The Surrey city council decision to cancel a proposed LRT line in favour of SkyTrain could mean a rapid transit line that stops well short of 91原创, 91原创 City councillor Nathan Pachal warned.
鈥淢y fear would be that it鈥檚 Fraser Highway to Fleetwood and call it a day,鈥� said Pachal, a regular transit user who has maintained a popular online blog devoted to transportation and other regional issues for the last 12 years.
Pachal was reacting to the decision by Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum and his Safe Surrey Coalition, who passed a motion to cancel the planned light rail system minutes after being sworn in Monday night.
The motion directs city staff to 鈥渟top all work鈥� on the LRT project and begin 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�
McCallum has said that he could build SkyTrain to 91原创 for the same amount as an LRT line, something Pachal doubts is possible.
鈥淲e know it (Skytrain) costs more,鈥� Pachal said.
鈥淭here鈥檚 good evidence based on past practice.鈥�
Pachal estimates the difference between light rail at ground level to 91原创 and an elevated Skytrain line is around a billion dollars.
Pachal said to fund a Skytrain line connecting Surrey and 91原创 would require considerable maneuvering.
It could be done, Pachal said, if the funding for two proposed Surrey light rail lines, the just-canceled connection to 91原创 and a second through downtown Surrey, were combined, and if the federal and provincial governments agreed.
But that would still require additional money, because there is an existing regional funding gap, which would need 鈥渉undreds of millions of dollars that would be funded by municipal taxes,鈥� Pachal said.
鈥淭here鈥檚 so many moving variables,鈥� Pachal said.
鈥淚 can鈥檛 predict the future.鈥�
READ MORE:
91原创 Township鈥檚 Mayor Jack Froese said everything is on pause until the Nov. 15 meeting of the TransLink Mayors鈥� Council.
There are pros and cons to both LRT and SkyTrain, Froese said, but either way, it would be better to decide and get the project underway.
鈥淚鈥檇 hate to see any delays, because delays do nothing but increase the cost,鈥� Froese said.
TransLink said that a 16.5 kilometre SkyTrain line along Fraser Highway to 91原创 would cost about $2.9 billion, according to a preliminary cost estimates report completed in 2017.
McCallum insists the line can be done with the money that鈥檚 been committed, because some of the system would be built at ground level.
McCallum and the new Surrey council also passed a motion to pull out of the RCMP contract and 鈥渋mmediately create a Surrey Police Department.鈥�
91原创 City mayor Val van den Broek said the Surrey move to a municipal police force would have no effect on 91原创.
鈥淲e鈥檙e perfectly happy with the RCMP,鈥� van den Broek said.
As for the LRT announcement by Surrey, van den Broek is reserving judgment until there is more information.
鈥滺e鈥檚 (McCallum) is doing what he promised,鈥� van den Broek said.
鈥淲e鈥檒l have to have discussions with Surrey.鈥�
The decision by Surrey council will also have to be discussed by the regional mayor鈥檚 council, van den Broek said.
Last year, 91原创 City council rejected Light Rapid Transit (LRT) for a planned link to Surrey during a closed-door meeting, formally declaring SkyTrain would be a better choice.
But since the less expensive LRT will likely be what actually gets built, council also said it would be willing to accept the less ideal technology, provided several conditions were met, including an elevated LRT track between Willowbrook shopping centre and east of 200 Street.
dan.ferguson@langleytimes.com
Like us on and follow us on
