SkyTrain to UBC and Langley still not a done deal even with federal transit funding in place

Metro Vancouver is one stop closer to SkyTrain arriving in Langley and to UBC but the trains aren’t yet in the station.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced plans Wednesday to spend $14.9 billion over the next eight years on public transportation projects across Canada. This includes $5.9 billion in short-term funding and the rest goes towards the creation of a permanent $3 billion per year transit fund starting in 2026.

Mayors’ council chair Jonathan Cote says the money is much needed and appreciated but it is still unclear how it will be allocated for major projects in Metro Vancouver.

The council has been advocating for stable federal funding in part to support the extension of in-progress projects including the Broadway extension to UBC and the Surrey SkyTrain extension into Langley.

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“The devil is going to be in in the details, and we don’t have the full details of this program yet,” Cote said.

“It’s hard to answer exactly what the impact will be but based on the initial announcement, I would say it actually looks really positive to having the mayor’s 10-year plan back on track. And big projects like Sky Train the Langley I think might be one of the first big projects to potentially be assisted by this new fund.”

The extension of the SkyTrain from Surrey into Langley is expected to cost $3.1 billion. The BC NDP promised to fund the province’s share during the election campaign when Premier John Horgan was re-elected.

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Extending the Broadway SkyTrain from Arbutus all the way to UBC is currently projected to cost between $3.3 billion to $3.8 billion.

Trudeau made the transit announcement ahead of a meeting with the mayors of Canada’s largest cities. The funding is not attached to any specific projects and the details will still need to be worked out between Ottawa and the provinces looking to expand transit.

“I think the federal announcement today is welcome news. The Mayor’s Council has been advocating for permanent transit funds for several several years, and I think what’s being provided is a framework to provide stable and predictable partnership with the federal government,” Cote said.

“There still is going to have to be a local contribution to investments in transportation but those would be the finer details that need to be continued to be worked out.”

Local contributions have held up transit projects in Metro Vancouver before. The Mayors’ Council’s original plan for extending the Broadway subway from Commercial and creating LRT in Surrey was delayed after a failed transit referendum. The province eventually worked with the municipalities to secure the funding. The LRT line subsequent was turned into SkyTrain following the municipal elections in 2018.

The Mayors’ Council is still awaiting details on how funding will work before the annual support is put in place and how communities will be able to access the money.

“I think on first blush it is very encouraging news,” Cote said.

“I think you still need to learn more details about precisely when and how the funding will come to place. But also what are some of the strings attached to the funding.”