The Good News: Study Supports Passenger Rail Transit South of Fraser. The Bad News: Surrey and North Delta are ignored.

A Freedom of Information request filed on October 30th, 2023, initially due by December 12th, 2023, was extended to January 26th, 2024, and then further delayed to March 11th, 2024. Surprisingly, the draft study was unexpectedly delivered to us in December 2023.

The Good News Confirmed
“Study Supports Passenger Rail Transit South of Fraser”
For two decades, advocates for reactivating the Interurban Corridor have highlighted its significant benefits for the South of Fraser Region. The unanimous endorsement by South of Fraser Municipalities in 2009, the introduction of Hydrogen Rail technology from Canada in Germany in 2017, and an 88% approval rating from the public have significantly heightened interest. The government’s mixed responses have necessitated this press release.

Despite past studies by entities like the B.C. MoT and TransLink, which sought to discredit our findings for their own interests, this study vindicates the South Fraser Community Rail Society (SFCRS). However, it does contain several inaccuracies that need addressing:

The Study Reveals the Following Facts:

• The publicly-owned Interurban Rail Line, with protected passenger rights, is a viable choice for interregional passenger transit from the Pattullo Bridge to Chilliwack, satisfying all criteria.
• Contrary to previous studies, the Interurban Corridor connects all major population centers south of the Fraser, unlike Highway #1.
• Utilizing the Interurban Corridor supports agricultural land preservation and community resilience.
• Over 70% of trips originating south of the Fraser conclude within the same area, a figure now approaching 80%.
• Reactivating the Interurban Corridor as an interregional transit service is the most cost-effective solution for addressing the region’s transit needs.
• This corridor will alleviate some vehicular traffic and congestion on Highway #1.

Important Additional Facts – Necessary Corrections:

• The study’s initial focus was skewed towards the Langley SkyTrain extension, neglecting Surrey and North Delta’s transit needs.
• Ignoring the needs of 351,000 residents in Surrey and North Delta not served by skytrain overlooks the potential economic benefits for the South of Fraser.
• Cost comparisons highlight the efficiency of the Interurban over the Langley SkyTrain expansion: 16 kms of Langley SkyTrain est. @ $5.2 Billion ($325 million per  km) vs 99 kms of the Interurban est. @ $1.65 Billion ($16.62 million per km).
• The proposed Mission Rail Connection to the interurban is unnecessary; an express bus service would suffice.
• Current congestion issues and the long timeframe for proposed highway expansions underline the immediate need for rail transit solutions.
• New BC Provincial Government housing legislation is likely to worsen congestion on Highway #1 significantly.
• Connects two new Rapid Bus Transit Routes (King George Blvd. & 200th St).
• A full feasibility study should be initiated immediately with experienced international rail engineering firms.
• Issues regarding double tracking and track conditions are manageable within the existing agreements. These are conditions of maintenance and requirements within their 1988 freight use sales agreement between Southern Rail & CP Rail with B.C. Hydro/B.C. Government. 
• The Interurban Corridor offers a publicly owned, cost-effective solution with no need for additional private land acquisitions.
• The study was dated July 8^th 2022. 15 months later it has still not released to the public. Why not? What are the next steps? The government has been silent.

The Study’s Background:
Initiated by the SFCRS and discussed with then-candidate, Premier John Horgan, in March 2017, this study, announced in the 2020 Throne Speech, was supported by SFCRS extensive lobbying efforts that have been entirely self funded by the volunteer-run SFCRS, and our generous donors. The SFCRS was identified as a key stakeholder of this study.

Our Request to the Government:
We seek an immediate in-depth meeting with Minister Fleming and staff for post-study engagement. Despite multiple requests, our requests have been postponed, which is unsatisfactory, especially in an election year.

While the draft study illustrates our point as to the merits of community rail for the region, eliminating Surrey and Delta from the study area is of grave concern.

Contact:
Rick Green, President, South Fraser Community Rail Society
Directors: Roy Mufford, Lee Lockwood, Brit Gardner, Scott Thompson, Peter Holt, Gery Warner
(Contact: 604-866-5752)

Press Release: We are pleased to announce the Township of Langley has taken the significant action of stepping forward and publicly endorsing and fully supporting the reactivation of the existing active Interurban Rail Line with Passenger Rail over 99 Kms between the Pattullo Bridge SkyTrain Station and Chilliwack!

