Transit users in Metro Vancouver will see a boost in service after regional mayors on Thursday secured funding from the provincial and federal government to move ahead with the first phase of their 10-year plan.
The deal, unveiled Thursday by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, B.C. Premier Christy Clark and Mayor Gregor Robertson, will see $740 million put toward capital funding projects, including new SkyTrain rail cars, a new SeaBus and station upgrades.
In addition, an estimated $157 million will be used to begin the planning and design for Surrey’s light rapid transit project and Vancouver’s Broadway subway expansion.
Transit users will “almost immediately” see more SkyTrain cars for the Expo, Millennium and Canada Lines and a new SeaBus, said Port Coquitlam Mayor Greg Moore, spokesman for the mayors’ council. He noted TransLink has an order pending for SkyTrain cars.
“Anyone who takes transit and SkyTrain knows that during peak hours you’re jammed into those trains,” he said. “This will provide some relief on the system.”
In signing the deal, Metro Vancouver became the first jurisdiction in Canada to secure funding from the federal government’s Public Transit Infrastructure Fund, which was a major plank of the Federal Liberal Party’s campaign.
“That speaks well of the mayors’ council,” said Moore. “We struck the right balance bringing in new services with the funding that was available. We have a complete 10-year vision. That’s what put us ahead of the rest.”
Moore said he expects the mayors are in a good position to secure phase two funding because of the 10-year plan, although the second phase hinges on approval from the provincial government for controversial measures such as mobility pricing, which could potentially see the tolling of all the bridges and tunnels in the region within next five years.
Besides capital, the mayors are responsible for operating the system once it’s in place.
“We have all that on the table; we’re ready to go,” Moore said. “Now we need to ensure the provincial and federal governments have the information they need to fund phase two.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrives on a SkyTrain with British Columbia Premier Christy Clark and Vancouver City Mayor Gregor Robertson at a SkyTrain garage in Burnaby, B.C., June, 16, 2016.
What is the 10-year transportation plan?
The regional mayors’ council approved a $7.5-billion comprehensive transportation plan in 2013 to expand the system after years of a funding stalemate. The plan, which was approved by all 21 mayors except Burnaby’s Derek Corrigan, calls for service upgrades across the region, including more bus and SkyTrain service and rapid transit expansions in Surrey and Vancouver.
What this funding means
Over the next two to three years, TransLink will start Phase 1 of its transportation plan, which includes adding a third SeaBus, 28 SkyTrain cars to the Expo and Millennium lines, 22 Canada Line cars and five West Coast Express cars. The transportation authority will also overhaul its older SkyTrain stations and add bicycle parking along the new Evergreen Line. An estimated $157 million will be used to begin the planning and design for light rail in Surrey and a subway line along Vancouver’s Broadway to Arbutus.
How TransLink will fund the projects
The federal and provincial governments will commit $370 million and $246 million respectively, while TransLink will contribute $125 million to the first phase. The mayors’ council is proposing to sell surplus assets to cover TransLink’s share for the initial work, while planning to raise property taxes and transit fares for the second phase. The mayors also want to charge developers fees to raise density around SkyTrain stations and, within five years, have some sort of “mobility pricing,” such as tolling all the bridges and tunnels, or charging a fee-per-distance-travelled, to generate more funds.
What comes next?
The regional mayors’ council hopes to strike a deal with the federal and provincial governments in the next few months to secure phase two funding, which will pay for 11 new B-Line express buses and increased bus service hours, expanded HandyDart service, construction of the light rail line in Surrey and subway in Vancouver and more investments in roads, bicycle and transit networks. “We have all our funding on the table, we’re ready to go,” Moore said.
When was the last expansion?
The Evergreen Line, an 11-kilometre SkyTrain slated to open early next year, was the last major project to be approved for TransLink, following the opening of the Golden Ears Bridge and Canada Line in 2009. The project, which will link Burnaby and Coquitlam, was funded by a two cent increase in the gas tax, but subsequent attempts by mayors to generate funds through a vehicle levy were rejected by the province, while the public killed a proposed sales tax in a plebiscite last spring.
With files from Cassidy Oliver
Related
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Ottawa will spend $470 million in British Columbia to help pay for upgrades to existing transit infrastructure including renovations to aging transit stations and building new bus lanes.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meets transit employees at Sky Train Operations and Maintenance Centre, in Burnaby, BC., June 15, 2016. (
