City of Vancouver envisions LRT on 41st Avenue in the distant future
For the first time ever, City of Vancouver staff are stating that they are envisioning the possibility of street-level light rail transit on 41st Avenue.
But don’t count on it happening anytime soon, of course.
In an email to Daily Hive, the city says that upgrades are being considered for 41st Avenue to retain the space for the potential of running “surface rail” along this arterial street. However, this is “meant to be inclusive of extremely long-term planning.”
The proposed construction work revolves around removing the existing tunnel connecting Oakridge Centre’s parkade with 41st Avenue as part of the massive redevelopment of the shopping centre. The tunnel is an exit for vehicles travelling between the parkade and the westbound direction of 41st Avenue.
The development team – Westbank and QuadReal Property Group – is required to fill in and cover up the existing tunnel under the ‘Tunnel Removal Agreement.’ The municipal government will cover the first $1.5-million cost of the tunnel removal, with any additional cost borne by the developers.
At this time, such an LRT project is not part of the regional transit plan or Vancouver’s transit plan, and the city’s current plan is to support TransLink with its implementation of the new 41st Avenue B-Line between UBC and Joyce-Collingwood Station.
The 41st Avenue service is one of the four new B-Line routes will be operational by the end of 2019. Historically, B-Line services in Metro Vancouver have been precursors to rail rapid transit.
Over the longer term, the City has plans to build a streetcar system on the Arbutus Greenway.
See also
- 41st Avenue B-Line will run from UBC to Joyce-Collingwood Station (MAP)
- The future of Oakridge Centre: New renderings show surreal architecture
- Even more futuristic renderings of the Oakridge Centre redevelopment
- Oakridge Centre will be the largest development in Vancouver's history (RENDERINGS)
- Park Board approves iconic design for 9-acre rooftop park at Oakridge Centre
- New bus loop opens at Joyce-Collingwood Station
- 4 new B-Line routes to be launched in Metro Vancouver by end of 2019 (MAP)
- 6 more B-Line rapid bus routes planned by TransLink
- Real-time displays, WiFi, and enhanced buses and stops coming to B-Line routes
- Vancouver approves Arbutus Greenway design that fully extends to False Creek and Fraser River