Whether it’s public art, museum artefacts, a children’s playground piece, or a backyard rig, anyone can guess what afterlife awaits the first fleet of SkyTrain railcars.

TransLink is pursuing innovative ideas for repurposing approximately 150 retired Mark I SkyTrain cars that are nearing the end of their life after more than four decades of service.

“We are calling on organizations to prepare a retirement plan for the first SkyTrain vehicles that entered the fleet in 1986,” said TranLink’s Thor Diakow.

“Relocating the original fleet and finding homes for these cars provides a unique opportunity to celebrate the region’s public transportation history.”

The classic cars, with their original red, white and blue colors, were introduced at the 1986 World Transportation and Communications Fair, known as Expo 86. Its launch coincides with the fair’s theme “Transportation and Communication: The World in Motion – Within the World”. Touch” marked the introduction of the first rapid transit system to Vancouver.

“Mark 1s are particularly historic because they symbolize a different era in Vancouver and have served millions of transit passengers for nearly 40 years,” Diakow said.

Diakow said “transit enthusiasts all over Metro Vancouver” are excited about the cars because the cars are “part of the historical fabric” of the Vancouver community.

“When you see one of those old school, red, white and blue ones, it really takes you back to the ’80s. “They really remind people of a time when the city was very different from what it is now,” he said.

TransLink hopes to have new Mark 5 cars added to the fleet by 2027 to replace the iconic originals. They offer greater comfort, greater comfort and an overall “smoother ride,” Diakow said, a testament to how far SkyTrain rolling stock has come. It’s been around since their introduction in 1986.

While TransLink is looking for multiple projects and multiple organizations to move the railcars on their next journey, Diakow said there’s no idea “too big or small” what their new purpose might be.

A number of cars have been purchased by a production company and they are planned to be featured in a future television series. Trainspotters may want one for their own personal, trainspotting use, Diakow said, while local museums may hope to seize the opportunity to preserve transportation history at their own institutions.

He said preference would be given to concepts that benefit the community and the historical use of the car would be respected.

Interested community organisations, municipalities, developers and individuals can submit proposals for Mark I trains at: online form. Successful bidders will be responsible for covering the costs of the restoration or reuse plan, as well as financing the transportation of the railcar from BC Rapid Transit Company’s storage facility in Burnaby.

Bids will be accepted until December 6, and applications will reopen later as more vehicles are withdrawn from service.