TransLink says it wants to explore a potential SkyTrain extension to Newton within the next 10 years.
The transit company unveiled its priorities for the first 10 years of its Transport 2050 plan Wednesday (April 20) and the possibility of a Newton line made the list.
But while one Surrey city councillor lauds talk of a Newton SkyTrain line, the leader of a local business group says Newton is still waiting for there to be “real investment” in the community.
“According to the Transit 2050 plan update that was recently released, it seems that other communities have leapfrogged Newton,” said Philip Aguirre, executive director for the Newton Business Improvement Association.
“Newton has the population, the jobs, and the ridership but still has no commitment or real investment in the community. In the year 2032 will we still be talking about ‘exploring other potential SkyTrain extensions, including Newton in Surrey?’”
Aguirre says he wonders how long Newton will have to wait to get rapid transit down King George Boulevard to the town centre.
In 2018, after the majority Safe Surrey Coalition was voted in, Surrey’s light rail transit (LRT) project was cancelled and focus switched to the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain extension project.
Newton Town Centre would have been home to one of the terminus stations for LRT, which would have run from Guildford down 104 Avenue to City Centre and then up King George Boulevard to Newton. The fully funded and approved project would have been completed by 2024.
In Wednesday’s announcement, TransLink said it plans to spend the next 10 years doubling its regional bus service, expanding its rapid bus service, and completing the majority of its new bike and walkways. These priorities are outlined in TransLink’s Transport 2050 strategic plan, which
According to a discussion guide from TransLink, the transit authority is looking to invest in rapid transit on up to 11 corridors, which includes the King George Boulevard and Scott Road corridors. Along King George Boulevard, TransLink is looking to extend RapidBus or Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) from Surrey Centre to White Rock and “complete an exploratory business case of grade separation and technology alternatives, including SkyTrain, between Surrey Centre and Newton.”
Surrey Coun. Doug Elford was thrilled with TransLink’s plan, which was unanimously adopted by the TransLink Mayor’s Council in January.
“I think it’s critical. We do have a rapid bus planned, for now, which I think is fantastic in the short-term,” he said. “But in the long-term, I think SkyTrain to Newton and then eventually all the way to the south would be ideal. That’s something that we would be advocating for. I know the mayor has advocated for that before.”
Elford added he’s glad it’s Newton Skytrain made the list of 10-year priorities.
“It’s going to happen. it’s just a matter of time.”
Meantime, the major focus of the next decade is on bus rapid transit — buses that operate in fully separated lanes with signal priority designed to keep buses moving.
In Surrey, TransLink’s 10-year priorities include BRT on several corridors with two of those in Surrey: King George Boulevard from Surrey to White Rock and Scott Road, an upgrade from the R6.
TransLink said the bus rapid transit routes will be serviced by zero emissions or low emissions vehicles. Riders will prepay before boarding and buses have more spacious interiors to allow higher passenger capacities — similar to a rapid light rail experience. It is significantly cheaper than SkyTrain investments at $15-million per kilometre, versus $400 million per kilometre for the train.
Ottawa’s O-Train light DMU.
People wait to board the 301 Brighouse bunch to Richmond at Newton Exchange on Friday, March 20, 2020. (File photo: Lauren Collins)
Transportation
TransLink wants to explore SkyTrain extension into Newton
But the BIA executive director wonders how much longer the town centre will have to wait
I already confirmed this with several real BRT experts who work for O.C. Transpo and York Region Transit’s VIVA BRT Network, The types of Busways the article was talking about are $36 – $40 million per km, not including buses and bus garages. YRT quotes a total price of $72 million per km but that includes single articulated bus models (mostly diesel and some hybrid designs not battery ev bus models, which are 50% to 100% more expensive), bus garages, training and non construction related capital costs.
The Bi-Articulated bus models being purchased by Brisbane Australia’s Metrolink Busway Network, shown in the article are design only and don’t have a quoted price yet but they are not going to be cheap. Consider also that bi- articulated buses aren’t road legal in Canada or the USA. So Transport Canada would force Translink into a long test program before they give their ok for them to operate in Canada. The B.C. Ministry of Transportation would also have their own safety inspection programs for these buses as well.
