BC government confirms new UBC SkyTrain to be a key priority | Daily Hive

BC government confirms UBC SkyTrain extension to be a key priority

Highly conceptual artistic renderings only for illustrative purposes of UBC Station of the UBC SkyTrain extension (UBC).

The dust has now settled for the newly recalibrated Government of British Columbia following the October 2024 provincial election.

Last week, Premier David Eby issued mandate letters to his cabinet ministers, outlining the priorities each Ministry is expected to make progress on.

For Mike Farnworth, the new BC Minister of Transportation and Transit, he has been directed by the premier to “lead work to advance progress on the Broadway extension to UBC, including by working with the federal government, UBC, the City of Vancouver, First Nations, and all relevant government agency stakeholders.”

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Also, in relation to this extension of SkyTrain’s Millennium Line from Arbutus to the University of British Columbia (UBC), Farnworth will work with Ravi Kahlon, BC Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs, to “advance related government objectives on housing density and identify opportunities to achieve reduced carbon pollution and economic development.”

This suggests the advancement of the approximate seven-km-long SkyTrain extension from Arbutus to UBC is closely linked with pursuing high-density transit-oriented development near the future stations.

Additionally, more broadly, they will “identify and champion transit-oriented development sites with local governments, stakeholders, and the private sector in order to maximize success of this initiative.”

translink ubc skytrain route options april 2022

Sasamat Station vs. Jericho Lands Station route options for UBC SkyTrain, April 2022. (TransLink)

UBC SkyTrain route options for a second station reaching south campus, near Wesbrook Village. (TransLink)

In January 2024, Vancouver City Council approved the policy statement for the 90-acre Jericho Lands development in West Point Grey, which is being spearheaded by Indigenous-owned MST Developments and federal Crown corporation Canada Lands Company. Within dozens of towers up to 49 storeys, there will be about 13,000 homes for approximately 24,000 residents and at least 750,000 sq ft of commercial uses for a combined total building floor area of about 13.5 million sq ft.

Proceeding with high densities at the Jericho Lands depends entirely on the UBC SkyTrain extension, which would include an on-site Jericho Lands Station. As well, the proposed Alma Station, just east of the development site at the intersection of West Broadway and Alma Street, would also be within a very close walking distance to the eastern areas of the Jericho Lands. The municipal government previously suggested that if SkyTrain is not built to help meet the expected transportation demand, the scale of this project might need to be reconsidered.

December 2023 conceptual artistic rendering of the Jericho Lands. (City of Vancouver)

jericho lands mst clc vancouver concept june 2023

Potential subway station concept; June 2023 revised concept of the Jericho Lands. (MST Development Corporation/Canada Lands Company)

Potential subway station concept at the Jericho Lands. (MST Development Corporation/Canada Lands Company)

Shortly after the Jericho Lands’ approval, the provincial government indicated the next step is to complete the UBC SkyTrain’s business case, which includes a highly detailed technical analysis for the design work. This business case is expected to cost $40 million, with the federal government covering $14 million.

Moreover, Eby’s mandate letter includes the direction to “identify affordable and efficient opportunities for expansion of SkyTrain, RapidBus, and rail service in the province to meet the transportation and goods movement needs of growing populations.”

Notably absent was any specific reference to supporting TransLink’s new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) plans, which are different from RapidBus, as well as addressing the public transit authority’s forthcoming fiscal cliff starting 2026, with TransLink warning that the revenue shortfall could lead to a major reduction in services across the region.

When asked to clarify the provincial government’s position, based on what is described in the mandate letters, the BC Ministry of Transportation and Transit told Daily Hive Urbanized that “the mandate letters share the government’s high-level commitments. These letters are more directional and focus on goals; they don’t cover everything the Province is doing, or everything that is going to be done together in the coming years.”

Furthermore, the Ministry specifically noted that they are working closely with TransLink on their next Investment Plan and that there is ongoing engagement with the two new proposed BRT routes. Last week, TransLink began another round of public consultation on the new King George Boulevard BRT (between SkyTrain’s Surrey Central Station and Semiahmoo Town Centre in South Surrey) and the new Langley-Haney Place BRT (between SkyTrain’s future Willowbrook Station and Haney Place in Maple Ridge).

translink brt bus rapid transit route map king george boulevard langley haney place

Proposed route map for King George Boulevard BRT and Langley-Haney Place BRT. (TransLink)

Proposed preliminary concept for TransLink’s Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lines. (TransLink)

It should also be noted that during last fall’s provincial election campaign, the BC NDP included the platform promises of advancing UBC SkyTrain, the aforementioned two BRT lines, and the consideration of an eastward extension of the West Coast Express commuter rail from its existing terminus of Mission to Chilliwack, and a new commuter rail link along the Sea to Sky corridor linking Metro Vancouver with Squamish, Whistler, and Pemberton.

“Our government recognizes rapid growth is resulting in rising traffic congestion in the Fraser Valley. Through our Fraser Valley Integrated Planning Study, we are collaborating with cross ministry partners, local governments, transportation agencies and First Nations to develop a shared vision for integrated transportation. This involves coordinating the movement of people and goods by rail, and looking at future expansion opportunities, including the West Coast Express,” the Ministry told Daily Hive Urbanized.

