I. Introduction
On January 14th 2008, the Province of British Columbia publicly announced a $14 billion
Provincial Transit Plan for the greater Vancouver region. Of that total, $2.8 billion would
be dedicated to the development of an underground extension of the Millenium Skytrain
line to UBC, connecting the University of British Columbia with the Commercial Drive
station, running through central Broadway’s business district.1 This connection has been
considered in various studies since 1993 and identified as a high-priority corridor by
2004. Translink, the regional transportation agency, continues to study the Broadway
corridor with the final publication of the Rapid Transit Alternatives study, which is
due out in 2009 and may or may not recommend a subway tunnel. Nevertheless the
Province, by committing approximately 233 million dollars per kilometer for the project,
is anticipating that the final technological choice for the corridor will be deep tunnel
subway technology, by far the most expensive option.
If our common objective is to maximize the public benefit from tax dollars, the question
could be asked: Is a subway system the best option for meeting the needs of citizens to
access UBC from other parts of the region? Indeed, is accessing UBC alone worthy of a
2.8 billion dollar public investment? Are there more affordable options?
This study examines this question through exploring one alternative way to expend such
a large sum. It reveals how the overlapping benefits which might accrue from a transit
investment - in intensified land use, improved access for the elderly, and improved quality
of life for the city - might be maximized. To this end, we will compare the current plans
for the UBC line to the recent development of the Portland tram system, and analyse the
costs and benefits consequent to that choice.
The Case for the Tram: Learning from Portland.
Professor Patrick M. Condon, Sigrid Gruenberger, Marta Klaptocz
Figure 6-1: Map extracted from the
Provincial Transit Plan. 2
The left hand dotted yellow line
shows the conceptual extension of the
Millenium line to UBC.
SxD - 1 - No.x
FOUNDATIONAL RESEARCH
BULLETIN
SUSTAINABILITY BY
DESIGN
An examination of alternatives to
an underground extension of the
Millenium line to UBC.
No. 6
May 2008

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II. Historical Context: The City of Vancouver as a Classic Streetcar City
The opening of an electric streetcar railway system in Vancouver on June 27th 1890
brought excitement and convenience to many, and instigated a significant development
boom in the city. The streetcar system reached its maximum extent in 1928 (figure 6-3).
Originally built and managed by the Vancouver Electric Railway & Light Company,
there were several shifts in ownership before its final takeover by the UK-owned British
Columbia Electric Railway Company (BCER).
Once completed the system extended as far as North Vancouver’s Lynn Valley and deep
into Burnaby along the Hastings Street corridor. The longest line southward extended
down Oak Street, crossing the North Arm of the Fraser River. Both residential and
commercial development quickly spread along the streetcar corridors. The ease of
transportation afforded by the streetcar established the pattern of commercial arterials
and adjacent neighbourhoods that still define the City of Vancouver.
Figure 6-2: Historic photograph of a
streetcar in Vancouver, ca.1900. 3
Streetcar ridership began to decrease with
the advent of the automobile in the late
1920s. Gradually streetcars were replaced
by busses and by the electric trolly.
Vancouver streetcars made their last trip on
April 24th, 1955. All the rails were quickly
ripped out. The locations of most of the
original streetcar lines are still marked by
the overhead electrical catenary lines used
by todays trolly busses.4
Figure 6-3: Historic map from 1928
showing the streetcar routes in
Vancouver, highlighted in red. 4
Given the importance of this original system to the creation of Vancouver and its public
realm, it is worth considering the value of a reinvestment along these key arterials as an
alternative or as a supplement to the proposed UBC line. Consequently we compare the
Vancouver proposal to Portland, OR, where they chose to reinstall trams on streets where
they had been removed. A detailed analysis of the Portland experience begins below.