$14 Billion For Transit

[mr.x]

The Ministry of Transportation will be unveiling the long-awaited and rumoured transit mega project TOMORROW for the Lower Mainland and BC.



I have a strong feeling this will cost well over $6 billion.

Go to Global BC Videos and listen to the first few minutes of Sunday's News Hour for the full story. The Evergreen Line will cost quite a bit more (possibly SkyTrain), funding for projects in Victoria, Kamloops, etc. The gas tax will likely be funding this.

[Canadian Mind]

Cool.

[bils]

go gordo go

[hollywoodnorth]

Go Gordo Go!
Go Falco Go!

[SpongeG]

maye as well do it all at once - waiting only makes the costs go up

[excel]

^true.

[mr.x]

here's Gordon Price's take on the Global exclusive:


SkyTrain to UBC!
January 13, 2008 | Price Tags

Well, we’ll see.

Global TV’s Victoria reporter Keith Baldrey prepared the way for Gordon Campbell and Kevin Falcon’s “huge” announcement tomorrow morning (Jan 14) - the biggest infrastructure package in British Columbia’s history. Mainly, billions for transit, all over the province. In the Lower Mainland:

The Evergreen Line, with a southerly route most likely, serving the Riverview development area.

SkyTrain extension into the Fraser Valley.

And this one, which dropped a few jaws: Millennium Line extension to UBC.

Plus a bus-only road system extended through the region.

I can’t imagine this info being broadcast unless the government wanted it released - but we’ll see. It certainly has the marks of Gordon Campbell on it. Similar to the housing announcements, the scale of spending and the comprehensiveness of the program unbalances the critics. Of course it’s “never enough” or ”only a good first start” with doubts and ”let’s see the details”.

But frankly, if transit was scaled up south of the Fraser to the point where it could reshape development and redirect growth while addressing car-dependence, it would also recast the criticism of Gateway. SkyTrain all the way to UBC would be stunning.

We’ll see soon.

[deasine]

I always watch global news... didn't have time tonight... this is what happens I don't watch Global news -_-" ... I miss out on GOOD INFO!

HAHA! I'm excited =D Something to look forward to tmr =)

[vanman]

Originally Posted by mr.x2

The Ministry of Transportation will be unveiling the long-awaited and rumoured transit mega project TOMORROW for the Lower Mainland and BC.



I have a strong feeling this will cost well over $6 billion.

Go to Global BC Videos and listen to the first few minutes of Sunday's News Hour for the full story. The Evergreen Line will cost quite a bit more (possibly SkyTrain), funding for projects in Victoria, Kamloops, etc. The gas tax will likely be funding this.

Holy Shit! Did anyone see this coming? I know Falcon talked about how the Evergreen line will be going ahead but the government hasn't really hinted at funding anything else substantial in the way of transit. I'd imagine that rapid transit to UBC would be likely but I highly doubt they would fund skytrain to the Fraser Valley. Maybe they'll expand the expo line to Guilford. Tommorow will be interesting.

[bils]

i wouldn't be entirely surprised if the actual announcement falls short of what global tv is speculating. keith baldrey only said that it'll be a multi billion dollar announcement and so assumed that these items would be included...

[squeezied]

wowsa!! if m-line ext is really a go, i'd be sooo stoked!!

[Nutterbug]

Originally Posted by hollywoodnorth

Go Gordo Go!
Go Falco Go!

He of Gateway Project fame?

This is just a reluctant compromise on his part, isn't it?

[Nutterbug]

Originally Posted by mr.x2

here's Gordon Price's take on the Global exclusive:


SkyTrain to UBC!
January 13, 2008 | Price Tags

Well, we’ll see.

Global TV’s Victoria reporter Keith Baldrey prepared the way for Gordon Campbell and Kevin Falcon’s “huge” announcement tomorrow morning (Jan 14) - the biggest infrastructure package in British Columbia’s history. Mainly, billions for transit, all over the province. In the Lower Mainland:

The Evergreen Line, with a southerly route most likely, serving the Riverview development area.

