Urbanized
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Could Vancouver welcome one of its most unique accommodation concepts — a pod hotel built inside restored 1950s passenger train cars?
It was one of several unsolicited proposals recently floated to the City of Vancouver for repurposing the former Olympic Line streetcar right-of-way in False Creek South.
This pod hotel concept originates from Jasper Dikmans, an Amsterdam-born entrepreneur with extensive business development experience, who has lived in Vancouver for the past eight years.
The Olympic Line was a temporary free demonstration streetcar line during the 2010 Winter Olympics, shuttling passengers between Granville Island and the Canada Line’s Olympic Village Station. As previously reported by Daily Hive Urbanized, for various reasons, the municipal government did not want to save the streetcar line after the Olympics and turn it into a permanent legacy, despite the efforts and significant financial support offered by the provincial government.
In an interview with Daily Hive Urbanized, Dikmans shared the project started almost accidentally in May 2024, after discovering the unused Olympic Line streetcar tracks.
“Sometimes you have those ‘aha’ moments in life, and you’re just like, ‘boom,’ there it is, the idea,” he said.
“I consider myself a fairly creative and entrepreneurial person, and many of these oftentimes crazy ideas pop up, and many of those I just disregard. But this one kind of stuck around for a while,” emphasizing that this began as a passion project, on top of his full-time job.
Initially imagined as a quirky bar, the concept quickly evolved into something bigger. Citing Vancouver’s dire hotel room supply shortage, Dikmans saw a rare opportunity to create affordable, memorable lodging for young people and other budget travellers.
Dikmans then tracked down abandoned railcars as close as Squamish — rusting but restorable relics of North American railway history. Specifically, he is looking at converting Canadian Pacific’s 2200 series lightweight passenger cars built for intercity transportation just after the Second World War, with each 60-ton car originally configured to seat 52 passengers in the main rom and 16 passengers in a separate smoking area.
Preliminary concept of the Choo Choo Pod Hotel. (Choo Choo Pod Hotel)
Preliminary concept of the Choo Choo Pod Hotel. (Choo Choo Pod Hotel)
Preliminary concept of the Choo Choo Pod Hotel. (Choo Choo Pod Hotel)
Preliminary concept of the Choo Choo Pod Hotel. (Choo Choo Pod Hotel)
Preliminary concept of the Choo Choo Pod Hotel. (Choo Choo Pod Hotel)
Preliminary concept of the Choo Choo Pod Hotel. (Choo Choo Pod Hotel)
Each 85-ft-long passenger car would be rehabilitated and redesigned to hold 24 private sleeping pods — each with a twin-size mattress — in a stacked/bunk configuration, with individually controlled lighting, built-in power outlets, and privacy provided by a roller blind. The converted car would also be equipped with four toilets, four showers, four change rooms, and a carry-on storage locker. For year-round comfort, there would be air conditioning, heating, and ventilation. To help ensure cleanliness, outdoor shoes would not be permitted inside each car.
Additionally, a covered outdoor space — resembling a train-platform like area — immediately adjacent to the train car would provide guests with space to relax, socialize, and work remotely. Guests can check in using a smartphone app, but there would also be a reception desk — inspired by the design of a train ticket kiosk — to provide 24/7 service and offer snacks and beverages. During cold and/or inclement weather, transparent blinds can be lowered to enclose the covered outdoor space.
He envisions a blend of nostalgia and innovation — 1950s decor outside, modern comfort inside. The goal, he said, is to give visitors “a cool and immersive experience you remember 10 years from today,” unlike standard hotel stays.
Preliminary concept of the Choo Choo Pod Hotel. (Choo Choo Pod Hotel)
Preliminary concept of the Choo Choo Pod Hotel. (Choo Choo Pod Hotel)
Preliminary concept of the Choo Choo Pod Hotel. (Choo Choo Pod Hotel)
Preliminary concept of the Choo Choo Pod Hotel. (Choo Choo Pod Hotel)
Furthermore, on larger site footprints and where demand warrants, a pod hotel location could potentially feature up to two cars parked in parallel — accommodating up to 48 private sleeping pods, and benefiting from the economies of scale of using the same covered outdoor amenity space and reception.
Dikmans has aptly named the concept the “Choo Choo Pod Hotel.”
The original envisioned sites were along the dormant streetcar line between the Granville Street Bridge and Cambie Street Bridge — “hidden in plain sight” real estate that captivated him. The locations would generally be located on the same footprints of the streetcar platforms of the former Olympic Line.
But after the City of Vancouver’s real estate department offered Dikmans only a two-year lease, he said the project on the False Creek South railway right-of-way was no longer financially viable due to the heavy infrastructure investments required.
He later learned the municipal government may be considering a new streetcar trial there — potentially sometime after the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
As a result, Dikmans is pursuing a second potential path: working with the Vancouver Park Board to secure suitable space in an under-utilized park instead, where a new short strip of track could be installed as needed to support the installation of the converted train cars.
Early this year, Park Board staff shared they had received a wide range of about 60 unsolicited proposals from businesses and organizations since opening the intake for a formal unsolicited proposal process in 2024. One of the most publicly known elaborate unsolicited proposals is a pitch to transform the remnants of the polar bear exhibit at the former Stanley Park Zoo into a spa destination. The Park Board has adopted a strategy to consider new revenue-generating business opportunities and partnerships.
As well, in 2024, Vancouver City Council passed a member motion directing City staff to consider creating various new policies and development requirements to help catalyze pod hotels.
Dikmans argues Vancouver urgently needs overnight accommodations suited to independent travellers, especially younger ones.
Preliminary concept of the Choo Choo Pod Hotel. (Choo Choo Pod Hotel)
Preliminary concept of the Choo Choo Pod Hotel. (Choo Choo Pod Hotel)
Preliminary concept of the Choo Choo Pod Hotel. (Choo Choo Pod Hotel)
Within Metro Vancouver and the Sea to Sky corridor, pod hotels already operate in Richmond City Centre (Panda Pod Hotel) and Whistler Village (Pangea Pod Hotel), he noted, but not within the city limits of Vancouver, despite rising tourism and limited hotel supply. Pod hotels are, of course, popular in Asia, especially in Japan, where they originated.
He also says the concept aligns with the provincial government’s tourism goals, including expanding accommodations along the “Rainforest to Rockies” corridor — giving smaller communities a way to host road-trippers stopping overnight instead of just for coffee.
Ultimately, he hopes the Choo Choo Pod Hotel will grow into a network of railcar stays throughout British Columbia — not just a one-off concept. After the initial launch in Vancouver, the intention is to expand to Hope, Lytton, Kamloops, Revelstoke, Golden, and Yoho.
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