event perimeter and crowd-control routing,” TransLink said in a news release Tuesday, announcing its plans for the summer tournament.

Fans taking the SkyTrain to the stadium will instead be required to disembark at Main Street–Science World Station and walk more than a kilometre around False Creek through FIFA’s “Last Mile Pedestrian Area” to access the venue.

TransLink said it will be running more frequent SkyTrain service before and after matches, with trains approximately every two minutes at downtown stations.

The transit provider will also extend SkyTrain service by one hour on dates when local matches start at 8 p.m. or later, and empty trains will be waiting at Main Street–Science World Station after games.

“With temporary road closures, controlled areas, and traffic management measures near venues, transit will be the fastest and easiest way to reach B.C. Place Vancouver and the FIFA Fan Festival Vancouver,” TransLink said in its statement.

The transit provider will be adding approximately 600 additional bus trips per day, with a dedicated shuttle between the PNE—where the fan festival will be located—and the Expo and Millennium lines.

Extra service will be added to regular bus routes in the downtown core and around the PNE, with additional buses on standby “to respond to crowd surges and changing conditions,” TransLink said.

More frequent SeaBus sailings and weekend West Coast Express service are also planned as part of TransLink’s World Cup preparation, along with designated pickup locations for HandyDART service.

To meet the expected surge in demand for transit during the tournament, TransLink said it will be increasing its front-line staff presence throughout the system. Additional attendants, transit police, security officers, customer information agents and volunteers will be helping to manage crowds, answer questions, provide directions and keep customers safe.

“This region knows what it takes to host the world, and our transit system has been part of that success every step of the way,” said TransLink CEO Kevin Quinn, in the release.

“Vancouver is the only 2026 host city with this track record: a World Expo, the Olympic Games, the FIFA Women’s World Cup—and now the FIFA Men’s World Cup. TransLink will leverage that experience to scale up service and move large crowds safely and reliably. Our system was built for major events, and it’s ready for the world’s biggest."