SkyTrain extension into the Fraser Valley.

And this one, which dropped a few jaws: Millennium Line extension to UBC.

Plus a bus-only road system extended through the region.

I can’t imagine this info being broadcast unless the government wanted it released - but we’ll see. It certainly has the marks of Gordon Campbell on it. Similar to the housing announcements, the scale of spending and the comprehensiveness of the program unbalances the critics. Of course it’s “never enough” or ”only a good first start” with doubts and ”let’s see the details”.

But frankly, if transit was scaled up south of the Fraser to the point where it could reshape development and redirect growth while addressing car-dependence, it would also recast the criticism of Gateway. SkyTrain all the way to UBC would be stunning.

We’ll see soon.

How long till the SFU'ers start saying "Us too!"?

[djh]

If those predictions come true, Campbell has my vote at the next election.

Any ideas as to what would be the proposed route of the extended Skytrain line through the Fraser Valley?

[mr.x]

Originally Posted by Nutterbug

How long till the SFU'ers start saying "Us too!"?

How are you going to build that guideway/tunnel up that mountain? The station platform itself would have to be hundreds of metres below the campus.

I think streetcar/light-rail or an multi-car aerial tram (though it'd lack the capacity needed) from Production Way would be a good compromise. I think SFU Vancouver said something along these lines are in the works within SFU's Board of Directors.

[mr.x]

Originally Posted by djh

If those predictions come true, Campbell has my vote at the next election.

Any ideas as to what would be the proposed route of the extended Skytrain line through the Fraser Valley?

Possibly south along King George Highway to cover more of Surrey and/or southeast along the Fraser Highway to Langley.

I wonder if these plans include commuter rail (particularly the WCE, it needs a rehaul).

[paradigm4]

M-Line to UBC satisfies the demand on the route and the cries from Sam, Evergreen Line (rerouted) satisfies the promise of funding and the cries from the Tri-Cities, in addition to opening up the possibility of a new LRT link from the King George/104th Ave LRT, across the Port Mann, to the new Evergreen. But that's only if it's LRT, not if it's SkyTrain.

The rapid transit in the SoF will go down Fraser. Falcon already said that's what he'd like to see down the line (10-15 years was his quote if I remember correctly). The route was just based on his personal preference. Frankly, the King George route is more heavily used and has far more potential for TOD, but whatever, I guess this is the compromise for funding: doing it the way the province wants it done. But, then again, it's always been that way, even since the first SkyTrain line went it.

I have a hard time believing any of these mega projects will be SkyTrain if we are pursuing the P3 model. The only place it would make the most sense is along the UBC extension, where the transfer makes the biggest difference. I assume Bombardier would lose any other routes, just like they did with the C-Line.

We'll see tomorrow!

[SFUVancouver]

Originally Posted by mr.x2

I think streetcar/light-rail or an multi-car aerial tram (though it'd lack the capacity needed) from Production Way would be a good compromise. I think SFU Vancouver said something along these lines are in the works within SFU's Board of Directors.

Well not exactly. I don't know if SFU is in anyway planning or lobbying for a new system. However I think that a variety of stakeholders are looking ahead towards what the transportation situation will look like on Burnaby Mountain once the university has had another decade of growth and UniverCity is built out over the next 10 to 15 years. The latter will have a population on par with SEFC or the East Fraser Lands and it will be sitting on a mountaintop. Thankfully we already have SkyTrain at the base of the mountain and a B-Line coming to link it to downtown. There are already 20,000+ daily trips via transit on and off the mountain each day, 10,000+ for the #145 alone.

I'm on pins and needles waiting for tomorrow. If SkyTrain goes to UBC then we're looking at an incredible century for the city of Vancouver. I, for one, won't be one of those "it's a good start" or "not enough" people. I will see this possibly as one of the defining days of the Campbell administration, right up with the Olympic bid day, and if we as a province can pull this off we will be leaving a phenomenal legacy for future generations. When asked "what did BC do with its boom?" we can unequivocally answer "we prepared". Climate change, an aging population, and peak oil all need unprecedented preparation at an infrastructure and built environment level and this is it.

