Light Rail Transit coming to Kwantlen?

By Chris Yee [Student Affairs Bureau Chief]

Almost a hundred years ago, in 1910, the Chilliwack Line of the British Columbia Electric Railway Companyís (BCER) system of interurban trams opened, covering the then-rural area south of the Fraser, encompassing Surrey, Langley, Abbotsford, Sumas in Washington state, the village of Yarrow, and Chilliwack, the line’s terminus.

It was the rapid transit of its day, carrying passengers, freight, mail, and moreover, it was the impetus for the introduction of electric power to the South Fraser region.

By the end of the 1950s, however, the Chilliwack Line and the rest of the BCER tram system was discontinued, the time of the Lower Mainland streetcar and interurban having come to an end with the rise of the motor vehicle.

While the SkyTrain currently covers parts of Surrey, there is now an effort to bring the concept of rapid transit back to the South Fraser region, in the face of rising population, increasing traffic and climate change.

Focus groups are now meeting as part of a task force to discuss options for rapid transit south of the Fraser. According to a letter sent to the Runner by E. Lee Lockwood, a director of the Valley Transportation Advisory Committee (VALTAC), the task force was organized in late 2009 by Rick Green, the Mayor of Langley Township, consisting of representatives from the municipalities of Delta, Surrey, City of Langley, Township of Langley and Abbotsford, as well as from the universities south of the Fraser:

Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Trinity Western University, and the University of the Fraser Valley, as well as other community stakeholders.

Matt Todd, KSA Director of External Affairs, said that the focus groups are currently in the preliminary stages of discussions and that the meetings that have been carried out to date were to introduce the idea to the various stakeholders in attendance and create a rough outline of the task force’s long-term objectives.

One such meeting took place Mar. 17 at Kwantlen’s Surrey campus, according to draft minutes acquired by the Runner. Participants in this meeting were asked about their hopes and dreams for the future of transit in the South of Fraser Area over a 30-year period. One commenter suggested that the carbon tax made “alternative transit options” necessary. Suggestions as to the types of transit to be considered were put forward: while light rail (modern descendants of the tram systems like the one used by the BCER) was suggested more often, bus rapid transit like the current 99 and 97 B-Line services was also suggested, along with adjuncts to these transit services such as park-and-rides.

Affordability was stressed, as was accessibility for a wide range of people including the disabled and students. Intercommunity travel was another important priority, one comment said. Some commenters simply wanted general improvement in the transportation system south of the Fraser.

More importantly, concerns were raised over the planning process and availability of funding. Issues of disparities in funding were also brought. As for the planning process, another comment summed this up: “There needs to be more transparency around the government decision making process and more clarity on where TransLink is going.  Meetings should have been postponed until the province clearly identified exactly where transportation in the region is going.”