Surrey Langley Skytrain - Expo Line Extension | Proposed

[BaddieB]

I'm just surprised in this day and age we haven't found a way to tunnel bore cheaply. We should be able to tunnel bore for like $100M/km

[nname]

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

As a matter of fact, they have: Phase 2 near Langley cost $345 million total for roughly half the length. That's a 4x increase in the cost/km. Want to guess how much the Chilliwack phase will be if this pattern keeps up?

Stop acting like I'm happy about it; I simply accept it as the apparent cost of getting nice things. You want eye-watering, try how the original cost was $3.12 billion ten years ago. Over in Toronto, the Ontario Line was supposed to be $11B, and now it's $28B, and it'll probably go even higher. Wish they'd send that kind of budget our way once in a while.
Whatever - as long as it gets built before a new mayor scraps it and we're back with the stupid streetcar again, I'll call it a win.

Now I think about it... I think the previous estimate was based on 2021, which was just before inflation shoot up to 8% year over year for a couple of years. So that alone probably just make everything 15-20% more expensive.

Inflation now is still higher than what it was before the pandemic, especially for construction. Since the money is report as as-spent during the course of construction, so it's safe to say that the companies are playing safe and set the expected inflation from 2024-2029 is at least a couple of percentage higher per year than the previous estimate. So combine the two, plus the additional year of construction.. inflation alone probably contributed to at least 30-40% of the cost increase.

If the contract term is similar to Evergreen, then a big chunk of payment will only be made after construction finishes. If that the case, then a big portion of the cost is actually 2029$, which makes the project look even more costly.

Originally Posted by BaddieB

I'm just surprised in this day and age we haven't found a way to tunnel bore cheaply. We should be able to tunnel bore for like $100M/km

What? $100M/km for rapid transit? Bored tunnel too??

According to Metrolynx in Toronto, you can barely build a bike path for $100M/km nowadays

https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/cou...786fc0c77.html

[Cityofglass1879]

Any updates on this project?

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by Cityofglass1879

Any updates on this project?

Construction updates here:

https://surreylangleyskytrain.gov.bc.ca/current-work/

[idunno]

I wonder if we'll have a big "major construction" announcement during the election period.

[mcj]

Originally Posted by idunno

I wonder if we'll have a big "major construction" announcement during the election period.

Probably a photo op / press conference next to the test piling work they're starting next week that'll run for a couple weeks.

Actual construction starting will eventually upset a lot of people though, as it does for every major infrastructure project.

[adrianroam95]

Any chance the BC Conservatives shelve this project should they win the election? Part of me hopes that momentum is far enough along that it's too late to pump the brakes but the Surrey LRT was also ready to go before it got cancelled...

[chowhou]

Originally Posted by adrianroam95

Any chance the BC Conservatives shelve this project should they win the election? Part of me hopes that momentum is far enough along that it's too late to pump the brakes but the Surrey LRT was also ready to go before it got cancelled...

Zero chance at this point, it's actually an election promise from them I believe. Surrey and Langley want that Skytrain badly, and those are the kinds of ridings that the CPBC is aiming to win over.

[officedweller]

BC Conservatives vow major new transportation infrastructure, including SkyTrain extension to Newton
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/bc-c...ridge-promises

[Stainer]

Originally Posted by chowhou

Zero chance at this point, it's actually an election promise from them I believe. Surrey and Langley want that Skytrain badly, and those are the kinds of ridings that the CPBC is aiming to win over.

It's also under construction now. Was out there taking a look this week, amazed how much work is happening already.

[Cityofglass1879]

Originally Posted by Stainer

It's also under construction now. Was out there taking a look this week, amazed how much work is happening already.

Would love to see pics if anyone is able! Very excited about the start of this project but I’m not currently in the lower mainland

[Jimbo604]

SSP construction started standard is concrete pour for permanent structure, eg track support columns.

Latest construction update says they are working on "test pilings" until Oct 7th.

[BaddieB]

Originally Posted by adrianroam95

Any chance the BC Conservatives shelve this project should they win the election? Part of me hopes that momentum is far enough along that it's too late to pump the brakes but the Surrey LRT was also ready to go before it got cancelled...

The BCC has said they want to get the job done. Shelving it would be political suicide, because the SoF has a complex where they always feel ignored by politicians when it comes to schools, infrastructure, etc. Surrey and Langley are like the Quebec of BC if that makes sense.

And yeah, the Newton extension promise would indicate they support SLS too.

[Lexus]

And here is a fresh video


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqtOUtCBizY

[Cityofglass1879]

Originally Posted by Lexus

And here is a fresh video


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqtOUtCBizY

Thank you so much!!!

[Jebby]

Originally Posted by adrianroam95

Any chance the BC Conservatives shelve this project should they win the election? Part of me hopes that momentum is far enough along that it's too late to pump the brakes but the Surrey LRT was also ready to go before it got cancelled...

Has the party (or the Liberals/United) ever been anti-SkyTrain or anti-transit in the Lower Mainland in general? It seems no matter who the government is, we've gotten upgrades to transit and connectivity.

[jollyburger]

The ground for future piers and the elevated guideway, embankment construction, clearing and backfilling, will occur along a section of Fraser Highway east of Highway 15. This work requires longer duration pattern traffic changes, and to reduce impacts, night work is anticipated during these activities.

https://surreylangleyskytrain.gov.bc...of-highway-15/

[aberdeen5698]

Originally Posted by Jebby

Has the party (or the Liberals/United) ever been anti-SkyTrain or anti-transit in the Lower Mainland in general? It seems no matter who the government is, we've gotten upgrades to transit and connectivity.

Short memory. There were all those years under the BC Liberal government when transit expansion stalled in favour of bridges, bridges, bridges.

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by aberdeen5698

Short memory. There were all those years under the BC Liberal government when transit expansion stalled in favour of bridges, bridges, bridges.

Didn't the Liberals change the Evergreen Line back to SkyTrain from LRT?

[Metro-One]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Didn't the Liberals change the Evergreen Line back to SkyTrain from LRT?

Yes they did.

They actually strong armed the municipalities into grade separated automated systems for both the Canada Line and the Evergreen Line (of course with some compromises with the Canada Line. City of Richmond demanded LRT at first, compromise was single track for final stretch. City of Vancouver didn’t want an open trench along the southern portion of Cambie, which pretty much killed the Bombardier’s Skytrain proposal).

Did the Liberals favor bridge / road expansion over transit? Yes, but no where near to the extent that the usuals on here will lead you to believe. We still got two major Skytrain expansions under them. (And they did save us from LRT, twice, which should always be noted).

It should be noted that our highway network was severely under built when they took power, (much more than today, which still isn’t ideal) so it wasn’t as if it were meaningless upgrades. And the bridge structures they added / replaced were all sorely needed.