Zwei replies: Evidently the cost is for style B-Line Rapid Bus, with peak hour bus lanes.
I don’t think Translink has a clue about BRT and has based costs on the Richmond B-Line, which ended service 12 years ago.
Another warning and these costs can vary wildly, from vehicle battery and charging type but a HESS Lightram 25 bi-articulated bus, which is a 24.7 m long Battery Electric Bus (Depot Charging System), similar to the vehicle that is currently testing for the Brisbane Metro project, in Brisbane, Australia and who’s image was used in the Daily Hive article “Translink to double bus service, including 9 new BRT lines” costs between $2 and $2.3 million (CAN) per vehicle.
A 18 m or 60 ft. long single Battery Electric (BEB) single articulated bus using the same charging method is approximately $1.5 million – $1.6 million (CAN) each. A 12m or 40 ft. long BEB bus using the same charging technology is $1.1 million (CAN).
A standard bi articulated diesel bus at 24 m long is roughly $1.4 million – $1.8 Million (CAN). A standard 18 m long single articulated diesel bus costs between $750,000 – $825,000 (CAN) each. A standard 12 m long diesel bus costs between $575,000 – $630,000 (CAN) each. A 15m -16 m long double decker diesel bus can range from $800,000 – 900,000 (CAN) per bus but holds 25% – 30% more passengers than a standard 18 m long single articulated bus.
Most Battery Electric Buses that have been sold are depot or garage charging vehicles, which is a a very slow charger (8 to 10 hours) but the charge lasts longer however, you need a bigger fleet because 35%-50% the fleet is always charging.
You can use a faster charging system that charges at several spots along the route as well as the bus depot/garage, which lowers the cost of the bus by 20% compared to depot chargers but you are constantly charging the vehicle, you need to buy a lot more charging infrastructure, the charge doesn’t last as long, you spend a lot more money and time replacing batteries and you still require a bigger fleet compared to standard diesel buses but not as big as a depot charging fleet.
Electric Trolley Buses with a backup battery system are cheaper than the last 2 types of battery electric buses but you have to have trolley wire everywhere.
Hybrid buses (Diesel & Electric Drive Systems) are cheapest but still considerably more than a diesel only bus and have the extra maintenance costs compared to the diesel only bus.
Another thing to keep in mind, the single articulated and bi-articulated buses as well as double decker buses are all very heavy buses that can and often do, chew up asphalt roads very quickly, especially in areas with heavy bus traffic like busways. That’s why many busways now have as standard design, a concrete stopping or docking lane at the stations on their busways. This increases the cost of building and maintenance of the busway but nowhere near the cost of nearly constantly having to repave the stopping lane at nearly every station on your busway. In Ottawa’s case it was every 2 to 4 years at most of our Transitway stations.
This letter in news says $2billion earmarked for new cars to place the old cars. That is not exactly true.
In 2020, Translink ordered 205 new cars from Bombardier (Now Alstrom) for $721 million.
125 new SkyTrain cars to replace first-generation MKI vehicles which entered service in 1985, and to support the Broadway Subway Project; 80 SkyTrain cars to improve capacity on the Expo and Millennium Lines; and an option for additional cars to support Surrey Langley SkyTrain. They start arriving in 2023 and completed by 2027.
https://www.translink.ca/news/2020/december/translink%20overhauls%20aging%20fleet%20with%20%20largest%20ever%20skytrain%20order
A skytrain to Newton is silly. A LRT line should replace the current express bus from Guildford to Newtown and extended to Whiterock.
What about an LRT from Richmond centre down westminster highway to New Westminster? There is already rail bridges between richmond, new westminster and Surrey. A Richmond to Newtown LRT would be great. Then It could be extended to Chiliwack. It would make it easier for people south of fraser to go to the airport.
Zwei replies: The order is not fully paid for, nor will Alstom promise to keep the production line open.