The following resolution was supported unanimously and will be presented to theUBCM AGM general convention in Vancouver in September:

Township of Langley

Union of British Columbia (UBCM) South of Fraser Resolution

Whereas:

1. The Township of Langley has the highest growth rate in Metro Vancouver and public transit has not kept up with population growth, resulting in inadequate services to support current and future Township of Langley residents and businesses;

1. Communities south of the Fraser, including Delta, Surrey Township of Langley, City of Langley, Abbotsford, and Chilliwack have a combined population over 1.2 million and there is no Interregional public transit connecting these respective Fraser Valley communities; and

1. Capacity on existing transit routes and Highway #1 continue to be congested within these respective communities south of the Fraser River, and without greater investment in public transit infrastructure and service congestion will continue to worsen;

Therefore be it resolved that Council hereby authorizes the Township of Langley to submit to the Union of BC Municipalities a motion in support of the Province of BC re-activating the interurban rail corridor along the existing rail corridor that connects Delta, Surrey, Langley, Abbotsford and Chilliwack.

-June 26, 2023 Council Meeting

NOTE: The following communities are Signatories by Council Resolution for renewal of the CP Rail/B.C. Hydro Master Agreement for Passenger rights on the Interurban Corridor at no cost for its use.
Approved Spring of 2009 – Cities of Delta, White Rock, Surrey, Langley, Abbotsford and Township of Langley.
Chilliwack by resolution of support and referral to the FVRD Board April 2019.

For more information contact:

Nick Hosseinzadeh
Township of Langley Intergovernmental Relations and Communications Coordinator
Tel: 777 777-7777
nhosseinzadeh@tol.ca

Rick Green
South Fraser Community Rail Society President
Tel: 778 705-9282
southfrasercommunityrail@shaw.ca

• Coradia iLint will carry passengers in a commercial service demonstration on Quebec’s Reseau Charlevoix network, at the heart of a UNESCO-listed biosphere reserve, during 2023
• In partnership with the Government of Quebec, Chemin de fer Charlevoix, Harnois Énergies and HTEC, the project will test a first-ever green hydrogen ecosystem dedicated to rail transportation in America
• Alstom’s innovation centre in the Americas is dedicated to the development of rail mobility solutions with low or zero emissions for the North American market

Full Press Release:

2 February 2023 – Alstom, global leader in smart and sustainable mobility, in partnership  with the Government of Quebec, Chemin de fer Charlevoix, Train de Charlevoix, Harnois Énergies and HTEC, has announced a passenger service demonstration project for its Coradia iLint hydrogen-powered train. During summer 2023, the Coradia iLint will carry passengers on the Réseau Charlevoix rail network, along the St. Lawrence River, between Parc de la Chute-Montmorency and Baie-St-Paul. The train will be powered by green hydrogen produced by Harnois Énergies at its Quebec City site.

The province of Quebec will be the first jurisdiction in the Americas to run a train with zero direct emissions powered by green hydrogen, demonstrating its leadership in the transition to a low-carbon economy and the set-up of ecosystems dedicated to hydrogen. The operation of this train with passengers on board will allow Alstom and its partners to better assess the subsequent steps for the development of hydrogen propulsion technology and its penetration into the North American market.

The Coradia iLint first entered commercial service in Germany in 2018 and has travelled more than 220,000 kilometres in eight European countries. The train is powered by a hydrogen fuel cell that emits only water vapour during operation, while ensuring a quieter environment for passengers and those close to tracks. On September 15, 2022, the Coradia iLint travelled the record distance of 1,175 kilometres without refuelling. Coradia iLint has a top speed of 140 km/h and acceleration and a braking performance comparable to a standard regional diesel train – but without the noise and the emissions. Coradia iLint stands out for its combination of innovative features: clean energy conversion, flexible energy storage in batteries, smart traction and energy management. Designed especially for non-electrified lines, it allows for safe, clean and sustainable operations. To date, 41 trainsets have been ordered by clients in Europe.

