Granville station (SkyTrain)
| Company type | Rapid transit station |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
| Founded | 1985 |
| Headquarters | Vancouver , Canada |
| Products | SkyTrain Expo Line service |
Granville station operates underground on the Expo Line of Metro Vancouver's SkyTrain rapid transit network. Situated in Downtown Vancouver, it lies along the Granville Mall segment of Granville Street, with access points on Granville Street, Seymour Street, and Dunsmuir Street.
This station caters to prominent commercial zones, including the shopping and entertainment districts found along Granville and Robson Street. It also serves major office and retail centers such as Pacific Centre and Vancouver Centre. Nearby landmarks encompass Robson Square, which hosts the Vancouver Art Gallery, the Provincial Court of British Columbia, a satellite campus of the University of British Columbia, the Orpheum Theatre, Vancouver Library Square, in addition to significant office buildings like TD Tower, Scotia Tower, and the HSBC Canada Building.
History
Granville station commenced operations in 1985 and derives its name from the adjacent Granville Street, which itself traces back to an early settlement predating Vancouver’s 1886 incorporation. The Austrian architectural firm Architektengruppe U-Bahn designed the station, integrating its entrances with the Pacific Centre shopping complex. In 1983, BC Transit secured a lease for a sub-basement corridor beneath Pacific Centre at a nominal cost of $1 to facilitate construction of an entrance facing Granville Mall.
On September 22, 2006, elevator access was introduced from Dunsmuir Street as part of the adjoining Hudson on Granville development. This upgrade included separate escalator routes leading to platforms and retail areas within the station’s ticketing lobby, with a passageway connecting to Hudson's Bay and Pacific Centre. Although this redesign allowed for potential closure of the original entrance, it remained operational except for a brief shutdown during lighting improvements in late 2006.
In May 2018, TransLink launched the Granville Station Escalator Replacement Project under its Maintenance and Repair Program. This initiative replaced six escalators, necessitating the temporary closure of both the Seymour Street entrance and the Granville/Seymour concourse. After nearly two years, escalator service was fully restored and the Seymour Street entrance reopened on July 17, 2020.
Structure and design
Similar to Burrard station, Granville station is constructed within the Dunsmuir Tunnel and exhibits a distinctive platform configuration. The westbound track heading toward Waterfront is positioned above the eastbound track traveling to King George and Production Way–University, with the westbound platform located one level higher. Situated approximately underground, it holds the distinction of being the deepest station along the Expo Line.
Services
Granville station is among four Expo Line stations serving Downtown Vancouver. It provides connections to numerous TransLink bus routes, including trolleybus services operating on Granville Mall and suburban buses running along nearby Georgia Street destined for North and West Vancouver. Passengers can transfer to the Canada Line at Vancouver City Centre station by walking through Pacific Centre, Vancouver Centre, and the Hudson Bay store; however, the only direct SkyTrain transfer point remains at Waterfront station.
Within the fare-paid zone lies a small retail outlet located at the base of the primary escalator bank where corridors diverge toward westbound and eastbound platforms—an uncommon feature among SkyTrain stations.
Distinctively, Granville lacks a standalone surface entrance building. Instead, it relies on three entrances seamlessly integrated into surrounding developments: via Hudson's Bay Company on Granville Mall; direct ticketing platform access on Seymour Street; and through the Hudson condominium complex on Dunsmuir Street.
Entrances
- Granville Street entrance: This original primary entry features an underground passage linking to the Hudson's Bay department store and Pacific Centre at the concourse level. Three escalators provide access between the platform and concourse levels; however, there are no escalators or elevators connecting the concourse to street level. Entry to the escalators at this location is accessed via the newer Dunsmuir entrance through an underground corridor. There is no elevator or staircase between the concourse and platform here.
- Seymour Street entrance: This entrance connects to the Granville concourse through a short staircase, but lacks escalator or elevator facilities.
- Dunsmuir Street entrance: Introduced in 2006, this entrance offers both elevator and escalator access from street to platform levels, along with an underground link to the Granville entrance at concourse and street levels. Similar to Granville, it features three escalators but does not have stairs connecting the concourse and platform. Fare gates are positioned on the inbound platform level.
Transit connections
- Local and night bus services operate along Granville Street, directly in front of the entrance Monday through Thursday and during daytime hours on Friday to Sunday and holidays:
- During Friday to Sunday evenings and holidays, buses are rerouted to Seymour Street near the Seymour entrance:
- The NightBus terminus is located on Howe Street between Pender and Dunsmuir streets; buses also serve Seymour Street close to the Seymour entrance:
- Suburban bus routes stop on Georgia Street near the Granville entrance: