Summary

• The Langley Launcher gantry moves from Surrey into Langley this week to help build SkyTrain guideway at key intersection serving communities south of Fraser River
• A second gantry, the Surrey Sprinter, will arrive at the westernmost station on the Dave Barrett Extension in the coming weeks, continuing to move guideway construction forward
• Guideway construction is now about 65% complete and the Dave Barrett Extension is set to open in 2029

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Construction of the Dave Barrett Extension guideway will reach Langley this week as the Langley Launcher gantry arrives in its namesake community.

Construction in Surrey will continue as the Surrey Sprinter gantry begins work at Green Timbers Station in the coming weeks.

“The Langley Launcher’s arrival in Langley, together with the upcoming deployment of the Surrey Sprinter, is an exciting sign of the substantial progress being made on the Dave Barrett Extension,” said Mike Farnworth, Minister of Transportation and Transit. “With guideway construction steadily advancing, we’re maintaining strong momentum on this key transit project that will benefit people and communities south of the Fraser for years to come.”

Launching gantries are specialized machines that are integral in constructing the SkyTrain guideway. Each launching gantry is more than 100 metres long and weighs more than 440 tonnes.

Construction is on track

The Langley Launcher has built approximately three kilometres of the Dave Barrett Extension guideway, beginning at the Hillcrest-184 Street Station. Starting this week, it will begin constructing the guideway over Willowbrook Drive before advancing to the Willowbrook Station site.

The Surrey Sprinter is scheduled to arrive at Green Timbers Station in the coming weeks, where it will continue guideway construction west of the station this fall. Meanwhile, the Fleetwood Flyer will finish building approximately three kilometres of guideway in October 2026.

Construction of the Dave Barrett Extension continues to progress on schedule, with anticipated opening in 2029. The guideway construction is approximately 65% complete and foundation piles and columns for the guideway are more than 95% complete. Additionally, construction is well underway for all eight stations.

The project is being delivered by the Province with funding from the federal and provincial governments.

“The arrival of the Langley Launcher is an exciting step forward for the Dave Barrett Extension and for communities across Surrey and Langley,” said Randeep Sarai, MP for Surrey Centre and federal Secretary of State for International Development. “This project will help connect people to jobs, schools and services with faster, more reliable transit. We are pleased to see this important project marking another significant milestone.”

Service on the Dave Barrett Extension is expected to begin in 2029.

Benefiting people, communities south of the Fraser

The Dave Barrett Extension will expand the SkyTrain rapid transit system 16 kilometres from King George Station in Surrey to Langley City Centre, adding eight new stations. It will improve access to jobs, housing and education throughout the Metro Vancouver region.

As one of the largest transit expansions in B.C.’s history, the project will also provide opportunities to build transit-oriented communities, supporting options for housing, employment and linking people to services such as health care and child care. The project also includes 14 kilometres of active transportation paths, including dedicated bike and multi-use pathways.

Once the Dave Barrett Extension is complete, travel time from Langley City Centre to King George Station will be 22 minutes, which is more than 25 minutes faster than the current bus route. By 2050, average weekday ridership on the extension is expected to reach 80,000 passengers.

Quick Facts:

• Four launching gantries are building the elevated guideway along the Dave Barrett Extension alignment – two will complete their journeys before the end of 2026.
• The machines have been given names that reflect the communities where they are working.
• More than 4,400 precast concrete guideway segments, locally built in Surrey and each weighing approximately 28 tonnes, will be installed along the 16-km Dave Barrett Extension.
• The Dave Barrett Extension is expected to support approximately 26,700 direct and indirect jobs over the life of the project.
• The Dave Barrett Extension will operate as an extension of the Expo Line and is named in honour of the former B.C. premier who served from 1972 until 1975.

Learn More:

• For more information about launching gantries and the SkyTrain project, visit: https://surreylangleyskytrain.gov.bc.ca/