Millenium Line Project Completed

The $1.2 billion project extending the Greater Vancouver SkyTrain System is completed and the hand-over of the new system from Rapid Transit Project 2000 Ltd. (RTP) to Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority (commonly known as TransLink) took place on August 21, 2002.

The Millennium Line project consists of a 20 km extension of the SkyTrain rapid transit system adding 12 new stations and associated development. It also involves the purchase of 60 new Mark II SkyTrain vehicles from Bombardier Inc., as well as complex electrical and mechanical systems required to operate the SkyTrain.

Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP acted for RTP on the project and the hand-over agreements, with a team headed by Paul Wilson (corporate commercial/PPP), and including Helmut Johannsen and David Little dealing with construction matters and negotiations with Bombardier, and Edmond Luke and Bonnie Nipp (real estate), Don Dalik (corporate commercial/PPP), Marina Pratchett (construction) and Anna Stavrakov (corporate commercial).

TransLink was represented by in-house counsel Gigi Chen-Kuo, and Christopher Holmes of Farris & Company. Dennis Carson and George Faddis represented the Ministry of the Attorney General.

Running rights for the Millennium Line on the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) rail system were negotiated for RTP by Wolfgang Schwegler of Davis & Company in Vancouver, and by John Goundrey of Alexander, Holburn, Beaudin & Lang in Vancouver for BNSF. Lorne Peterson, Valerie Mann and Len Glass of Lawson Lundell represented Bombardier, together with Bombardier in-house counsel Sylvie Bourdon and Carl Kovach.