In December 2018, the regional Mayors' Council on Transportation directed TransLink to proceed immediately with planning and project development for a Surrey Langley SkyTrain Project.
At the request of Surrey City Council, the Mayors' Council endorsed a TransLink recommendation to suspend the Surrey LRT Project, pausing all work and spending on it.
The Mayors' Council also directed TransLink to refresh the plan for rapid transit on the 104th Avenue and King George Boulevard corridors, consistent with the 10-Year Vision for 27-kilometres of rapid transit.
This planning work includes design requirements, costing, public engagement, First Nations engagement, an environmental review, municipal partnership agreements with the City of Surrey, City of Langley and Township of Langley, and drafting a business case for senior government approval.
Project development will take approximately 15 months until spring 2020. Following this, a procurement process would take another 15 months, and construction would take approximately four years. The first step is to provide the Mayors' Council with an update on planning work in July 2019.
No. The project requires business case approval by federal, provincial and the Mayors' Council as well as TransLink's Board of Directors. The first step is to provide the Mayors' Council with an update on planning work in July 2019.
In 2017, a preliminary cost estimate for a 16-kilometre Surrey Langley SkyTrain was $2.9 billion. Current approved funding for this project is limited to what remains of the amount that was originally approved in TransLink's Phase 2 Investment Plan for the Surrey-Newton-Guildford LRT Project – approximately $1.6 billion.
Part of our work includes updating the cost estimate and determining how far along Fraser Highway the line could be constructed with the already approved funding.
TransLink is committed to sustainable best practices and will conduct an environmental review of the area.
As the population in communities south of the Fraser continues to grow, so does demand for transit. A SkyTrain along Fraser Highway will help meet current and future transit needs. It will also connect commuters travelling between Langley and Surrey as well as the broader region, providing commuters with a frequent, reliable and convenient mode of rapid transit.
In December 2018, the Mayors' Council directed TransLink to initiate a planning process to refresh the South of Fraser Rapid Transit Plan, consistent with the 10-Year Vision of building 27 kilometres of rapid transit on the 104th Avenue, King George Boulevard and Fraser Highway corridors.
While the Fraser Highway B-Line would be a welcome service along the corridor, until rapid transit is implemented, it isn't cost-effective to invest resources in new B-Line infrastructure that would only be dismantled for construction.
Resources for the proposed B-Line bus service along Fraser Highway will be directed toward improving existing local bus services, such as the 502, 503 and the 96 B-Line.
Other bus services for south of the Fraser include new B-Lines:
Scott Road via 120th Street
White Rock Centre via King George Boulevard and 152 Street
SkyTrain is not proprietary to a specific manufacturer. There are multiple manufacturers with the ability to construct vehicles and components for TransLink's SkyTrain system. Procurement for rail infrastructure and SkyTrain vehicles go through a competitive bidding process. This process would be similar for all types of transit technology.
From April 4 to 26 2019, we sought feedback on:
Priorities, opportunities, considerations, and level of support for the proposed Surrey Langley SkyTrain that extends 16 kilometres from King George Station in Surrey to Langley City
Priorities, opportunities, and considerations for rapid transit options on the 104th Avenue and King George Boulevard corridors
What's important when thinking about rapid transit options
Public engagement attracted a record-level response, with over 21,000 survey responses and over 1,000 participants at four open houses.
The survey results indicated widespread support for the proposed Surrey Langley SkyTrain. In Surrey and Langley, 85% of respondents support the proposed project, and in the rest of the region, support lies at 84%.
Feedback will help to inform the update we provide the Mayors' Council in July 2019.
No. This is because:
For more information, please see the Report on Interurban Passenger Rail PDF.