Ground breaking on the $6 billion Surrey Langley SkyTrain extension in British Columbia, Canada, has officially been announced. The government made the announcement for the launch on Friday the 28th February however, foundations were laid for the project in November. Delays in the announcement were due to the provincial election. Nonetheless, the announcement came with an update that the project is ramping up. Nearly 200 piers and columns are to be placed in the coming weeks that will support the transit line’s guideway. The eight-station line is expected to transport commuters from Langley City Centre to King George Station within 22 minutes. Furthermore, there has been an estimated number of 56,000 commuters daily. This figure is expected to increase to 80,000 by 2050.
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Details on the Surrey Langley SkyTrain
The extension line adds 16 kilometers of railway track above the Fraser Highway and extends the Expo Line. It is expected to be completed in late 2029. When first announced, it was expected that the project would be completed in late 2028. SkyLink Guideway Partners was named the contractor for the elevated guideway and roadways. The partners include Dragados Canada, Inc., Ledcor Investments Inc., Ledcor Mining Ltd., and SYSTRA International Bridge Technologies Inc. South Fraser Station Partners was named the contractor for the eight new stations. Additionally, Transit Integrators BC was named as the contractor for the systems and track work.
Project Overview
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Project cost: CAD$6 billion
Completion date: 2029
Project scope: 16 kilometres
Contractors: SkyLink Guideway Partners, South Fraser Station Partners, Transit Integrators BC
The Surrey Langley SkyTrain extension is the first major expansion project in Fraser over the last three decades. It will replace a light-rail rapid transit proposal that was going to link the City Centre with Newton, in the south and Guildford in the east. Original costs for the project were estimated at $4 billion when the project was first announced however, due to market conditions, key commodity price escalation, supply-chain pressure and rising inflation costs, the Friday announcement paced the figure at $5.996 billion.
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