Burnaby Mountain Gondola

Past studies considered a number of ground-based and aerial transit options and led to the 3S gondola technology as the preferred solution to connect Burnaby Mountain to SkyTrain.

The benefits of a 3S gondola system include: the ability to operate in high wind conditions, sufficient ridership capacity, and energy-efficiency, which results in lower operating costs.

We recently consulted with two aerial ropeway suppliers on technology options who confirmed that 3S technology remains the best option.

The gondola system that is proposed to connect Skytrain to Burnaby Mountain is a three cable, or 3S system. It carries passengers comfortably in gondola cabins from station to station. It is the same technology used as the Peak to Peak Gondola in Whistler Blackcomb.

Gondola systems are a proven technology with more than 20,000 ropeway systems worldwide. For example, the system in Voss, Norway, has nearly 25,000 trips on an average day, and the system in Koblenz, Germany, has more than 91,000 trips per day.

The maximum capacity for a gondola cabin is 35 passengers.

More buses will not solve our current and future capacity problem. Our studies over the past decade have shown that a gondola service is still considered the best option for high-capacity transit to Burnaby Mountain.

A gondola would be a one-time investment to provide capacity for the next 30+ years, it would move people up the hill faster than buses, would have improved frequency and reliability, and it would extend our rapid transit network making it a more attractive option to drivers. That mode shift (from driving to taking transit) would help to reduce emissions as would switching from diesel buses to an electric gondola.

Benefits of a gondola system include providing fast, frequent and reliable service. They are safe, provide ample capacity, can operate in all types of weather, and use renewable energy. In addition, a Burnaby Mountain gondola would reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) emissions from trips made by bus and vehicles:

• From buses: The gondola would offset 3,700 tonnes of GHG emissions.

• From vehicles: Route 1: would offset 1,400 tonnes, Route 2 would offset 1,300 tonnes, and Route 3 would offset 800 tonnes.

Note: The reduction in GHG emissions from vehicles would result from the anticipated mode shift from people choosing to take the gondola, rather than driving, due to the travel time savings.

Gondola systems are a proven safe technology with more than 20,000 ropeway systems worldwide. The proposed Burnaby Mountain Gondola would be a 3S system, which operates using three high-strength, multi-strand steel cables. Gondola cabins would be stored in stations overnight as opposed to leaving them on the line. The system would come with strong security measures in place to monitor the integrity of the gondola, like what is in place for SkyTrain, and the towers would be designed to prevent unauthorized access.

The system would come with strong security measures in place to monitor the integrity of the gondola, like what is in place for SkyTrain, and the towers would be designed to prevent unauthorized access. Specific measures could include:

• physical barriers, gates, and locks could be used to impede access to critical components of the system;

• towers could be gated, or designed with unclimbable, tubular structures surrounding them; and

• maintenance ladders could be placed on the inside of the towers with lockable doors and monitored with a security system.

It would be quite unlikely for the gondola cables to ice-up, given the cabins move continuously. If ice was to form while the lift is operating, it would come off at the towers as the cabins pass, but in very small particles, similar to snow. If any ice formed overnight, onsite maintenance staff would take steps to mitigate the ice formation (e.g. operating the lift at slow speed with reduced cabins overnight).

The 3S gondola system can operate safely in winds of up to 100 km/hr. Having a three-cable system increases the stability of the gondola. In addition, the proposed gondola would be equipped with a weather monitoring system to keep operators aware of weather and wind conditions.

Gondola systems are used in earthquake-prone zones around the world, including here in British Columbia as well as in California. Gondolas are more resistant to earthquakes than most structures, and the Burnaby Mountain gondola system would be designed to be seismically resilient. If the gondola is approved and funded, a detailed geotechnical evaluation would take place in order to ensure the final design of the gondola is compatible with the specific geotechnical conditions on Burnaby Mountain. Should the project proceed, a sophisticated emergency management plan would be put in place, including redundant machinery, backup power sources, and trained personnel to conduct evacuations, if ever needed.

During peak periods, the gondola system would operate continuously with cabins departing about every minute. In periods of low demand (i.e. early morning, midday or late evening), the frequency could be reduced to better meet demand.

The travel time for Route 1 would be 6 minutes, compared to a 15-45 minute trip by bus.

Yes, bikes would be allowed on the gondola. Helping customers make sustainable travel choices, which includes the use of bikes throughout our system, is part of TransLink’s long-term strategy. Details related to bike usage on the gondola would be determined at a later stage through passenger modelling if the project proceeds.