“As early as 2018, Alstom was the first to put a hydrogen train into service in Europe and we aim to be the first in the Americas as well,” explains Michael Keroullé, President Alstom Americas. “With only 1% of the networks electrified in our region, this technology will provide an alternative to diesel. This project will demonstrate our capabilities to provide more sustainable mobility solutions to customers, agencies and operators, as well as to passengers. It will also provide an extraordinary showcase for Quebec’s developing green hydrogen ecosystem.”

“Quebec is positioning itself as a centre of expertise in sustainable transportation on the continent,” says François Legault, Premier of Quebec. “Promising innovations such as Alstom’s will not only help us achieve our ambitious climate change targets, but they will also be able to be exported elsewhere in the world. I am convinced that our nation has everything it takes to become one of the international leaders in the green economy!”

“We are pleased to leverage our infrastructure for this exciting project. This initiative is not only a perfect fit with our corporate social responsibility plan, which includes a sustainable mobility component, but it also generates significant reach for the Charlevoix region, which is at the heart of our organizational vision”, mentions Claude Choquette, President of Groupe Le Massif and of Chemin de fer de Charlevoix.

“Harnois Energies is very proud to be the green hydrogen supplier for this green transition project,” said Luc Harnois, Executive Vice President and shareholder of Harnois Énergies. “Our participation in this project in a logical continuation of our decision to invest in the construction of a hydrogen station in 2018. Harnois Énergies is more than ever actively participating in the coexistence of energy and vehicle types to meet the needs of consumers.”

Commercial service of the Coradia iLint in Quebec is the first mandate of Alstom’s new innovation centre in the Americas, which is dedicated to sustainable mobility solutions. This is the first milestone in the development of an ecosystem around Alstom’s rail solutions with zero direct emissions. The primary mission of this centre, located in Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, Quebec, is the development of future platforms with hybrid, battery or green hydrogen propulsion specifically adapted to the North American market, leveraging the proximity to the more than 700 Alstom engineers currently working in the city to help accelerate the decarbonisation of the rail sector. For the Coradia iLint demonstration project, the centre’s engineers will work closely with key players in Quebec’s research and innovation sector, as well as with industrial partners in the Quebec battery and hydrogen industries.

Alstom is the world leader in innovation for sustainable mobility. The company employs 1,800 people in Quebec and its Americas headquarters is in Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, Quebec. Alstom provides rolling stock, signalling solutions, services, infrastructure and turnkey systems, notably in Montreal for the Réseau express métropolitain project, the Société de transport de Montréal and EXO, as well as in Canada’s largest cities and major rail networks. Alstom is a proud Canadian player and has been certified “Top Employer 2023” in Canada, for the third year in a row, by the Top Employers Institute.

Alstom, Coradia and Coradia iLint are protected trademarks of the Alstom Group.

More coverage:

• Alstom’s Coradia iLint, the world’s first hydrogen-powered passenger train, will demonstrate green traction in Quebec | Alstom
• Alstom plans a pilot project in Quebec to run a hydrogen-powered train – The Globe and Mail
• First green hydrogen-powered passenger train in North America coming to Quebec | Montreal Gazette
• Hydrogen train pilot project coming to Charlevoix railway this summer | CTV News

PRESS RELEASE | South of the Fraser Communities

Six Communities Endorse South Fraser Community Rail Project – Research Co.

Almost four-in-five residents say they are likely to rely on the service for work or leisure, including 81% of those who drive a vehicle.

Vancouver, BC [May 20, 2021] – A proposal to reactivate a rail corridor for daily passenger service using hydrogen powered trains is very popular among residents of six British Columbia municipalities, a new Research Co. poll conducted on behalf of the South Fraser Community Rail Society has found.

In the online survey of a representative sample of residents of six provincial communities, 88% of respondents say they support the South Fraser Community Rail project.

At least three-in-four respondents in each community are in favour of the project, including:

93% in Abbotsford
89% in Chilliwack
85% in North Delta
83% in North Surrey
82% in the Township of Langley
and 76% in the City of Langley.

The South Fraser Community Rail project would rely on a publicly owned 99 km operating corridor (known as the Interurban Corridor) available with passenger rights saved and protected by a previous provincial government at no cost for its use between the Pattullo Bridge SkyTrain Station and the City of Chilliwack.

