Work starts on $300 million Vancouver electric bus depot

Publisher1953

December 30, 2024

CaDCR staff writer

Work has started on the $300 million Marple Transit Centre electric bus depot in Vancouver.

The new depot on a 20-acre site on the Fraser River at the foot of Cambie Street will be dedicated to battery-electric buses.

A development permit application approved by the City of Vancouver indicates the site will be elevated on a platform about 4.6 metres above sea level to serve a “superdyke” function — higher than the existing ground elevation of between 2.5 metres and 3.3 metres.

The depot will have a capacity to store, charge, operate, and maintain about 300 battery-electric bus vehicles, including the space needs for the large workforce of bus drivers assigned to the fleet.

A TransLink spokesperson told Daily Hive Urbanized (DHU) that the centre will be completed by 2028.

There will be two main buildings on the site, with the largest being a 638,000 sq ft operations building with three levels, including bus staging and storage at ground level, bus charging and a substation on the second level, and administrative/dispatch facilities and employee/visitor parking on the third level, DHU reported.

The second building for maintenance spaces will span 125,000 sq ft across two levels, containing bus maintenance and repair bays, tire shops, parts storage, and support areas for mechanics and maintenance staff.