Yes, all gondola cabins would be accessible. The cabin floor would match the station floor elevation and the gap between the cabin and platform would meet all requirements for safe boarding and exiting. If a passenger needs extra time to get on or off the cabin, an attendant would be present to offer assistance. If needed, the attendant could also slow or stop the system.

When not in operation, cabins are typically removed from the line automatically and stored to reduce exposure. The cabin storage area is commonly collocated with a station or maintenance facility.

The gondola would incorporate interior lighting that meets the appropriate standards. Floor lighting is typically used to create a safe space in which to move, but would not be visible at ground level.

Option 1: A straight-line route from Production Way–University Station to SFU’s Burnaby campus with the terminal located near the bus exchange.

Option 2: Eastern route (with a non-boarding angle station) from Production Way–University Station to SFU Burnaby campus with the terminal near the bus exchange.

Option 3: Western route (with a non-boarding angle station) from Lake City Way Station to SFU’s Burnaby campus with the terminal located south of South Campus Road.

In 2011, three other routes were assessed for viability, including: Lake City Way Station to South Campus Road (across from South Sciences Building), Production Way–University Station to intersection of Highland Court and Tower Road, and Burquitlam Station to SFU Bus Exchange. These routes were not further considered as they had impacts on conservation areas and conflicts with utilities (e.g. Burnaby Mountain storage terminal).

Yes, the demand for transit service to Burnaby Mountain warrants a gondola. Prior to COVID-19, for most of the year, there were 25,000 daily trips made up and down Burnaby Mountain for school, work, business and recreation. In addition, the residential community of UniverCity has a population of roughly 5,200 residents and that number is expected to nearly double in the next four years.

While there are generally lower ridership levels to Burnaby Mountain in the summer months, we would also expect to see an increase in tourists at that time, similar to our SeaBus ridership.

Despite COVID-19, SFU’s residences on Burnaby Mountain are home to hundreds of students, and there are an additional 5,200 residents in UniverCity. Essential service workers, researchers, students and staff are also commuting to Burnaby Mountain for work, research and approved in-person course work even at this time.

SFU continues to safely expand on-campus activity and they plan to resume in-person classes and labs, and a full complement of student experience activities on the Burnaby campus as soon as it is safe to do so.

Burnaby Mountain is currently served by four bus routes: R5, 143, 144, and 145. Between 2015-2019, transit ridership to/from Burnaby Mountain was 25,000 trips per day. At this level of ridership, customers often experience unreliable service and overcrowding. These problems are expected to worsen as the daytime (SFU student and staff) and permanent residential communities grow.

We cannot keep adding buses to solve the capacity issue. There are a fixed number of buses that we can efficiently operate on a route and we are nearing the upper limit. Buses need to run their routes, have layovers, and in the case of electric buses, charge. We cannot add enough buses to meet current demand, nor the future anticipated demand from the growing student, staff, faculty, and residential population. A key limitation as to how fast we can operate buses is constrained by the time it takes people to board and exit a bus. The fastest observed frequency of bus operation on our network is every 2.5 minutes and that would not address our overcrowding problem.

Minimizing tree removal will be a key objective if this project moves ahead. That said, some tree removal would be required for each of the routes with Route 1 having the lowest impact to trees. Further work would be done to mitigate environmental impacts that could be associated with the construction of a gondola.

Capital and operating costs were updated in 2020 and are comparable to the most recent previous study at an estimated $210 million. If the project proceeds, the Mayors’ Council on Regional Transportation would determine if the Burnaby Mountain Gondola is a funding priority to be included in a future Investment Plan.

Yes, acquiring privately-owned land to build or make changes to infrastructure such as roads, transit alignments and stations, and parks, for example, is quite common. Additionally, having open discussions, negotiating terms, and providing impacted land owners with fair compensation as a result of those infrastructure changes is also common practice.

Yes, property acquisition in the form of aerial passage over two multi-family property complexes is necessary to build the gondola. This means the land and homes themselves would remain untouched, but TransLink would acquire rights for the gondola to pass overhead (60 metres above the homes).

Yes, TransLink would compensate the property owners of the two multi-family complexes over which the gondola would pass.

If the gondola project proceeds, a TransLink representative would contact the property owner located within the gondola right-of-way to make them aware of the project.

We would engage the services of an independent appraiser to determine the current market value of the property/aerial rights and work to reach an agreement with each property owner. Residents could remain in their homes and would not be required to move.

The property acquisition process starts once a project is approved and funded (Note: the Burnaby Mountain Gondola is not yet approved or funded.)