TransLink has written for Lower Mainland mayors to assist in evaluating the pros and cons of a proposal to reactive passenger rail service along the existing Interurban line from Surrey to Chilliwack.
According to TransLink, activating passenger service on the line has 鈥渓ess attractive travel times between key destinations鈥� due to a less direct route (compared to other alternatives); would not connect to key areas such as Surrey Central and 91原创 City; and would require 鈥渟ignificant capital investments鈥� to meet safety requirements and reliability objectives.
But TransLink鈥檚 review is being called 鈥渟eriously flawed鈥� by those pitching the plan.
A 99-kilometre, 90-minute route with 12 stops is proposed by the South Fraser Community Rail group, which says reactivated service on the existing interurban rail line would serve about 1.2 million residents in the region.
The TransLink report was released as proponents behind the push are holding 鈥淩ally for Rail鈥� meetings, touting the use of 鈥渆missions-free hydrogen powered trains鈥� along the track.
Behind the push is former B.C. premier Bill Vander Zalm, former 91原创 Township mayor Rick Green and also Patrick Condon, founder of UBC鈥檚 Urban Design program.
The group argues their train proposal would cost an estimated $12.5 million per kilometre, compared to the now-dead Surrey light-rail project鈥檚 estimated $157 million per kilometre (a figure provided by TransLink last September.)
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TransLink argues it would be expensive, given safety regulations.
鈥淭o meet Transport Canada requirements for rail passenger safety, LRT vehicles must either be separated from freight train traffic through scheduling, or physically, by constructing separate tracks,鈥� according to a 2012 TransLink study that evaluated the interurban corridor as a potential route for rapid transit expansion.
The report states that 鈥渃onstructing additional track and stations, acquiring right of way to add the tracks along the existing interurban corridor, and overcoming related construction challenges would be costly.鈥�
TransLink鈥檚 most recent report summarizes the findings of the 2010-2012 Surrey Rapid Transit Study, when the transit authority assessed the interurban section between Scott Road and 91原创 to 鈥渆xplore merits of utilizing the Interurban corridor for fast, frequent, and reliable rapid transit service compared to Fraser Highway or King George Boulevard.鈥�
At the time, TransLink notes, the 鈥淚nterurban corridor was not selected, nor recommended for further consideration鈥� for the aforementioned reasons and others, including freight volumes along the rail line that are expected to increase as well as potential environmental risks as the corridor travels along the Agricultural Land Reserve and floodplains of the Serpentine River.
The 2012 assessment study also pointed to land use along the corridor being lower density than other routes, and noted that it runs through a significant amount of agricultural lands, 鈥渞esulting in lower potential ridership catchment near stations.鈥�
鈥淚f there was a request to revisit previous assessment that this corridor could not effectively meet the objectives for rapid transit, the above and other challenges would need to be reviewed in the current context to provide an updated assessment of the transportation performance of the line,鈥� the report notes. 鈥淭ransLink staff have not completed an updated assessment of this idea.鈥�
The new element of the interurban proposal - the potential use of hydrogen fuel cell trains - has not been evaluated by TransLink.
鈥淭he concept of using existing rail corridors and infrastructure in the rapidly-growing Lower Mainland is one that TransLink will be exploring through the update to the long-range strategy, Transport 2050,鈥� TransLink鈥檚 report to the region鈥檚 mayors notes. 鈥淭ransport 2050 will examine the long-term demand for improved inter-regional connections between the Metro Vancouver region and the Fraser Valley and examine what corridors could viably serve that demand. TransLink staff have met with proponents of the idea twice in lengthy meetings to hear the proposal and have shared with the group that management will be recommending that the Interurban concept be considered through the Transport 2050 process.鈥�
But Green with South Fraser Community Rail called the TransLink evaluation 鈥渟eriously flawed.鈥�
鈥淲e have done a professionally supported critique on the TransLink reports which will be released by Monday next week,鈥� said Green.
鈥淭o me and all of our team TransLink are embarrassing themselves with the material they are producing in support of their decisions,鈥� he said. 鈥淥ne thing is sure, we have woken them up to a fight against their irresponsible decisions. The fact is TransLink staff have been receiving a fair number of questions from the region鈥檚 mayors about the Interurban because frankly very few of them knew anything about it.鈥�
The Mayor鈥檚 Council on Regional Transportation has seen the report in a closed meeting, which was subsequently released to the public ahead of their June meeting. The region鈥檚 mayors are expected to receive the report as information at their next public meeting on June 27 in New Westminster.
The South Fraser Community Rail group is online at and also .
amy.reid@surreynowleader.com
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