Langley Township supporting the revival of Interurban tram line

Langley Township will be presenting a motion at the upcoming Union of B.C. Municipalities meeting to restart the Interurban tram line, which stopped running in 1950.

It is seen as a possible solution to combat congestion throughout the region, as the tram used to run from downtown Vancouver to Chilliwack.

“This rail line will be an absolute boon to the south of the Fraser,” said Rick Green, a former Langley Township mayor.

Green has been working on the idea for years, and said he hopes to see people move between Surrey and Chilliwack on the existing rail line, much like they did from the start of the 1900s all the way into the ‘40s.

“You’re probably talking about a 90-minute ride from Chilliwack to the Pattullo Bridge,” he said.

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The township envisions that the route would have roughly a dozen stops through the Fraser Valley, Surrey, Langley, Abbotsford and Chilliwack, with trains running 16 hours every day.

“I’m super excited about the chance to get more people moving,” Langley Township Coun. Michael Pratt said.

Pratt said public transit hasn’t kept up with the region’s population growth, and major roads and Highway 1 get severely congested during peak hours.

“People are just frustrated with being stuck in traffic,” he said.

Whether higher levels of government will get on board with the idea, time will tell.

The 2023 Union of B.C. Municipalities meeting is scheduled to take place from Sept. 18 to 22 in Vancouver.