Construction on the new Surrey-Langley SkyTrain extension is ramping up, with the project to become much more visible in the months to come.
Transportation Minister Mike Farnworth said Friday that construction for nearly 200 piers and columns that will support the transit line’s guideway has begun.
“Together the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain, combined with the Broadway subway project in Vancouver, will expand our current SkyTrain network by about 27 per cent,” Farnworth said.
“We’re also working closely with TransLink to ensure efficient, reliable bus service that connects with the SkyTrain stations, including access to rapid transit for people who don’t live or work close to the alignment.”
The province says that work will continue through the spring, as crews begin casting more than 4,400 concrete segments that will form the system’s guideway.
Specialized cranes called “gantry launchers” will then begin to lift and install those concrete segments this summer at sites at 152 Street, Bakerview-166 Street and Hillcrest-184 Street stations.
Construction on two future stations, Green Timbers and Langley City Centre stations, is also scheduled to begin this year.
Last summer, the province revealed the cost to complete the project had jumped by almost 50 per cent, from just over $4 billion to just under $6 billion.
The timeline to complete the project was also pushed back a year from 2028 to 2029.
The province blamed inflation, supply chain issues and rising labour costs for the higher costs.
Once completed, the eight-station line is expected to take people from Langley City Centre to King George Station in 22 minutes, with an anticipated daily ridership of 56,000.