I'm proud to be a British Columbian and I give credit where it is due. If tomorrow lives up to even half of what this hype is leading us to believe I may have made up my mind for the next election.

[SFUVancouver]

Major transit announcement
Transportation project to be unveiled today, involving many cities and billions of dollars

Jonathan Fowlie and Frances Bula
Vancouver Sun

Monday, January 14, 2008

A major announcement involving transportation improvements throughout B.C. will be made today.

BRITISH COLUMBIA - A Lower Mainland transit and transportation plan, billed as one of the biggest capital projects in B.C. history, is expected to be unveiled today by Premier Gordon Campbell.

On Sunday, Dale Steeves, a spokesman for Campbell, said the project will involve many cities - including municipalities both inside and outside the Lower Mainland - and will involve multiple billions of dollars in spending commitments.

"It will be one of the biggest, if not the biggest, capital projects in the history of the province," Steeves told The Vancouver Sun on Sunday evening.

The plan involves funding and a final route plan for the Evergreen SkyTrain Line to the northeast suburbs, rapid transit to the Fraser Valley, and the Millennium Line extension in Vancouver to the University of B.C., according to Global BC.

It comes about one month before the provincial budget and is an opportunity to showcase billions in new spending without the distractions associated with budget day.

In December, Finance Minister Carole Taylor predicted B.C. will have a surplus of $2.1 billion for the 2007-08 fiscal year. Taylor has remained quiet on what will be in her Feb. 19 budget, but last week spoke about the possibility of a provincial carbon tax.

In that discussion, Taylor said all of the carbon tax proposals she has been reviewing include a promise of revenue neutrality. She added this neutrality can either come from lowering other taxes, or by spending the money on projects aimed at reducing emissions.

"[One] possibility is you take those dollars in and you put them back out into technology that helps with climate change - for instance buses," she said.

Lower Mainland mayors have been invited to today's provincial announcement. But all say the provincial government has been exceptionally tight-lipped about what might be in it, which is frustrating for many mayors who have been waiting anxiously for months for announcements on critically needed transit projects in their regions.

"We're in the dark and when you're in the dark, it's pretty tough to guess what's coming down the pike," said Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts.

Watts, along with three other Fraser Valley mayors, made a special pitch last fall to Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon for help in boosting transit service for the booming valley suburbs.

"We need to see some of that improvement straight away. We absolutely need improved bus service now," she said.

Watts said that, although transit funding is much needed, it's difficult to see decisions dropped on the region out of the blue without any input from the affected municipalities. [Welcome to the new Translink -SFUVancouver] Watts is also the chair of the new Council of Mayors in the recently reorganized TransLink.

The south of Fraser mayors want to see a new rapid-bus system, with one segment of it leading the way for a future expansion of SkyTrain.

Port Moody Mayor Joe Trasolini expressed a similar mix of hope and frustration. Trasolini has been waiting for more than a year to hear from the provincial government that it will provide the last $400 million needed to build the Evergreen Line, the light-rail extension to the existing Millennium line that is supposed to run east from Lougheed Centre in Coquitlam to the northeast suburbs.

He has no idea what is coming.

"I just got an e-mail from [the Transportation Ministry] saying to be there. I would have hoped to have a heads up."

Evergreen is "the obvious project," he said, but he doesn't want to get his hopes up because he's been promised the money for so long.

In Vancouver, Mayor Sam Sullivan has also been invited to the announcement. His communications manager, David Hurford, said the mayor is looking forward to the announcement "with anticipation" but he wouldn't speculate on what Vancouver might hope to get.

jfowlie@png.canwest.com

fbula@png.canwest.com

[mr.x]

Sunday's News Hour report on today's announcement:
• Video Link