The South Fraser Community Rail project would connect 16 cities and communities, eight First Nations communities, 14 post-secondary Institutions, Industrial Parks and the Abbotsford International Airport.

Almost four-in-five respondents in the six communities (78%) say they are “very likely” or “moderately likely” to rely on the service once it becomes operational—including 88% of those who commute using public transit and 81% of those who drive to school or work.

In the survey, only 32% of respondents think the Express Bus being used on the Highway 1 corridor from Chilliwack to the Carvolth Exchange in Langley fits the needs of the community and no other public transit alternative is required at this time. Nine-in-ten respondents who have taken the Express Bus on Highway 1 (90%) support the South Fraser Community Rail project.

More than half of respondents say they are more likely to support the project because it will be good for the environment since it relies on a Hydrogen propulsion system, with zero greenhouse gas emissions (56%) and because it would allow for a commute time of 90 minutes from Chilliwack to the Pattulo Bridge—a significantly quicker commute time than the 135 minutes plus transfer time to cover the same distance with existing transit services (53%).

Practically half of respondents say they are more likely to support the project because one South Fraser Community Rail train would potentially remove 160 vehicles from Highway 1 (49%) and because the project will take three years to implement—a significantly quicker delivery timeframe than any other potential option (also 49%).

More than two-in-five respondents (44%) say they are more likely to support the project because it will cost an estimated $1.38 billion for 99 km —significantly less expensive than any other Inter-regional transit option.

Almost nine-in-ten respondents (87%) believe there must be a reactivated environmentally friendly Interurban passenger rail transit option while Highway 1 is currently being widened in stages.

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About Research Co.
Simply put, we are curious about what people think and the
decisions they will make. Some call it public opinion, others call it
polling or public affairs. We never compromise facts for profit. Our
agenda is the truth.
We have a global network of partners in the qualitative, data
collection and data visualization specialities.
====

Media contact:
Mario Canseco, President, Research Co.
778-929-0490
mario.canseco@researchco.ca

Below is a copy of the letter sent by former B.C. Premier Bill Vander Zalm to the current Mayor of Abbotsford, Henry Braun in response to his previous dismissal of putting passenger trains back on the Fraser Valley Interurban rail corridor:

Dear Mayor Braun

As best I can, I have been following your comments about the proposed “South Fraser Community Rail.” Your questioning of the work being done by this hard-working volunteer group, which has the livability of the Fraser Valley as its’ primary objective, is welcome, but unfortunately not based on facts. You obviously are entitled to your own opinion, but you aren’t entitled to your own facts.

When I was a teenager, I used to take the 10-cent ride from Bradner to Abbotsford on the B.C. Electric (forerunner to B.C. Hydro as you know) Interurban. B.C. Hydro came to see me in 1987 when I was premier of the province. They had already discontinued the “Tram Service” from Vancouver to Chilliwack in the early 50s, for lack of passengers, and were now wanting to sell their freight division because of heavy financial losses. They needed government approval to sell any of the assets.

My very capable Minister Mr. Jack Davis and I agreed immediately that their request was not acceptable as presented. After considerable research and study the Minister and I concluded that the “urban rail right-of-way”, everything above it and beside it was not to be sold under any circumstance. We concluded that the rails, then used exclusively for freight, could only be leased with renewable options. We further required that the rail line be maintained in top condition, when required for Transit, passenger transportation. The agreement would further state that the successful bidder, lessee, would need to double track, at their cost when demand exceeded capacity.

In the Press Release, issued by Minister Jack Davis at 2 PM on July 27th, 1988 re the successful bidders on the leases, he stated “the successful” Itel offer was approximately 32 million dollars and that CP rail had purchased the “running (freight) rights” over 12 Kms. of B.C. Hydro’s right-of-way, otherwise known as the “Pratt Livingstone corridor” in the Fraser Valley for 6.3 million dollars.

