Surrey-Langley SkyTrain project holds open house

The planners behind the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain (SLS) project held an open house Saturday to get public feedback on the design of the new $6 billion expansion.

Gilles Assier, the project’s executive project director, says the expansion is a noteworthy undertaking.

“This is a very important project,” he said. ” It’s the first expansion in the last 30 years south of the Fraser.”

The line will have eight stations spanning the distance between Surrey’s King George Station and Langley’s Willowbrook Mall, with stops in Guildford, Fleetwood, and Clayton Heights.

Each station will have its own look.

“There was a desire to make each station slightly unique to reflect their neighbourhood,” Assier said.

The final stop will be at 203rd Street in Langley. The current travel time to this station via bus from King George Station in Surrey is just over 50 minutes. The new SkyTrain line is expected to cut travel time to just 22 minutes.

Heading into downtown Vancouver from Langley will take just over an hour.

The Leader Spirit spoke to some residents who are excited about having a new alternative to driving.

“If I want to hop on the SkyTrain down the road, I’ll be able to go downtown and not worry about traffic,” one attendee said. “That’s a plus.”

Others are excited about the economic growth encouraged by the new line.

“I think a lot of businesses will be opening because of the density and population,” another attendee said. “And those businesses need people to work.”

Assier agrees.

“We know the population is growing in the region,” he said. “We expect by 2050 to have up to 400,000 people living in Surrey and Langley,” he said.

But one attendee says the SkyTrain isn’t the ideal mode of rapid transit, claiming that light rail is easier to access while also noting the SkyTrain’s concrete pillars aren’t nice to look at.

“I don’t see it as a true friendly infrastructure; it’s not great for pedestrians,” the attendee said.

“It’s more of a car-friendly infrastructure versus LRT, which would be much better for our neighbourhood. I hope in the future, we see LRT because there is space for it on Fraser Highway.”

Residents who live near the new SLS line are encouraged to check the project’s website for any construction updates to avoid traffic disappointment.

“This is a very big project and we can expect a lot of congestion,” Assier said.

The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2029.