Eby’s mandate letter includes the directive to expand rural and intercity public transit services, and he specifically mentions the Sea to Sky corridor and the Central Okanagan region.

When it comes to road infrastructure, the BC NDP’s platform promise last year included the continued widening of Highway 1 from Langley to deeper into the Fraser Valley, ultimately reaching Chilliwack. Last year, the provincial government indicated a forthcoming 21-km-long Highway 1 improvement segment reaching the Highway 11 (Sumas Way) interchange will carry a total cost of about $5 billion. The two-phased construction on this segment will reach full completion by 2031.

In his mandate letter, Eby wrote that there is a need to prioritize “improvements in BC’s road infrastructure balanced with integrated transit opportunities to ensure that people can get home and to work faster, and goods can get to market more efficiently in our province.”

Other priorities outlined in the mandate letter include supporting low-income people (including seniors and young people) with accessing public transit more affordably, permitting the use of technology to improvement enforcement of safety on public transit, and working with BC Ferries to “address administrative costs and ensure affordable, reliable, and sustainable ferry services.”

As well, the premier has asked Farnworth to begin “reviewing the private delivery model for provincial transit systems starting with HandyDART” to “ensure that our provincial transit services are being delivered in a way that is cost effective for taxpayers, responsive to the concerns of transit riders, and not duplicative of administration.”

Over the years, particularly after recent prolonged strikes by privately operated public transit services under contract, there has been growing attention on these services and suggestions to transition them to public operations under the general operations of the BC Transit and TransLink systems.

Pacific Western Transit operates BC Transit’s Sea to Sky corridor’s bus services under contract, while First Transit operates BC Transit’s services in the Fraser Valley.

Last year, a major strike shutdown of TransLink’s HandyDART services was narrowly averted, with the public transit authority continuing to contract this service to Transdev. Some municipal governments in Metro Vancouver have also formally called on TransLink to bring its HandyDART services in-house, just like the conventional public transit system, suggesting it would better meet the needs of people with disabilities by creating improved service outcomes compared to a privately operated service.

West Coast Express commuter rail at Waterfront Station in downtown Vancouver. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

bc transit bus sea to sky highway whistler village

BC Transit bus on the Sea to Sky Highway near Whistler Village. (Trevor Bodnar/Resort Municipality of Whistler)

HandyDART shuttle bus. (TransLink)

One other priority noted by Eby for this Ministry is to “find ways to support taxi and ride hail operators and ensure safe and affordable transportation options for British Columbians.”

In the meantime, SkyTrain Millennium Line’s Broadway extension reaching Arbutus is now scheduled to reach completion and open in Fall 2027.

In November 2024, major construction work began on SkyTrain Millennium Line’s Surrey-Langley extension, which is scheduled to reach completion in late 2029. The budget for this SkyTrain extension project has escalated by 50% from $4 billion to $6 billion.

Previously known as the “Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure,” there is a new emphasis on prioritizing public transit improvements by the Ministry of Transportation and Transit.

Separately, the brand-new Ministry of Infrastructure, led by Minister Bowinn Ma, is tasked with finding cost efficiencies to help address the recent soaring costs of a wide range of capital projects led by the provincial government.

Eby directed Ma to “identify and implement opportunities to reduce costs for taxpayers and expedite approval and construction of projects, including standardization of infrastructure like schools, hospital patient towers, child care facilities, and drug treatment or mental health facilities, but not limited to these projects.”

This includes working to “structure our capital plan to minimize cost inflation due to labour shortages or overlapping demands on a limited pool of bidders while prioritizing the delivery of high-quality infrastructure across the province.”

Other priorities outlined by this new Ministry being a strong advocate for seeking a “fair cost share” from the federal government for “critical infrastructure projects with national importance.”

In a June 2024 letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Eby formally asked the federal government to provide significant funding toward various major BC infrastructure projects, with the premier at the time deeming the project to replace the aging and capacity-constrained George Massey Tunnel to be the provincial government’s “top transportation infrastructure priority” for federal funding given the project’s importance for the movement of goods and national trade.

Currently, the official estimated cost of the new immersed tunnel and downsized Highway 99 upgrades remains at $4.15 billion. The provincial government has yet to provide a cost update, but the previous $4.15 billion figure is not expected to hold, as it was created in 2020/2021 — prior to the steep pandemic-induced escalation in market construction costs for labour, materials, and equipment.

All of these priorities are being considered in the backdrop of the provincial government’s growing fiscal challenges and worsening economic headwinds, especially with President Donald Trump’s proposed 25% tariff on all Canadian goods imported into the United States.

george massey tunnel new replacement 2024 rendering f

2024 preliminary artistic rendering of the new George Massey Tunnel. (Government of BC)

Artistic rendering of the new eight-lane immersed tunnel replacement for the George Massey Tunnel. (Government of BC)

Artistic rendering of the new Cloverdale hospital at 5500 180 Street, Surrey. (Government of BC)

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