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

[madog222]

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

My bad, I got confused with the OP that mentioned an independent Newton line: that would mean a shutdown on one line wouldn't affect the other.

Ahhh

[madog222]

Track & Systems contract shortlisted teams announced:

-Graham & SNC-Lavalin
-Aecon
-Kiewit

https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2023MOTI0056-000584

Aecon is also shortlisted for the other two contracts.


The press release also has the stations contract award for late 2023, previously it was for early 2024.

[officedweller]

I wonder which contract the storage yard would be part of?
or spread out like the rest of the line?

[madog222]

Originally Posted by officedweller

I wonder which contract the storage yard would be part of?
or spread out like the rest of the line?

OMC 5 is being built by Translink separately from the main project.

I think the reason has to do with a last minute change of location and not wanting to delay building the line.

[officedweller]

Thanks!

[Mac Write]

Where will OMC 5 be, specs, storage capacity etc?

[madog222]

Originally Posted by Mac Write

Where will OMC 5 be, specs, storage capacity etc?

No details have been released. All we know is that Translink's 2022 business plan budgeted $150M for land acquisition and the 2023 business plan budgeted $42M for "Project Development". Location for sure won't be announced until all land is acquired.

I think most assume the location will be near the Langley terminus in the area S of Langley Bypass, NE of Fraser hwy, and W of 204/203. Land values there are ~$5M/acre.

OMC 3 pre-expansion fit 28 cars on a site ~2.5 acres. Translink is buying 30 5 car trains for the SLS so 150 cars. Scaling up OMC 3 gives around 14 acres required for a minimum basic facility.

OMC 4 is to fit 145 cars initially (expandable to 170) on the 27 acre site.

So for OMC 5 we're looking at 20±5 acres. I'm inclined to assume a design closer to OMC 4 and would guess 20-25 acres which fits perfectly in their budget at $100-125M.

[Sheba]

Originally Posted by madog222

I think most assume the location will be near the Langley terminus in the area S of Langley Bypass, NE of Fraser hwy, and W of 204/203. Land values there are ~$5M/acre.

Daily Hive has said "near the Langley end" and I've heard it'll be in Surrey which would put it west of Willowbrook (the Surrey / Langley border is 196th Street).

[madog222]

Going through the Business Case, when OMC 5 was included in the SLS project it was spec'd at 55 cars.

PDF page 48 https://alpha.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/trans...d-appendices/sls_business_case_final.pdf

Originally Posted by Sheba

Daily Hive has said "near the Langley end" and I've heard it'll be in Surrey which would put it west of Willowbrook (the Surrey / Langley border is 196th Street).

I think you're right. Maybe the talk of in Langley was when it was part of the main project, or that was just speculation.

[xd_1771]

OMC5 is going to be in Langley. Or at least, that's what the spring 2023 Infrastructure BC major projects brochure is saying (see: https://www.infrastructurebc.com/wp2/wp-...-Spring-2023-Major-Projects-Brochure.pdf)

If this is anything to go by, OMC5 is still under the ownership of the provincial ministry, and construction is going to begin this year, as the anticipated construction start is listed as "2023".

The SLS itself is also in this brochure (3 items on page 8) and expected construction start is listed as "2024".

[madog222]

Hmmm, interesting.

In their Fall 2022 brochure it was still listed as under Translink.

[mcj]

Unless it's going to require additional trackwork, 20 acres is going to be a sizeable chunk of downtown Langley. They're basically going to be buying up the whole block on either side of Industrial Ave between 200 St and 203 St.

[madog222]

Originally Posted by mcj

Unless it's going to require additional trackwork, 20 acres is going to be a sizeable chunk of downtown Langley. They're basically going to be buying up the whole block on either side of Industrial Ave between 200 St and 203 St.

I'm probably way off in estimating area, for the 55 car plan at OMC 3 scale would be ~5 acres.

Where in Surrey is a good question, everything is residential. I guess where all the SFHs are south of 64 Ave would work. There property values are ~$8m/acre.

[officedweller]

Any chance it would be on ALR lands (i.e. specific removal of lands from the ALR)?
I've wondered why the guideway alignment switches from the north side of Fraser Hwy to the south side
when it crosses the ALR lands, then goes back to the north side.
... but is that a flood plain?

i.e. CP wants land removed from the ALR for an expansion of its Pitt Meadows intermodal yard,
though that cuold be a case of a federal undertaking having paramountcy.
https://www.mapleridgenews.com/news/agricultural-land-commission-opposes-cp-plans-in-pitt-meadows/

[mcj]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Any chance it would be on ALR lands (i.e. specific removal of lands from the ALR)?
I've wondered why the guideway alignment switches from the north side of Fraser Hwy to the south side
when it crosses the ALR lands, then goes back to the north side.
... but is that a flood plain?

i.e. CP wants land removed from the ALR for an expansion of its Pitt Meadows intermodal yard.
https://www.mapleridgenews.com/news/agricultural-land-commission-opposes-cp-plans-in-pitt-meadows/

Well that ministry infrastructure report says Langley, if they were considering ALR land it would likely say Surrey. It's absolutely going to be on one side of Industrial Ave, it's really the only politically suitable location, using ALR land opens up a can of worms, and hell will freeze over before SFHs get extradited en masse.

[madog222]

-snip-

[fredinno]

Originally Posted by mcj

Well that ministry infrastructure report says Langley, if they were considering ALR land it would likely say Surrey. It's absolutely going to be on one side of Industrial Ave, it's really the only politically suitable location, using ALR land opens up a can of worms, and hell will freeze over before SFHs get extradited en masse.

I got flak for proposing they extend the line past Langley Bypass so they can use the ALR lands between Murrayville and Langley City as a OMC and leave open a future 1-station extension to Langley Memorial Hospital.

Those areas are not part of the floodplain:
https://sfb.nathanpachal.com/2016/06/new-report-shows-where-there-is-massive.html



Something that size right now is probably too big, but the industrial lands in Langley City itself are supposed to be gentrified, and an OMC kind of throws a wrench in that plan.
That includes Industrial Ave (which will have to be renamed. )

Building it there (on top of the Golf Course and farms) allows them to easily expand in the future, away from any centers of development (since the Airport is nearby, it's not exactly prime land.)

The only other places outside the floodplain near SkyTrain that aren't part of some other major development plan/are industrial/are undeveloped are to expand OMC4 across Cariboo Road into the non-park hills next to Hwy 1, to expand OMC 1 onto the self-storage area, and to build a new OMC around Lake City Way.



I wonder if TransLink has the ability to just bypass the ALC? They're both provincial entities.

[madog222]

Originally Posted by officedweller

I've wondered why the guideway alignment switches from the north side of Fraser Hwy to the south side

Poking around Surrey's map system (https://cosmos.surrey.ca/) I may have found the answer.

There's a 900mm Metro Van feeder water main that from around 168 St to around 180 St along Fraser Hwy is not under the road but beside it to the north.

That would need to be moved for the guideway column construction and relocating a 900mm water main is not a simple task.

[officedweller]

Ah, that explains, it, thanks!

WRT Industrial Ave for a storage yard site, I agree that that seems to be the future 'downtown Langley City' (between Willowbrook Mall and the casino), so I wouldn't expect it there.

[xd_1771]

Originally Posted by officedweller

I've wondered why the guideway alignment switches from the north side of Fraser Hwy to the south side
when it crosses the ALR lands, then goes back to the north side.

That's probably to allow the guideway to use the right of way that was established for the multi-use path on the south side of Fraser Highway.

I imagine the multi-use path would then be set up to run underneath the guideway, similar to current stretches of the Expo Line like on KGB between Scott and Gateway.