DEBUNKING MYTHS

Surrey LRT project director misleads stakeholders on LRT speeds

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – September 10, 2018 – Surrey, BC

The City of Surrey’s light rail transit project director has attempted to convince Surrey residents/stakeholders that the proposed Surrey-Newton-Guildford LRT (SNG LRT) will be faster than actually stated.

Scott Neuman, LRT project director, told CKNW 980 on Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2018 that the average speed of trains on the 10.5 kilometre LRT will be “25 to 35 kilometres an hour” including stops.

However, a simple calculation using TransLink’s frequently stated 27 minute end-to-end travel time (including stops) gives an average end-to-end speed of 23.3 kilometres per hour.

Furthermore, when average wait times of 2.5 minutes (based on a peak-period frequency of 5 minutes) are accounted for, commuters on the Surrey-Newton-Guildford LRT will travel at an average speed of 21.4 kilometres per hour. This means that when the SNG LRT opens for revenue service in 2024, it will be the slowest urban rail line in Canada.

SkyTrain for Surrey is disappointed that the City of Surrey has continued to resort to making false and misleading claims to justify an LRT that offers poor value-for-money and minimal reduction in travel times.

About SkyTrain for Surrey

SkyTrain for Surrey is the community organization that advocated for the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain extension, and continues to push for high-quality rapid transit projects in Surrey and Langley. We began as a petition calling for the scrapping of a street-level LRT proposal, which eventually amassed more than 6,000 signatures, and later contributed to making SkyTrain an election issue as a registered third-party advertiser. SkyTrain for Surrey continues to call for high-quality projects that offer a positive return-on-investment and recognize the rapidly increasing demand for transit.

Media Contact:

Daryl Dela Cruz – Founder, SkyTrain for Surrey Phone: +1 604 329 3529, [email protected]