Trudeau pledges funds for Vancouver subway, light-rail projects

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and British Columbia Premier John Horgan yesterday announced more than CA$3 billion in federal and provincial funding for two major passenger-rail projects in Vancouver.

The money will fund construction of the Surrey-Newton-Guildford light-rail project and the Broadway Subway extension of TransLink's Millennium SkyTrain line.

The Broadway Subway project calls for building 3.5 miles of rail and six  stations, while the Surrey-Newton-Guildford project calls for building a 6.5-mile light-rail line. The subway project will, in part, replace the existing B-Line bus rapid transit route and have the capability to move more than 5,100 passengers per hour in each direction.

Both projects are part of TransLink's 10-year plan to boost transit options in the Vancouver area.

"Rapid transit is key to helping people get where they need to go quickly so we can meet the needs of a growing region," said Horgan in press release issued by Trudeau's office. "Cutting traffic and getting people and goods moving faster will unlock economic growth while making our communities more affordable, accessible and clean."

The federal government is contributing CA$1.37 billion to the projects, while British Columbia will provide CA$1.82 billion. TransLink and the cities of Vancouver and Surrey will contribute another CA$1.23 billion toward the projects.

The funding stems from an agreement signed this spring by the governments of Canada and British Columbia. Over the next decade, the federal government will provide CA$3.917 billion toward the cost of infrastructure in British Columbia.