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A decade and a half after the Olympic-era demonstration streetcar service ended, there is renewed interest in reactivating the railway right-of-way for another time-limited demonstration service.

According to the City, it has received three different unsolicited proposals from private entities to operate a new temporary streetcar service.

These entities had shown interest in having the demonstration streetcar line ready in time for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but the municipal government later determined that it is not legally feasible due to FIFA’s strict advertising restrictions and safety/security requirements within a certain radius around BC Place Stadium, and that it would provide minimal benefit for the tournament’s transportation mobility plan. As well, there would need to be more lead time to secure approvals and planning. For this reason, any demonstration streetcar service would begin no earlier than September 2026 — after the FIFA World Cup.

“In response to enquiries from private companies, the City continues to be in communication with the companies regarding the future use of the existing railways infrastructure running from City lands south of Granville Island to the Olympic Village,” Steve Brown, the director of engineering projects and development services for the City, told Daily Hive Urbanized upon inquiry.

“At this time, the City does not anticipate the tracks being used for a streetcar trial or other purposes before the 2026 FIFA World Cup.”

Should a demonstration streetcar service move forward, the selected proponent would be responsible for overseeing all aspects of the initiative and all capital and operating costs, including permitting, installation, operations, and maintenance. The City does not intend to provide any direct financial support.

One of the proponents is U.K.-based Transport Design International (TDI), which was founded over three decades ago and has been involved in over 130 projects worldwide. The company has been making some headway over the past decade from its development of Very Light Rail (VLR) technology, which is currently being built in the English city of Coventry as a demonstration project.

TDI intends to use its VLR technology on the False Creek South railway right-of-way between Granville Island and Olympic Village Station. Currently, this route is generally served by TransLink’s No. 50 False Creek South/Waterfront Station bus route.

VLR is touted as a significantly more affordable alternative to conventional streetcar or Light Rail Transit (LRT) systems. It requires far shallower roadway excavations, minimal relocation of underground utilities, and no overhead catenary power lines, as the trains operate using battery-electric propulsion.

VLR trains are also much smaller — carrying passenger capacities of no more than TransLink’s 40-ft buses or 60-ft articulated buses.

It is anticipated such a VLR service would reuse and upgrade the False Creek South right-of-way’s existing rail bed and rails, and install temporary platforms, maintenance facilities, and fast-charging equipment.

In 2023, as previously reported by Daily Hive Urbanized, the Greater Victoria municipal governments of Colwood and View Royal endorsed a similar proposal in principle to test VLR in their jurisdictions, directing their City staff to identify a potential route linking both jurisdictions. However, it appears this initiative later lost traction.

Little is publicly known about the other proposals to relaunch a streetcar service along the False Creek South right-of-way, except that one proponent appears to have direct ties to the Government of India’s Ministry of External Affairs and the Consulate General of India in Vancouver.

“A trial would provide the City with an opportunity to gain valuable insights into modern transit technology and operational efficiencies. These learnings could inform potential future expansions of the system, connecting additional key destinations and enhancing sustainable urban transit options. Importantly, these trials would require minimal effort and resources on the part of the City,” wrote City staff in an internal memo.

The municipal government is also considering an unsolicited proposal to use the False Creek South railway tracks to operate the “Choo Choo Pod Hotel” concept of repurposing vintage passenger cars into capsule overnight accommodations. However, the proponent told Daily Hive Urbanized they are considering other locations after the City was only able to offer a short-term lease on the tracks.

Vancouver once had a comprehensive streetcar network that was discontinued shortly after the Second World War, with some of the routes replaced by trolley buses.

The idea for reintroducing the streetcar into the city’s urban fabric — within the downtown Vancouver peninsula and False Creek South — has been floated by the municipal government since the 1990s, and additional studies were also performed in 2005 and 2018/2019, at which point the City also created a long-term permanent design concept for the Arbutus Greenway that enabled the future construction of a streetcar line.

The most recent streetcar analysis was completed throughout 2024, with the City contracting engineering consultancy firm Parsons to better determine the feasibility of such a service.

This study’s findings were summarized in a January 2025 report, with City staff working with the consultant on determining the feasibility of running a possible streetcar line that directly serves Squamish Nation’s Senakw rental housing complex, Concord Pacific’s future Molson Coors brewery redevelopment, Granville Island, the False Creek South neighbourhood, Olympic Village Station, the Olympic Village, Science World, the Expo Line’s Main Street-Science World Station, Pacific Central Station, and the new St. Paul’s Hospital campus in the False Creek Flats. There would be a total of seven streetcar stations.

Beyond the False Creek South railway right-of-way, such a service could run along a short span of Fir Street and the Olympic Village’s 1st Avenue median reserved for a future streetcar right-of-way, and terminate on Station Street next to Thornton Park and Pacific Central Station — just south of the new hospital.

“As part of ongoing work to better understand mobility needs in South False Creek, the City conducted the South False Creek Transit Market Research in 2024. The study identified that people are interested in a future transit service in the area, especially if it connects with the current system, with consideration to travel time, frequency of service, and cost,” Brown told Daily Hive Urbanized.

The City’s latest study found that such a streetcar route could see 4.7 million passengers in 2035 and 5.7 million passengers in 2050, but there would be very new public transit trips, with limited impact to the overall transportation mode share. It is also anticipated 30 per cent of these passengers would be tourists in 2035, increasing to 40 per cent in 2050.

Under baseline assumptions, ridership on a daily basis would reach up to 9,520 passengers in 2035 and 10,570 passengers in 2050.

The ridership potential grows if the SkyTrain extension between Arbutus Station and the University of British Columbia is not built, and if the streetcar uses TransLink’s Compass fare system without the need for an additional fare. If a unique ticket and additional fare is needed, the ridership potential could fall by as much as 28 per cent.

“The attractiveness of the streetcar as part of a larger transit network is heavily contingent on fare integration with the TransLink fare system,” reads the study.

During its 60-day run, the Olympic Line demonstration streetcar averaged 9,200 boardings per day, with ridership surging to 18,600 daily during the 2010 Winter Games and reaching peaks of over 25,000 boardings per day — and up to 2,500 per hour. While these figures confirmed the system’s ability to handle high passenger volumes, the Olympic-period ridership was not considered representative of typical long-term demand.

Before the Olympic Line demonstration, the Vancouver Downtown Historic Railway operated seasonally along the same corridor starting in 1998. Initially running a single streetcar between Granville Island and West 6th Avenue/Moberly Street on summer weekends, it carried 8,242 riders in its first year. The service expanded to two cars in 1999, grew to 12,589 annual passengers, and extended eastward in stages to eventually reach Main Street-Science World Station. It continued operating under this model until 2011 — when the City pulled the annual operating subsidy — excluding 2010 when the Olympic Line streetcar took over the route.

This latest City-led study is separate from the Squamish Nation’s streetcar feasibility study, which is required under the Senakw services agreement between the First Nation and the municipal government.

There is a recognized need to explore improved public transit options along the south shore of False Creek to support the significant transportation demand expected from Senakw’s future residents, potential long-term redevelopment of City-owned lands in False Creek South, and efforts to reduce reliance on private vehicles for accessing Granville Island.

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