Getting Around Burnaby, BC: SkyTrain, Buses, Compass Card and Driving

Burnaby has more SkyTrain stations than any Metro Vancouver city except Vancouver itself. It is served by both the Expo Line and the Millennium Line, plus buses, and you can get by without a car in Metrotown, Brentwood and Lougheed. Further out, most households need one or two cars.

The two SkyTrain lines in Burnaby

Expo Line — through south Burnaby
The Expo Line runs from Waterfront Station in downtown Vancouver east through Burnaby, New Westminster and Surrey to King George Station. In Burnaby it serves Patterson, Metrotown, Royal Oak and Edmonds stations.

Metrotown Station drops you directly at Metropolis at Metrotown. From Metrotown to Waterfront is about 25 minutes on the Expo Line.

Millennium Line — through north Burnaby
The Millennium Line runs from Waterfront and VCC-Clark in Vancouver, through Burnaby and on to Lougheed Town Centre and the Tri-Cities. In Burnaby it serves Brentwood Town Centre, Gilmore, Holdom, Sperling-Burnaby Lake, Lake City Way, Production Way-University and Lougheed Town Centre.

From Brentwood Town Centre to Waterfront is about 20 minutes via the Millennium Line and a transfer at Commercial-Broadway.

The Expo and Millennium Lines meet at Commercial-Broadway and at Columbia Station in New Westminster. Transfer there if you need to switch lines.

Fares, zones and Compass Card

TransLink runs transit in Metro Vancouver. You cannot use cash to pay a SkyTrain fare. You need a Compass Card or a Compass Ticket.

A Compass Card has a $6 refundable deposit — you get that money back when you return the card. SkyTrain uses a tap-in, tap-out system. You must tap your card when you enter a station and again when you exit.

Metro Vancouver is divided into three fare zones. Zone 1 covers most of the City of Vancouver. Zone 2 includes Burnaby, Richmond and New Westminster. Zone 3 covers Surrey, Coquitlam, Port Moody and other outer municipalities.

Multi-zone fares only apply during peak hours, Monday to Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and from 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Check translink.ca for current fare amounts before you buy, as fees are reviewed periodically.

Use the TransLink trip planner at translink.ca and the Transit app to plan journeys. Enter your starting point and destination and the planner will show you which SkyTrain line to take, which bus to transfer to, and how long the whole journey takes.

Buses that matter in Burnaby

• 144 Metrotown–SFU and 145 Production Way–SFU: the main connection to Simon Fraser University on top of Burnaby Mountain.
• 19: downtown Vancouver to Metrotown Mall.
• 130, 116, 49, 31 and 19: useful alternatives to Metrotown Station when Patterson Station has elevator work.
• Buses from Gilmore Station to BCIT's Burnaby campus.

From the airport and the border

From YVR airport, take the Canada Line SkyTrain to Bridgeport Station and transfer to the 430 bus, or continue to Waterfront and transfer to the Expo Line. Direct transit time to Metrotown is about 45 to 55 minutes. A taxi or ride-share from YVR to Metrotown runs $40 to $55 depending on traffic.

The Peace Arch border crossing is about 50 minutes south of Burnaby via Highway 99 and Highway 1. Amtrak Cascades from Seattle stops at Pacific Central Station in Vancouver, about 25 minutes from Burnaby on the Expo Line.

Driving in Burnaby

Highway 1, the Trans-Canada Highway, runs through Burnaby. Driving during rush hour is variable, typically 30 to 45 minutes from Burnaby to downtown Vancouver depending on the route and traffic.

Note for November 2026: Patterson SkyTrain Station's elevator is closed for replacement work from November 3, 2026 through spring 2027. Passengers who rely on elevators, including wheelchair users and people with strollers, are warned to allow up to an extra 30 minutes. Official detours include buses 19, 31, 49, 116 or 130 to Metrotown Station, bus 129 to Gilmore Station, or walking along the BC Parkway to Metrotown's accessible entrance if able. Check elevator status before travel.

Sources: TransLink, translink.ca; BC Newcomer, How to Use the SkyTrain as a Newcomer in Vancouver, April 2026; VanCity Guide, Burnaby cost of living, transit and newcomer guide.