‘Troubling’ increase in safety incidents on SkyTrain

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A new report is highlighting how human behaviour—whether intended or unintentional—remains the leading factor behind serious incidents on the transit system, with incidents on the rise.

Technical Safety BC and TransLink have issued a joint call to action for transit passengers to prioritize safety on and around the Metro Vancouver SkyTrain system.

Between 2016 and 2025, there were 122 safety incidents involving people making physical contact with the SkyTrain, said the new report. 

In 100 per cent of these cases, the railway safety systems were “operating as designed,” said the report, including systems that detect when something enters the guideway (the track area) and triggers the train’s emergency brakes. When adjusted for ridership, the average incident rate on the Expo and Millennium lines from 2023 to 2025 was double the pre-pandemic rate recorded between 2016 and 2019.

Of the 122 incidents, 63 per cent occurred in the guideway. Nearly half of those incidents (47 per cent) were fatal, while eight per cent resulted in severe injuries. The remaining 37 per cent occurred on platforms, where 23 per cent resulted in moderate to major injuries, including “incidents involving people standing too close to the platform edge or attempting to stop train doors from closing.”

“Our safety data shows a troubling increase in incidents where individuals have come into contact with a SkyTrain,” said Derek Patterson, VP of Regulatory Leadership and Corporate Secretary, Technical Safety BC. “We must work together to influence better safety outcomes. We are partnering with TransLink to share this data so we can educate the public, prevent future tragedies, and save lives.”

TransLink and Technical Safety BC urge transit users to follow these life-saving guidelines:

1. Stay behind the yellow line on the platform until the train has come to a complete stop and the doors have opened.
2. Do not try to board once the doors have started closing. Never use your hands, bags, clothing, or other belongings to try to stop or hold the doors open.
3. Never enter the guideway. If you drop something (such as a phone or keys) onto the tracks, do not try to retrieve it yourself. Inform a SkyTrain staff member for assistance.
4. Stay aware of your surroundings. Avoid distractions like looking down at your phone or wearing noise-cancelling headphones when standing near the platform edge.

TransLink observations suggest that people may appear unsteady on platforms for various reasons, including mobility challenges, intoxication, neurological disorders, and other medical conditions. Previous studies also found that platform screen doors were not compatible with the SkyTrain system. TransLink is now reassessing the technology to determine whether newer solutions can address those challenges and work within the existing system.