BC Gov News

Clarification note below, added Nov. 22, 2018

The Government of British Columbia is taking action to improve transit and transportation infrastructure in partnership with the Mayors’ Council and the federal government, in line with commitments made under the 2017 Confidence and Supply Agreement.

The Broadway Subway and Surrey LRT are a key part of the Mayors Council’s Ten-Year Vision on transit for Metro Vancouver, which will reduce emissions, create jobs and get people home faster.

Broadway Subway

• The Broadway Subway, with an estimated budget of $2.83 billion, will be funded and delivered by the Government of British Columbia, with contributions from the Government of Canada and the City of Vancouver.
• Development of the project to this point was managed by TransLink and included considerable planning, technical work and consultation. The Province, as the owner of the existing SkyTrain system, will carry TransLink’s work forward in delivering the Broadway Subway project.
• Upon completion, it will be fully integrated into the regional transportation network and operated by TransLink.
• The funding breakdown for Phase 2 is:
  • Government of Canada: $888.4 million
  • Government of British Columbia: $1.82 billion
  • City of Vancouver: $99.8 million (in-kind land contribution)
• Additional funding of $17 million was provided toward the full project cost under Phase 1 of the Mayors’ Vision plan.
• The Province will be using a design-build-finance (DBF) model to build the Broadway Subway.
• The project will go to procurement this fall, and construction is anticipated to occur between 2020 and 2025.
• The line will be built to extend the existing SkyTrain line from VCC-Clark Station, entering a tunnel at the Great Northern Way Campus, and continuing as a subway to Arbutus Street. Six underground stations will be built: one at the Great Northern Way campus, and five along Broadway Avenue (Main Street, Cambie Street, Oak Street, Granville Street and Arbutus Street). It is estimated that this project will result in 7,190 direct jobs and support economic and urban development within the region. The project will also help create thousands of indirect jobs (estimated at 5,270) for businesses that support and supply the construction activities.
• Anticipated travel benefits:
  • The 99 B-Line between Broadway/Commercial Station and the University of British Columbia is currently the busiest bus route in Metro Vancouver with about 500,000 passengers routinely bypassed by a number of full buses during peak periods.
  • B-Line passengers can currently take up to 30 minutes per trip, which is expected to increase to about 50 minutes in the future due to the bypassed buses and heavy traffic congestion on this major commuter route.
  • Once opened, and regardless of the time of day or traffic conditions, the commute from Commercial Broadway Station to Arbutus Street will only take 11 minutes, saving the average commuter over 30 minutes a day or 120 hours per year.
  • The line is expected to serve an average 140,000 passengers per day.

Surrey-Newton-Guildford Light Rail Transit

• The Surrey-Newton-Guildford LRT project, with an estimated cost of $1.65 billion, will be funded and delivered by Translink, with contributions from the Government of Canada.
• TransLink will be using a design-build-vehicle supply-finance-operate-maintain-rehabilitate model to build and then operate the LRT for the first seven years.
• The funding breakdown for Phase 2 is:
  • Government of Canada: $483.8 million
  • TransLink/Regional: $1.12 billion

Clarification note added Nov. 22, 2018: 

The Surrey LRT was one of the major projects, along with the Broadway Subway and capacity improvements to the existing SkyTrain network, identified in the Phase Two Investment Plan approved by the Mayors’ Council and TransLink Board on June 28.

In keeping with its clear commitment to fund 40% of each phase of the Mayors Council’s Ten-Year Vision, the province committed $2.5 billion to the Phase Two Investment Plan, representing a full 40% of the capital costs of all projects within that Plan.  In addition to the provincial commitment, federal and regional governments have committed an additional $2 billion and $1.86 billion, respectively.

The provincial share of the total funding committed will be allocated to those projects where the province will own the resulting asset. Similarly, regional funding will be spent on projects where TransLink will own the resulting assets. This arrangement allows the provincial and regional investments to be recorded as capital, rather than as operating expenditures, which is the most appropriate approach given the long term nature of these significant assets.

This results in the full provincial funding commitment, equal to 40% of the overall Plan, being allocated to costs related to the Broadway Subway and other major projects, and in regional funding being allocated to costs related to Surrey rapid transit as well as to other major projects  (as indicated in the breakdown above).

Note: The LRT technology was suspended by the new Mayors’ Council on Nov. 15th and TransLink was directed to present more information on a SkyTrain option at the next Mayors’ Council meeting on Dec. 13th

• Additional funding of $43 million was provided towards the full project cost under Phase 1 of the Mayors’ Vision plan.
• The project will go to procurement this week, with construction expected to occur between 2020 and 2024.
• The 10.5-km LRT line will operate from Surrey City Centre east along 104 Avenue to Guildford Town Centre, and south along King George Boulevard to Newton Town Centre, with 11 stops.
• It is estimated this project will result in about 3,960 direct jobs during project construction. It will also help create thousands of indirect jobs (estimated at 2,350) for businesses that support and supply the construction activities.
• Anticipated travel benefits:
  • The LRT will operate in dedicated lanes at a frequency of every five minutes during peak periods.
  • People will be able to travel from Guildford to King George Station in approximately 27 minutes.
  • The conservative estimate is that by 2045, customers will save about 16 minutes. Time savings are expected to increase over time as motor traffic volumes increase.