BC government seeking public input on Surrey-Langley SkyTrain design

Conceptual artistic depiction of 203 Street Station on the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain. (Government of BC)

The provincial government has revealed its conceptual design approach for the entire 16-km-long Surrey-Langley SkyTrain project for public consultation.

A total of eight additional stations are planned for the Expo Line along Fraser Highway between the existing terminus at King George Station to Langley City Centre.

Seven stations will have side platforms, while the Expo Line’s new easternmost terminus of 203 Street Station will have a centre platform.

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The entire extension will be elevated, with the alignment running down the centre of Fraser Highway through Green Timbers Urban Forest to 152 Street Station, on the north side between 152 Street and 166 Street stations, on the south side through the Serpentine River and Agricultural Land Reserve, and returning to the north side for the final stretch before the Surrey-Langley City municipal border.

For the final approach within Langley City to 203 Street Station, the elevated guideway will be on the south side of Industrial Avenue.

Map of the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain. (Government of BC)

Three station-serving bus exchanges are planned, including for 166 Street Station, 196 Street Station, and 203 Street Station. The latter of these stations, as the terminus, will have a particularly larger bus exchange to enable bus connections to communities in eastern Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley.

A four-lane roadway standard will be maintained for the reconfigured Fraser Highway to accommodate the elevated guideway. As well, project planners intend to take advantage of the SkyTrain project to create an active transportation corridor following the elevated guideway, with wide sidewalks and protected bi-directional bike lanes.

surrey-langley skytrain active transportation

Wide pedestrian sidewalks and protected bi-directional bike lanes on one side of Fraser Highway as part of the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain. (Government of BC)

Additionally, the consultation emphasizes on the approach of spurring high-density, transit-oriented development to enable both more housing options and affordable housing, retail and services, employment spaces, recreation and entertainment uses, and educational facilities near the SkyTrain stations. As stipulated by both the provincial government and TransLink in exchange for the major transit investment, both the City of Surrey and Langley City are engaged in various planning processes of creating new area plans that densify areas around stations.

By 2050, it is anticipated 100,000 people will be living within 800 metres of the new stations, and over 20,000 new jobs will be accessible by SkyTrain. The combined population of Surrey, Langley City, and Langley Township will also rise by 420,000 people, and the overall workforce will grow by 147,000 new local jobs.

Furthermore, by 2050, ridership on the Surrey-Langley extension of the Expo Line will reach an average of 80,000 passengers per weekday.

The travel time is projected to be 22 minutes between King George Station and the new terminus of 203 Street Station in Langley City Centre, and 65 minutes on a one-train ride between Waterfront Station and 203 Street Station.

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Alignment of the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain. (Government of BC)

As of 2021, the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain had an estimated construction cost of $3.95 billion for the entire project — built as a single phase reaching Langley, instead of the previously contemplated two phases. This project is confirmed, with the federal government committing $1.3 billion for its share.

Similar to how the Millennium Line Broadway Extension is currently being carried out, the provincial government took over this Expo Line extension project from TransLink last year, and is currently leading planning efforts towards implementation.

The current public consultation will lead to the finalization of the new business case for the entire extension by Fall 2022.

By early 2023, the provincial government will launch the bidding process for a contractor, starting with request for qualifications (RFQ). Shortlisted contractors will then be invited to submit a detailed bid through the request for proposals (RFP) stage in Spring 2023, with an aim to award the contract by the middle of 2024. Construction is expected to begin in late 2024 or early 2025 for an opening by late 2028.

surrey-langley skytrain fraser highway widening green timbers

Completed Fraser Highway widening segment within Green Timbers Urban Forest in preparation for Surrey-Langley SkyTrain, as of February 12, 2022. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

Fraser Highway looking east towards Green Timbers Urban Forest and Mount Baker from near SkyTrain King George Station. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

Noticeably absent from the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain project scope is the inclusion of an additional operations and maintenance centre (OMC5) serving the Expo Line, which will be located in Langley. The provincial government’s BC Major Infrastructure Projects Brochure, published earlier this spring, suggests the OMC5 facility will be a separate project, with an estimated cost range within the category of between $500 million and $1 billion. Procurement for OMC5 will start in the latter half of 2022, with construction anticipated between 2023 and 2028. This will be a very significant facility to accommodate both Surrey-Langley SkyTrain car operations and the overall long-term growth of the SkyTrain car fleet.

Before major construction begins in about two years on the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain, about $128 million in advance work and site preparation activities will be conducted, including widening Fraser Highway through Green Timbers to a four-lane standard, relocating BC Hydro power lines and structures, relocating other utilities, and property acquisitions.

An online survey for the current public consultation is available now through June 9, 2022.

140 Street Station (Green Timbers)

Surrey-Langley SkyTrain 140 Street Station 2

Conceptual artistic depiction of 140 Street Station on the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain. (Government of BC)

152 Street Station

Conceptual artistic depiction of 152 Street Station on the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain. (Government of BC)

160 Street Station

Conceptual artistic depiction of 160 Street Station on the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain. (Government of BC)

166 Street Station

Conceptual artistic depiction of 166 Street Station on the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain. (Government of BC)

184 Street Station

Conceptual artistic depiction of 184 Street Station on the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain. (Government of BC)

190 Street Station

Conceptual artistic depiction of 190 Street Station on the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain. (Government of BC)

196 Street Station

Conceptual artistic depiction of 196 Street Station on the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain. (Government of BC)

203 Street Station

Conceptual artistic depiction of 203 Street Station on the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain. (Government of BC)

Surrey-Langley SkyTrain 203 Street Station 2

Conceptual artistic depiction of 203 Street Station on the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain. (Government of BC)

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