BC NDP promise UBC SkyTrain, rail links to Fraser Valley and Whistler

BC NDP promise to build UBC SkyTrain, rail service to Fraser Valley and Whistler

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

David Eby’s BC NDP party has outlined sweeping new transportation infrastructure promises, with an overwhelming emphasis on growing and improving public transit services.

In the full platform document of over 60 pages that was released today, the BC NDP make clear that they will complete the SkyTrain Millennium Line extension from Arbutus to the University of British Columbia campus.

In early 2024, the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure told Daily Hive Urbanized they have taken control of the project’s planning work from TransLink, and that the next key step is to perform business case planning to determine the project’s precise route, station placements, and detailed design.

This business case process, which includes geotechnical studies involving borehole drilling to obtain soil samples for ground conditions analysis, is estimated to cost $40 million, with the federal government covering $14 million.

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In addition to serving continued high ridership demand to UBC, this SkyTrain extension is critical for enabling the high level of residential density envisioned for MST Development Corporation’s Jericho Lands development, where up to 13.5 million sq ft of total building floor area could be built, including residential space for about 13,000 homes accommodating 24,000 residents. The Jericho Lands neighbourhood would be served by both an on-site station and the nearby Alma Station.

Major investments in rail rapid transit are also planned for the opposite side of the region, specifically the expansion of TransLink’s West Coast Express commuter rail line from its existing easternmost terminus of Mission to Chilliwack. The West Coast Express operates on leased track time on tracks owned and operated by Canadian Pacific (CP), and its service has been virtually unchanged since its initial launch in the late 1990s.

In their platform, the BC NDP states they would work on “connecting communities in the Fraser Valley through a new rail service, working jointly with CP” to provide “cleaner, more efficient transit options for people and help reduce traffic congestion on Highway 1.” This is expected to build on the provincial government’s recently completed feasibility study of identifying options to provide the West Coast Express with eastward extension options and build new regional rail routes.

In addition to rail rapid transit to the Fraser Valley, the BC NDP are recommitting their plan to widen Highway 1 to Chilliwack, with current highway widening plans reaching Abbotsford. The future widening between Abbotsford and Chilliwack is expected to carry a superior design that better protects the route from future flooding in the Sumas Prairie.

Additionally, the shoulder lanes on the widened Highway 1 would be used for a new rapid bus service.

The BC NDP’s platform also commits to implementing TransLink’s Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) strategy, including BRT routes along King George Boulevard between Surrey City Centre and White Rock, along 200 Street and Golden Ears Bridge between Langley City Centre and Maple Ridge, and a new North Shore route between Park Royal in West Vancouver and Metrotown in Burnaby via the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge. Over the longer term, the North Shore BRT could be upgraded to Light Rail Transit (LRT) or SkyTrain.

Major public transit services would be considered for the Sea to Sky Corridor, with the BC NDP promising to create a business plan for operating a commuter rail line to link Metro Vancouver, Squamish, Whistler, and Pemberton.

“This will help address crowding and traffic in this fast-growing corridor and increase convenient access to more affordable housing for workers who live in Squamish and Pemberton and commute to Whistler or Vancouver,” reads the platform.

If elected as the governing party, the BC NDP would also make a key move by bringing HandyDART services under public operations, as opposed to the current practice by both TransLink and BC Transit of subcontracting these services to private companies. The party suggests this would lead to improved services for seniors and people with disabilities.

Furthermore, they would also review BC Transit’s delivery models of subcontracting private companies to operate conventional bus services, which is the case for service areas such as the Fraser Valley and Sea to Sky Corridor.

As well, BC Transit’s intercity BC Bus North service would be expanded with more express bus routes, including a new fleet of express buses between key hubs.

The BC NDP platform includes improving the affordability of public transit services by offering free public transit for seniors during non-peak hours.

Conversely, John Rustad’s Conservative Party of BC also announced various major transportation infrastructure promises today, such as a southward SkyTrain Expo Line extension along King George Boulevard between Surrey City Centre and Newton, a new replacement Ironworkers Memorial Bridge with more capacity for general vehicle traffic and public transit, a widening of the new replacement Pattullo Bridge from four vehicle lanes to six vehicle lanes, a widening of Highway 1 reaching Chilliwack, building regional rail to the Fraser Valley, and expanding public transit service along the Sea to Sky Corridor.

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