Will Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum鈥檚 envisioned SkyTrain extension make it all the way down Fraser Highway to 91原创?
91原创 City Councillor Nathan Pachal said he worries it won鈥檛.
Pachal said he doesn鈥檛 think there is enough funding on the table to pay for an extension of Surrey鈥檚 SkyTrain line all the way from Whalley to 91原创.
Pachal expects that 鈥渢he first phase of the SkyTrain extension would likely terminate in Fleetwood,鈥� referring to 2017 TransLink estimates that the line down Fraser Highway to 91原创 would cost roughly $2.9 billion, far more than the $1.65 billion that has been committed to the former Surrey council鈥檚 plan to build light rail in the city.
鈥淢y major concern would be that there would be no regional consensus for funding SkyTrain from Fleetwood to 91原创, and we would not see rail rapid transit until after an indeterminate length of time,鈥� said Pachal.
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But McCallum insists the SkyTrain line can be done with the money that鈥檚 been committed, partly because he intends for part of the system to be built 鈥渁t grade,鈥� or at ground level, which would 鈥渟ignificantly鈥� reduce the price tag.
And, because of the total cost of the Evergreen Line.
鈥淭he Evergreen Line came in a year-and-a-half ago at $1.4 billion,鈥� said McCallum. 鈥淪o we think that even if you add inflation, and maybe the cost of some of the materials to be a little bit more, that we can still build it along Fraser Highway at $1.65 billion.鈥�
Pachal said he looks forward to seeing McCallum鈥檚 鈥渄etailed design and costing documents.鈥�
McCallum and his Safe Surrey Coalition passed a motion to 鈥渃ancel鈥� the planned light rail system in the city immediately after being sworn in on Nov. 5. The motion directs city staff to 鈥渟top all work鈥� on the LRT project and immediately start working with TransLink on a SkyTrain extension down Fraser Highway to 91原创.
It also requests that the Mayors鈥� Council and TransLink follow suit and 鈥渋mmediately initiate a new SkyTrain extension,鈥� as well as transfer the approved funding to the project 鈥渁s soon as possible.鈥�
In light of the resolution, TransLink CEO Kevin Desmond said in a statement it is 鈥減ausing work on the Surrey-Newton-Guildford LRT Project and suspending the RFQ process while we await direction from the Mayors鈥� Council and the TransLink Board.鈥�
TransLink, added Desmond, is 鈥渃ommitted to improving rapid transit in Surrey and 91原创 and we look forward to working with the Mayors鈥� Council, the City of Surrey, and the City and Township of 91原创 to advance the best options for the people south of the Fraser and the entire region as quickly as possible.鈥�
Next, McCallum will have to get his vision passed at the Mayors鈥� Council on Regional Transportation. The first meeting of the region鈥檚 newly elected mayors is set for Nov. 15 in New Westminster.
McCallum says that he will continue to speak with mayors around the region to drum up support.
Last week, New Westminster Mayor Jonathan Cote has suggested Surrey should pay back the $50 million TransLink says it has spent on planning light rail in the city, but McCallum said that won鈥檛 be happening.
鈥淲e have no intention of paying that,鈥� McCallum told the Now-Leader. 鈥淚t鈥檚 TransLink鈥檚 problem, and it鈥檚 their mistake because they didn鈥檛 do any public consulting.鈥�
amy.reid@surreynowleader.com
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