The SkyTrain rapid transit system in Greater Vancouver, Canada, was conceived as a legacy project of Expo 86 and was finished in time to showcase the fair's theme: "Transportation and Communication: World in Motion – World in Touch". Construction was funded by the provincial and federal governments. Vancouver had plans as early as the 1950s to build a monorail system, with modernist architect Wells Coates pencilled in to design it; that project was abandoned. The lack of a rapid transit system was said to be the cause of traffic problems in the 1970s, and the municipal government could not fund the construction of such a system. During the same period, Urban Transportation Development Corporation, then an Ontario crown corporation, was developing a new rapid transit technology known as an "Intermediate Capacity Transit System". In 1980, the need for rapid transit was great, and Ontario needed buyers for its new technology. "Advanced Rapid Transit" was selected to be built in Vancouver to showcase the Ontario project at Expo 86. Expo 86 and the Expo Line Construction of the original line began on March 1, 1982, under the Social Credit government of Bill Bennett, who inaugurated the system at Waterfront station. SkyTrain opened on December 11, 1985, with free weekend service, and entered full revenue service on January 3, 1986. Until 1989, the SkyTrain terminated at New Westminster station; in 1987, construction began on an extension including the Skybridge, Columbia station, and Scott Road station, extending the service to Surrey. The line was expanded yet again in 1994 with the opening of the Gateway, Surrey Central, and King George stations. SkyTrain was part of the 1996 Greater Vancouver Regional District's (GVRD) Livable Region Strategic Plan, which discussed strategies to deal with the anticipated increase of population in the region. These strategies included increasing transportation choices and transit use. From 1989 to 1993, BC Transit had carried out an extensive analysis on rapid transit from Vancouver to Richmond. Close to a million dollars was spent by BC Transit carrying out engineering and cost estimates on various possible alignments. Routes in Vancouver such as Granville, Oak, Heather, Ontario and Main Street were all examined and eliminated. Recommended routes for the final assessment were the Cambie Street corridor and the Arbutus corridor. The final option selected was SkyTrain running along Cambie, but the Arbutus alignment was a strong contender from the point of view of