Will the BC gov’t agree to provide more cash to replace light rail with SkyTrain in Surrey?
Posted October 25, 2018 2:32 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
SURREY (NEWS 1130) – It will be up to the Metro Vancouver mayors’ council.
That’s what Premier John Horgan is saying as Surrey’s incoming mayor pushes for the cancellation of a fully-funded $1.65-billion light rail project, so it can be replaced with a more expensive SkyTrain line.
“Our priority is to make sure we have more transit in the Lower Mainland. But it’s also our responsibility to listen to the newly elected councils — not just in the Lower Mainland, but right across the province. I look forward to Mayor [Doug] McCallum going to the Mayors’ Council and the Mayors’ Council coming together to figure out where they want to go.”
Horgan says he’s spoken with McCallum about his push to change the region’s 10-year transportation plan.
“I respect his views on this. But the decisions that were made were not exclusively for Surrey. They were for the entire region… It was a plan that we funded… and we expect that we are going to proceed with that plan. But we’ll hear from the Mayors’ Council and we’ll go from there.”
He adds at this time, he’s not prepared to talk about whether the province will put up more funding than what’s already been committed.
Critics of McCallum’s push to kill the light rail project say $50 million has already been spent and Surrey taxpayers could be on the hook for any cost over-runs.
