IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Oct 27, 2016 – Surrey, BC
SkyTrain for Surrey is pleased to hear from BC NDP leader John Horgan, who affirmed today at an event in Surrey that he would be open to a consideration of SkyTrain expansion South-of-the-Fraser.
In a statement to News1130, Horgan said that he would be “prepared to sit down with the mayor’s council and work on whether a SkyTrain is a better option (than LRT) going forward”. SkyTrain for Surrey is pleased to hear this from the leader of a major provincial party, which considers the significance of this issue locally.
Daryl Dela Cruz, our founding director, says:
“TransLink is now open to reviewing the LRT proposal and considering SkyTrain, as is the City of Langley. The NDP’s openness to being a part of the discussion on rapid transit is something we need to see at all levels and from all parties.”
While an LRT has remained the committed Surrey transit project in the Mayors’ Council’s 10-year plan, updated business case and design work on the Surrey LRT proposal has remained incomplete.
SkyTrain for Surrey has often noted that a previous 2012 examination of rapid transit alternatives for Surrey showed that the LRT network endorsed by Surrey and the Mayors’ Council would have a poor business case; in the meantime, both TransLink and the City of Langley have committed to reviewing a SkyTrain alternative on Fraser Highway.
SkyTrain for Surrey, started in 2012 by local transit advocate Daryl Dela Cruz, has called for SkyTrain on a platform centred on the major issues with Surrey’s proposed street-level LRT network. Over 1300 supporters have signed SkyTrain for Surrey’s petition, urging that proposed LRT in Surrey be changed to an earlier proposal for SkyTrain and Bus Rapid Transit. SkyTrain for Surrey presented this petition to the TransLink board in June.
About SkyTrain for Surrey
SkyTrain for Surrey is a local grassroots organization calling for a SkyTrain and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) network instead of the currently-proposed on-street Light Rail system in Surrey.
Our campaign directors: Daryl Dela Cruz (Surrey, chair), Benedic Dasalla (Surrey), Jacky Au (Surrey), Spencer Whitney (Langley)
For further information
Daryl Dela Cruz, Campaign Chair, Phone: +1 604 329 3529, E-mail: [email protected]