SkyTrain is better for Surrey than light rail: group
Posted April 18, 2013 9:06 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
SURREY (NEWS1130) – A group that wants to see better transit service in Surrey says expanding SkyTrain is a better option than a light rail system.
Better Surrey Rapid Transit Executive Director Daryl Dela Cruz says light rail is cheaper, but that doesn’t mean it’s better.
“Light rail provides an inferior transit choice,” he argues. “Similar light rail systems in other cities have not met ridership projections and have caused financial problems that are large in scale and affected transit all over the region.”
Dela Cruz made his case to Surrey’s Transportation Committee earlier this week. Committee Chair Tom Gill agrees the city’s transit network is in dire need of an upgrade, but he’s not sure SkyTrain expansion is the answer.
“Surrey has been very patient over the last number of years and looking at the infrastructure that has been built, we really feel it is our turn,” says Gill.
“We’ve got some specific lines that we’d like to see down 104th and the other track would go down Fraser Highway toward Langley and we’ll look at other opportunities to service South Surrey. The cost of a SkyTrain is significantly more than At-grade rail and we’re trying to understand how we can accommodate the city’s needs, so looking at a hybrid of two different technologies is the likely solution.”
Gill predicts transit will be one of the most important issues for Surrey voters heading into the provincial election.
