Newton SkyTrain promised by both major B.C. parties, but a transit advocate says key details are missing

Both the BC NDP and the Conservative Party of B.C. have announced they would bring SkyTrain to Newton Town Centre in Surrey, according to an opinion column in Daily Hive. The column's author says neither party has said what the extension would look like, what it would cost or how it would be funded.

This story summarizes that column. The details of the party announcements come from the column, not directly from the parties. The cost, ridership and design figures below are the author's own estimates and proposals. They are not official numbers or announced plans.

Who wrote it

The column was written by Lee Haber, Technical Lead at Mountain Valley Institute. The byline describes the institute as a B.C. public transit advocacy and planning organization.

Haber writes that the party announcements followed Doug McCallum, who won back the Surrey mayor's chair last Saturday, relative to the column's publication. According to the column, McCallum promised the same thing.

A long-running question for Newton

Newton was in line for light rail until 2018. That year the project was cancelled in favour of SkyTrain to Langley, the column notes. The Surrey-Langley SkyTrain extension is currently under construction for a 2029 opening.

Haber says there is currently no frequent east-west bus route across North Surrey.

The author's proposals

Haber argues the Newton extension should be a branch of the Expo Line. His column sets out several ideas:

• Trains every six minutes for most of the day.
• A trip of about 10 minutes from Surrey Central Station to Newton.
• A short underground section at Newton Centre, to accommodate future rapid transit.
• An end point at 64 Avenue rather than near 72 Avenue.

He estimates the extension would carry 35,000 to 40,000 riders per day.

Cost and funding

Haber says the Surrey-Langley extension is costing about $375 million per km.

He estimates a Newton extension could be built for around $100 million per km, or about $750 million in total, if certain practices are applied. That is his estimate, not a government figure.

On funding, Haber says the provincial government faces large deficits in the coming years. He notes that TransLink already collects a regional development cost charge spread across the whole region. He also proposes a station-area transit expansion charge along the corridor. By his own estimate, that charge could exceed $5 billion in total potential.

What to know

• The column is opinion. It reflects the views and calculations of its author, who is identified with a transit advocacy and planning organization.
• Neither the parties' plans nor the author's figures have been independently verified here.
• The party announcements are described through the column, so readers looking for specifics on the commitments should consult the parties' own statements.