Expo Line - Surrey Langley Extension: Planning & Pre-Construction

[Firebrand]

I swear that this project is getting more and more stupid now that they’re pulling this off.

[Aroundtheworld]

BOT doesn't seem like a good idea for a project that will lose a lot of money on operations, at least initially.

[Firebrand]

Originally Posted by Aroundtheworld

BOT doesn't seem like a good idea for a project that will lose a lot of money on operations, at least initially.

The reason why the Canada Line got away with it is that its ridership numbers exceeded the break-even (+135,000 riders per day I believe). This one, not so much. If there’s any sort of delay that happens on this line on a frequent basis, ridership will fall pretty quickly and you have to bail out the private operator with taxpayers’ money so they don’t go broke.

[Trainguy]

Get ready for more of this except in the future Surrey..

[Firebrand]

I find it strange that the Kool-Aid LRT supporters pretend that accidents aren’t gonna happen on the L-Line, willfully ignoring the problems other cities with LRT suffer from. Doesn’t help that they get the semantics wrong, making things more complicated than it should be.

[SgtNeonPanda]

Originally Posted by Firebrand

The reason why the Canada Line got away with it is that its ridership numbers exceeded the break-even (+135,000 riders per day I believe). This one, not so much. If there’s any sort of delay that happens on this line on a frequent basis, ridership will fall pretty quickly and you have to bail out the private operator with taxpayers’ money so they don’t go broke.

Translink doesn't have any experience operating LRT. Perhaps this is a way for them to gain capacity by watching an experienced operator refining the operations. And someone to blame as the initial kinks get worked out

[cganuelas1995]

The amount of danger is equal to the number of publicly accessible entry points to the danger areas, in this case, being the track. With grade separated SkyTrain, it's the number of platforms, counting centre platforms at one. With street level LRT, it's infinite.

[Firebrand]

Jeez. That r/vancouver Surrey LRT thread is so toxic I have to stop reading. Reddit can be a caustic hive mind sometimes.

Oh look, someone on that thread thinks the LRT will bring jobs. Reminds me of Christy Clark.

I don't quite understand the opposition to LRT. Mayor's Council itself anticipates a ~33% growth in employment in Surrey, from an urban planning perspective it makes perfect sense to have a LRT that serves intra regional (as in within Surrey) transit needs.

Source: See page 21 - http://www.metrovancouver.org/services/r...GrowthStrategyProjections20062041_TH.pdf

[Firebrand]

From Global News

Councillor Bruce Hayne quits Surrey First civic party with months to election

With just months to go before Surrey residents go to the polls for a civic election, there’s a major shakeup in the local political scene.

Surrey Coun. Bruce Hayne has resigned from Surrey First, the civic party that swept the city’s council in the 2014 elections and which is led by sitting mayor Linda Hepner.

Hayne will sit as an independent until the fall elections.

He says he’s come to realize his goals don’t align with the party, and that he’s disappointed that there hasn’t been more consultation with the public on issues such as public safety, development and transit.

“I don’t think we’ve done a particularily good job of informing the public of what [light rail transit] LRT is going to do for the community and mean for the community,” he said.

“So what we see is a lot of push-back on the chosen route and technology particularly.”

Hayne says another flashpoint for him was the cutting down of the trees in Hawthorne Park to make way for a new east-west connector.

Surrey Mayor Linda Hepner said Hayne is being hypocritical in his criticism, because he’s been a Surrey First team player for two terms.

“Do I believe this is simply a political strategy? Of course it is and anybody who thinks anything different would be simply wrong. It’s a play,” she said.

Co-councillor Vera LeFranc, also with Surrey First, took to Twitter to say she was “sorry to see Bruce go.”

However, she appeared to question his motives.

“I’ve been part of the team for 4 years and he has never mentioned to me, even in passing, that we need to be more transparent or accountable. And I’m an excellent listener,” she tweeted.

Hayne’s resignation comes as Surrey First gets ready to pick a new leader with Hepner not running for re-election.

His name has been floated as a possible mayoral candidate in the Oct. 20 election.

Written by Janet Brown and Simon Little
Published at June 21, 2018 at 1:56 pm
Link

[Trainguy]

Here is the summary of what will happen with the LRT

The $1.65 Billion Surrey Newton Guildford LRT Line Will be Privately Operated

Vancouver British Columbia - Metro Vancouver's first street-level light rail line will be privately operated, at least initially.

According to a project update ahead of this week's TransLink Board of Directors meeting, the $1.65 billion, 10.5 kilometre long Surrey Newton-Guildford LRT (SNG LRT) will use a public-private partnership model similar to the Canada Line.

The public transit authority says it plans to seek private sector interest to design, build, and help finance the project's construction cost.

Additionally, following construction and testing, the successful proponent will also operate and maintain the SNG LRT for a period of seven years as an "extended warranty."

TransLink plans to assume operations and maintenance responsibilities after the short-term private partnership model.

Similarly, the Canada Line is privately operated by ProTransBC, a division of Quebec-based engineering giant SNC-Lavalin.

A joint venture between SNC-Lavalin, the Investment Management Corporation of BC, and Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec invested $750 million towards the $2.054 billion construction cost of the Canada Line.

It also designed and built the project, which opened in 2009.

This consortium, led by SNC-Lavalin, is now in its ninth year of a 35 year contract to operate and maintain the Canada Line in exchange for a portion of its operating revenue to recoup its initial investment and gain a long-run profit.

After the decades-long operating term, TransLink is expected to take over operations and maintenance duties.

