BC NDP and Conservatives promise extending SkyTrain to Newton, aligning with Surrey mayor-elect Doug McCallum's plan
The Conservative Party of British Columbia and BC NDP are promising to bring SkyTrain to Surrey’s Newton Town Centre if they form the next provincial government, putting the party behind a major rapid transit expansion also championed by Surrey mayor-elect Doug McCallum.
Conservative leader Lorne Doerkson announced this morning that his provincial government would work with the federal government to fund and build the SkyTrain extension along King George Boulevard.
The proposed route fully aligns with McCallum’s civic election promise to extend SkyTrain south along the same corridor to Newton.
This would most likely extend the existing Expo Line south from Surrey City Centre, adding a spur line to SkyTrain’s original route.
The Conservatives’ announcement also points to the cancellation of the previous street-level Surrey Newton-Guildford light rail transit (LRT) project in late 2018. That change occurred during McCallum’s previous administration. At its first meeting after taking office, Safe Surrey Coalition-led City Council passed a motion to cancel the LRT project and pursue a SkyTrain extension along Fraser Highway from the existing King George Station to Langley City Centre, which is now well under construction for completion in 2029.
If the Conservatives are elected, a Newton SkyTrain extension project would almost certainly cancel TransLink’s existing less ambitious proposal to build the King George Boulevard Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line for about $700 million, with David Eby’s BC NDP including $250 million in their platform to fund the project.
The BC NDP has also made a similar commitment, announcing this morning they would also support the development of SkyTrain to Newton.
“Surrey voters have spoken clearly: They want us to get results for them, which includes reliable transit for the rapidly growing Newton community. The mayor-elect and I worked together to get the SkyTrain to Langley under way, and I’m committed to partnering again to achieve his vision for improved public transportation in this city,” said BC NDP leader David Eby.
However, in a statement in reaction to both platform promises on the Newton SkyTrain extension, mayor-elect McCallum leaned more towards the commitment made by Doerkson’s Conservatives, which he says was a more explicit promise.
McCallum says the Conservatives clearly promised they would build the Newton SkyTrain extension, while the BC NDP said they would welcome “that conversation,” adding that “a commitment to build is not the same as a willingness to talk.”
“Surrey is the fastest-growing city in British Columbia and Newton is its largest community, and for years it has been underserved by transit and neglected by the governments that decide where rapid transit gets built. Newton has been promised its turn for as long as I can remember,” said McCallum. “This week one party committed to build SkyTrain to Newton, and the other offered a meeting. Newton has been in meetings for years. It needs a commitment, and it needs shovels.”
The provincial general election’s main voting day is this Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026.
More to come…
- You might also like:
- David Eby's BC NDP commit $250 million toward TransLink's new Bus Rapid Transit line in Surrey
- Cost of TransLink's King George Boulevard Bus Rapid Transit line soars to $700 million
- David Eby's BC NDP promises new TransLink funding source without higher costs for drivers
- Lorne Doerkson's B.C. Conservatives propose replacing ICBC's no-fault system, consider private auto insurance competition
- Lorne Doerkson's B.C. Conservatives promise 10-lane George Massey Bridge instead of $8.5-billion, eight-lane immersed tunnel