Surrey Mayor breaks election promise to build LRT by 2018
- Media Release
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- For immediate release — September 30, 2015
After making a promise before last year’s election that an LRT in Surrey would be finished by the end of her first term in 2018, Mayor Linda Hepner is now saying that LRT construction will start in 2018. This is not only a complete 180-degree turn on an election promise—it’s a stunning reveal that ambitious construction timelines long promoted by light rail advocates in Surrey were never realistic.
When Mayor Hepner made her original “finished by 2018” announcement as an election candidate in November of last year, SkyTrain for Surrey pointed out that without design work, land acquisition and business case preparation completed, the system would have to be finished in a timeline that has never been done in history in North America.
With construction on the LRT no longer expected to begin at all until 2018, SkyTrain for Surrey looks forward to the significant extra time made available to communicate the issues of the LRT proposal with city residents, such as the fact that there is still no plan to fund $22 million in annual, ongoing operating cost deficits. Without a plan, residents should prepare for significant cuts in city-wide bus service.
Pictured in header: Concept render by TransLink of a Surrey LRT light rail vehicle
SkyTrain for Surrey is a BC-based community organization that has advocated for the expansion of the Vancouver SkyTrain system, including our successful advocacy for the under-construction Surrey Langley SkyTrain extension.
Media Contact: Daryl Dela Cruz – Founder, SkyTrain for Surrey ・ Phone: +1 604 329 3529, [email protected]