Under the Canada Line model, at least 100,000 boardings per day were required to break even on the initial annual operating costs of the system.

If operating revenue generated by ridership failed to meet targets, TransLink would bear any shortfalls to the private operator.

Fortunately, the Canada Line reached 100,000 boardings per day within a year of opening, about four years ahead of ridership forecasts.

TransLink operates and maintains the Expo Line and Millennium Line through its BC Rapid Transit Company (BCRTC) subsidiary, and the future Broadway Extension will also be operated by BCRTC given that it is a direct extension of the Millennium Line.

SNG LRT will run on 104 Avenue and King George Boulevard, connecting Guildford Town Centre and Newton Exchange via Surrey City Centre in 27 minutes.

It is expected the public transit authority will seek private interest in the project late this year, and if all goes as planned construction will commence in 2019 for an opening in 2024.

Upon opening, SNG LRT's ridership is forecast to hover at between 42,000 and 46,000 boardings per day, more than three times the existing 96 B-Line ridership of 13,100 per weekday.

Ridership is expected to grow to between 51,000 and 55,000 per day in 2030 and between 71,000 and 77,000 per day in 2045.

[Trainguy]

Perhaps this is what Surrey's LRT vanity project could look like.

[Colin4567]

Originally Posted by Trainguy

Perhaps this is what Surrey's LRT vanity project could look like.

Every rendering of the LRT has shown that vehicle, the Bombardier Flexity Freedom. It's the same vehicle to be used for Waterloo's ION LRT, some of Toronto's new LRT lines (Eglinton Crosstown, I believe), Edmonton's Valley Line (the one you posted the pic of), and again, judging by the renderings, Calgary's future Green Line LRT. If you think about it that's actually nuts how much of the country will have the same rolling stock.

[Meraki]

Originally Posted by Colin4567

Every rendering of the LRT has shown that vehicle, the Bombardier Flexity Freedom. It's the same vehicle to be used for Waterloo's ION LRT, some of Toronto's new LRT lines (Eglinton Crosstown, I believe), Edmonton's Valley Line (the one you posted the pic of), and again, judging by the renderings, Calgary's future Green Line LRT. If you think about it that's actually nuts how much of the country will have the same rolling stock.

The physical train at Surrey's showcase was from Alstom, though.

[Colin4567]

Originally Posted by Meraki

The physical train at Surrey's showcase was from Alstom, though.

Great point. That threw me off too.

[flipper316]

A precursor to LRT incidents?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIGPT1o0xnU

[swimmer_spe]

Coming soon to a Surrey LRT....

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/streetcar-car-stuck-pole-spadina-1.4729878?cmp=FB_Post_News

[VancouverOfTheFuture]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

Coming soon to a Surrey LRT....

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/streetcar-car-stuck-pole-spadina-1.4729878?cmp=FB_Post_News

i saw that... how does that even happen? they have some weird accidents over there. well, every streetcar system does and i dont see it being any better here with the convoluted S they will be building.

[flipper316]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

Coming soon to a Surrey LRT....

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/streetcar-car-stuck-pole-spadina-1.4729878?cmp=FB_Post_News

Wonder how long the line was shutdown for.

[GlassCity]

Pricetags has put the SkyTrain or LRT question in their letters to candidates campaign, which I am very happy about. It needs to be made an election an issue, and forcing candidates to take sides will inevitably lead to some taking the SkyTrain one.

Question: "For the portion of the Surrey-Langley rapid transit line running along Fraser Highway, do you believe LRT or Skytrain technology is best, and why?"

https://pricetags.ca/2018/07/03/question-for-surrey-langley-candidates-lrt-or-skytrain/#more-140680

Wish they asked about the L line too, but I guess everyone's given up on that one. Devastating.

Responses so far:

Stacey Wakelin, Township of Langley, Independent: "Good question!"

Vera Lefranc, Surrey, Surrey First: "LRT, with paragraphs of disingenuous answers"

Adam McGillivray, Surey, Proudly Surrey: "Our first choice for the Fraser Highway expansion is Skytrain"

If you want to see the actual responses, they're here: Our first choice for the Fraser Highway expansion is Skytrain

[Trainguy]

Originally Posted by GlassCity

Pricetags has put the SkyTrain or LRT question in their letters to candidates campaign, which I am very happy about. It needs to be made an election an issue, and forcing candidates to take sides will inevitably lead to some taking the SkyTrain one.

Question: "For the portion of the Surrey-Langley rapid transit line running along Fraser Highway, do you believe LRT or Skytrain technology is best, and why?"

https://pricetags.ca/2018/07/03/question-for-surrey-langley-candidates-lrt-or-skytrain/#more-140680

Wish they asked about the L line too, but I guess everyone's given up on that one. Devastating.

Responses so far:

Stacey Wakelin, Township of Langley, Independent: "Good question!"

Vera Lefranc, Surrey, Surrey First: "LRT, with paragraphs of disingenuous answers"

Adam McGillivray, Surey, Proudly Surrey: "Our first choice for the Fraser Highway expansion is Skytrain"

If you want to see the actual responses, they're here: Our first choice for the Fraser Highway expansion is Skytrain

VERA LEFRANC has obviously been drinking the Kool Aid because her explanations for LRT are very self serving and she is out right wrong on her numbers and justifications.

It would be better that nothing gets built along Fraser Hwy than having LRT. Rapid Bus would be just fine until the numbers are there. Don't throw good money Phase 3 after bad money Phase 2.