Four cranes to be deployed for Surrey-Langley SkyTrain construction this year | Daily Hive

Four gantry cranes to be deployed for Surrey-Langley SkyTrain construction this year

Gantry launcher crane used for the construction of the elevated guideway of the SkyTrain Millennium Line's Evergreen extension. (Government of BC)

Although construction work along Fraser Highway is already highly apparent, major construction activities for the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain extension of the Expo Line will ramp up even more later this year.

As reported by Daily Hive Urbanized last month, major construction work on the project officially — but unceremoniously — began in November 2024.

In an update on the construction progress today, the provincial government announced that, starting in Summer 2025, four gantry launchers will be working to assemble the concrete elevated guideway of the project.

You might also like:

These gantry launchers are special, long, horizontal-oriented cranes that raise the pre-cast concrete segments into place for installation. With caterpillar-like movements, the heavy truss equipment incrementally slides forward along the construction route using the next new concrete columns as the footings and begins the process all over again.

Using this construction method, the erection and installation of the segments using these bridge-like cranes is highly repetitive, reliable, and relatively quick.

Think of this equipment almost as if it were the elevated-construction method equivalent of a tunnel boring machine.

Such gantry launchers do not touch the ground, which reduces the size of the construction staging area that would otherwise be required for a conventional ground-based crane.

Gantry launchers are also more economical to use for longer spans of bridge or guideway; in contrast, for the very short 700-metre-long elevated segment of SkyTrain Millennium Line’s Broadway extension through the False Creek Flats, a conventional ground-based crane was used to lift the pre-cast concrete segments into place.

The construction of the concrete elevated guideway of the original Expo Line in the 1980s and early 1990s used a conventional ground-based crane. Due to the extreme weight of such conventional cranes that use the ground as their footings, extensive ground repairs were needed as a part of the Expo Line’s construction process.

The technological advancements in construction enabled the use of gantry launchers for the original 2002-built Millennium Line, the 2009-built Canada Line, and the Millennium Line’s 2016-built Evergreen extension.

skytrain evergreen millennium line guideway construction gantry launcher crane f

Gantry launcher crane used for the construction of the elevated guideway of the SkyTrain Millennium Line’s Evergreen extension. (Government of BC)

skytrain millennium line evergreen extension construction gantry launcher crane 3

Gantry launcher crane used for the construction of the elevated guideway of the SkyTrain Millennium Line’s Evergreen extension. (Government of BC)

This summer, the four gantry launchers will begin work at 152 Street Station, Bakerview-166 Street Station, and Hillcrest-184 Street Station, gradually filling the gaps in the elevated guideway between them.

The Surrey-Langley SkyTrain extension’s 16-km-long route is 100% elevated. This spring, the temporary pre-cast concrete plant in Campbell Heights will begin manufacturing 4,400 pre-cast concrete segments for the project. Construction on the 30-acre plant is expected to reach completion soon.

When major construction work officially began in November 2024, crews began extensive piling and foundational work for the concrete columns and some station sites. This builds on previous site preparation work conducted over the past few years.

surrey langely skytrain 152 street station construction january 2025

January 2025 construction progress on 152 Street Station of the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain. (Government of BC)

surrey langely skytrain 152 street station construction january 2025 2

January 2025 construction progress on 152 Street Station of the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain. (Government of BC)

surrey langley skytrain pre-cast facility january 2025 construction

January 2025 construction progress on the Campbell Heights pre-cast concrete plant for the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain. (Government of BC)

In 2025, crews will focus on the foundations for about 200 concrete columns and the start of the structural construction of Green Timbers Station and Langley City Centre Station.

“The Surrey-Langley SkyTrain project is going to transform the transportation experience for people across the region,” said Mike Farnworth, the B.C. Minster of Transportation and Transit, in a statement today. “From job creation to housing and improved access to services and amenities, the new SkyTrain line will make getting around faster and more affordable for hundreds of thousands of people.”

This project will add eight new elevated stations on a continuous extension of the Expo Line east of King George Station along Fraser Highway.

17916 fraser highway surrey skytrain omc5 operations and maintenance centre

Site of SkyTrain’s future OMC5 at 17916 Fraser Highway, Surrey, along the future Surrey-Langley SkyTrain extension of the Expo Line. (Government of BC/Daily Hive)

The provincial government had previously anticipated the project could be built by late 2028, but this completion and opening timeline was delayed by one year to late 2029 following the awarding of the three major contracts last year. Also, as announced in August 2024, the cost of the project has increased by 50 per cent from the previous estimate of $3.94 billion to $5.996 billion. The provincial government attributed the cost increase to challenging market conditions, leading to inflated prices for materials, labour, and equipment.

Separately, the Millennium Line’s Broadway extension reaching Arbutus will reach completion and open in Fall 2027.

You might also like: