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

[nname]

Originally Posted by Trainguy

"This is Sky train for Langley not Surrey. Passing through low density areas and many areas of Surrey that can't even be developed for residential. Sky train to Newton Exchange should be first priority. Rapid transit for Surrey should make Surrey itself more interconnect."

I think this poster has it wrong. It isn't rapid transit for Surrey alone. This system serves the whole region and that is where Surrey 1st got it wrong. Regional money should serve the whole region and not some inner-city pet project. Good on the voters for rejecting it.

At least he said SkyTrain to Newton, not LRT

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by BirchTrain

Uh huh. I see 2 stations in the Langley’s. The rest are in Surrey. :

Also Newton and Guildford are not getting left out, if Option 2 passes. Translink will look at an enhanced 96 B-Line for the SNG corridor.

That looks like a future Skytrain to White Rock.

[BirchTrain]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

That looks like a future Skytrain to White Rock.

It’s BRT

[Trainguy]

Here is an informative link on BRT.

My concern is that 104th will get hacked down to 2 lanes if BRT follows the route of LRT. Better not.

https://www.itdp.org/library/standards-and-guides/the-bus-rapid-transit-standard/what-is-brt/

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by BirchTrain

It’s BRT

So is the 99.

[Firebrand]

Originally Posted by Trainguy

Here is an informative link on BRT.

My concern is that 104th will get hacked down to 2 lanes if BRT follows the route of LRT. Better not.

https://www.itdp.org/library/standards-and-guides/the-bus-rapid-transit-standard/what-is-brt/

What TransLink could do is have the outermost two lanes be dedicated bus lanes only between at the start of service to 7:00 pm at weekdays. You could also have multiple bus routes using the same lane, not just the 96, and allow driving permits at certain times of the day. You can't do that on two pairs of tracks.

King George Blvd is much easier to implement because it is wide enough to accommodate bus lanes without disrupting car traffic.

The enhanced 96 can also expand beyond Guildford, and can connect it to Coquitlam Centre if demand is there. It can also extend beyond Newton as shown by the map. Since it's essentially an upgraded B-Line, some trips can interline with other routes, especially the 319, which could use some help with 60fters. All of these added features won't be seen with the LRT.

[Firebrand]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

So is the 99.

They're both not. Both the 99 and 96 are more like express routes—BRT creep to be more precise—rather than a true BRT.

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by Firebrand

They're both not. Both the 99 and 96 are more like express routes—BRT creep to be more precise—rather than a true BRT.

My point is that once the 99 is replaced with a Skytrain route, and the Skytrain is built to Langley, this might be the next extension. We are talking at least 20 years, but still, it is a future possibility.

[BirchTrain]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

My point is that once the 99 is replaced with a Skytrain route, and the Skytrain is built to Langley, this might be the next extension. We are talking at least 20 years, but still, it is a future possibility.

McCallum has said he wants the “phase 2” of SkyTrain in Surrey to be from city centre down King George to White Rock Centre. We probably would see some rail on that corridor in the near future, possible connecting north to Coquitlam.

[Migrant_Coconut]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

My point is that once the 99 is replaced with a Skytrain route, and the Skytrain is built to Langley, this might be the next extension. We are talking at least 20 years, but still, it is a future possibility.

Keeping in mind that this all depends on being able to build two $2-3B SkyTrain routes every decade. Every addition to the network multiplies TransLink's spending power, but in the meantime, we need to make sure the province and feds keep delivering.

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

Keeping in mind that this all depends on being able to build two $2-3B SkyTrain routes every decade. Every addition to the network multiplies TransLink's spending power, but in the meantime, we need to make sure the province and feds keep delivering.

With the momentum behind building transit, I doubt any government, federally or provincially will ever completely put the brakes on.

[Firebrand]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

With the momentum behind building transit, I doubt any government, federally or provincially will ever completely put the brakes on.

Especially when the Federal election is a year away. The Feds want the money to be used soon before another party comes by and may use that money for something else.

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by Firebrand

Especially when the Federal election is a year away. The Feds want the money to be used soon before another party comes by and may use that money for something else.

Absolutely. I can expect that this next year will be promises to every transit idea out there.

[Mac Write]

How soon can we have both Expo and Millennium line extensions shovel ready?

[ilikeredheads]

Originally Posted by Trainguy

Here is an informative link on BRT.

My concern is that 104th will get hacked down to 2 lanes if BRT follows the route of LRT. Better not.

https://www.itdp.org/library/standards-and-guides/the-bus-rapid-transit-standard/what-is-brt/

Most likely scenario is that it'll only have dedicated lanes along KGB. 104th just isn't wide enough. Unless someone can magically create space out of thin air, it won't be full BRT. Basically think a la 98 b-line, which only had ROW in Richmond.

[Trainguy]

Originally Posted by ilikeredheads

Most likely scenario is that it'll only have dedicated lanes along KGB. 104th just isn't wide enough. Unless someone can magically create space out of thin air, it won't be full BRT. Basically think a la 98 b-line, which only had ROW in Richmond.

Surrey 1st tried to do that by magically thinking that everyone would just shift over to 105th ave or other streets because 104th would be a walking/biking/transit route. This isn't Mayberry!!! People use 104th because it is the most direct route for getting where they need to go.

Doug has the right idea about creating a spine (Skytrain) that routes can feed into.

[nname]

I don't see this posted here:

'You do a backbone first': Surrey's mayor defends SkyTrain plan, talks 10-year vision

“You do a backbone first, which is Fraser Highway from City Centre to Langley and from City Centre to Newton then to South Surrey. That’s the backbone,” he explained.

“Into that backbone, we put fast bus lanes from Cloverdale into Fraser Highway … from Guildford into Fraser Highway … from Guildford also down 104th to our City Centre. And before the second phase goes along, fast bus lanes from Newton into King George Station at our City Centre.”

McCallum says that is the 10-year plan.

[Sheba]

Originally Posted by nname

I don't see this posted here:

'You do a backbone first': Surrey's mayor defends SkyTrain plan, talks 10-year vision

I really hope that their future phase Surrey Central to Newton / South Surrey is planned to be a subway at least part of the way - that would remove not only conflicts with cars but also with the existing elevated Expo Line.

(subway the whole way would be nice but I'm guessing the ground won't allow it - just like through the ALR on Fraser Highway)

[BirchTrain]

Originally Posted by Sheba

I really hope that their future phase Surrey Central to Newton / South Surrey is planned to be a subway at least part of the way - that would remove not only conflicts with cars but also with the existing elevated Expo Line.

(subway the whole way would be nice but I'm guessing the ground won't allow it - just like through the ALR on Fraser Highway)

Yeah part of it would literally go through an area even more prone to flooding than the ALR Fraser Hwy passes through.

It would probably go underground through City Centre and maybe Newton, and elevated the rest of the way. The southern terminus could be White Rock Beach, but NIMBYs might force it to stop at the current White Rock Centre bus exchange. Hopefully there will be a gondola connection to the beach.

[Sheba]

Originally Posted by BirchTrain

Yeah part of it would literally go through an area even more prone to flooding than the ALR Fraser Hwy passes through.

It would probably go underground through City Centre and maybe Newton, and elevated the rest of the way. The southern terminus could be White Rock Beach, but NIMBYs might force it to stop at the current White Rock Centre bus exchange. Hopefully there will be a gondola connection to the beach.

If people want to go all Nimby then stop it at the South Surrey Park & Ride and let them bus / drive from there.