Obviously, as we have seen recently with the pipeline protest, as informed responsible citizens, we are all concerned with maintaining the free movement of freight in our country and province, although I believe both Itel (Operation since purchased by Southern Rail) and CP have done very well over these last 30 years and that is good, but progress must continue. The “Master Agreement”, which covers the Pratt Livingston Corridor, lays out very specific obligations by CP Rail – sharing the line equally with Passenger Traffic at no cost, and double tracking if traffic volume requires it, at CP’s expense. These were not requests, these were and are contractual obligations – in other words, conditions of the sale of freight rights.

Mr. Mayor, you are well aware of the exponential population growth in the Fraser Valley and are also well aware that it has only just begun. The use of the “Interurban rail corridor” for a pollution free hydrogen passenger train, all the way from Chilliwack to connect with the Metro Vancouver Skytrain at the Patullo bridge, is a “win-win”.

The enormous amount of money saved alone should be a win-win for the taxpayer.

The 99 Km Inter-Regional South Fraser Hydrogen train will serve over 10 times as many people as the 7 km Skytrain to Fleetwood, less than half-way to Langley City, but in the end the cost will be about the same. (99kms for the price of 7kms?)

The South Fraser Interurban Line would open up many opportunities for “lower cost housing” and employment.  The Fleetwood Skytrain would serve a relatively small population and not serve any traffic producing facilities. The South Fraser Interurban Line would serve the populations of and traffic for N.W. Surrey, N. Delta, Newton, Sullivan, White Rock, S.Surrey, Cloverdale, Kwantlen, Langley City, Langley Kwantlen, Fort Langley, Trinity University, Township of Langley, Gloucester Industrial Park, Aldergrove, City of Abbotsford, Sardis, and Chilliwack. Contrary to statements made it does go through the Fraser Valley’s population centers, high traffic industrial parks, and within a 5-minute shuttle Bus ride to the Abbotsford Airport and in Chilliwack, the entire Canada Education Park.

The truth is the Fraser Valley was developed around the Interurban Rail Line.

Mr. Mayor, I’m glad I have the opportunity of providing you with the correct information. I hope we can get you to soldier with us, to prevent a huge waste of money on the proposed Skytrain proposal which would keep the Fraser Valley from getting the needed transportation for this generation and a generation here after. Work with us in getting effective planning for lower cost housing growth at the Inter Urban Station Nodes and thereby preserving “green space” and Agricultural lands.

If further detailed information is required and more questions asked, please do not hesitate to call me or our astute and hard-working South Fraser volunteer leader, a former Mayor of Langley Township, Mr. Rick Green – 778 705-9282 / 604 866-5752 or email southfrasercommunityrail@shaw.ca

Respectfully yours,

Bill Vander Zalm

Abbotsford Today recently sat down with Former Surrey Mayor and BC Premier Bill Vander Zalm to learn more about his involvement with the South Fraser Community Rail campaign, and the history of the Interurban rail corridor.

It was Vander Zalm’s government that preserved the Interurban rail line for future passenger use by the Province of BC when they sold the freight division back in 1988.

Listen to Bill tell his story of political involvement, from shovels to HST, and why he believes passenger rail is a winner for the people and Province of British Columbia:

Download

Listen to the full interview (podcast) with Bill Vander Zalm here:

Metro Vancouver has as much of a traffic crisis as it has an affordable housing crisis, with thousands of cars backed up on major arterial roads between Vancouver and Abbotsford every day.

But TransLink, the transportation authority for Metro Vancouver, doesn’t believe that reviving passenger service on the old interurban rail line is the solution. Interurban passenger service was routine more than 100 years ago throughout North America, including a route from Vancouver to Chilliwack. Most jurisdictions sold off the lines once the car came along, but the interurban land in Metro Vancouver remains publicly owned, which has triggered proposals to revive it. A story in last week’s Globe and Mail explored that idea.

But TransLink cites the legal difficulty in negotiating with private companies that currently use the track for freight. They say the interurban does not support a more immediate plan to provide better transit to the region’s second downtown of Surrey Centre.

As well, it would be pricey to refurbish the line and because of its many stops, it would be too slow an option for commuters. Studies have been done over the years, which did not favour the idea, TransLink says, including a consultant’s south of Fraser area transit report in 2007, a provincial government report on Fraser Valley transit in 2010, and a TransLink assessment in 2012 as part of a Surrey rapid transit study.

TransLink says it will revisit the issue of interurban service as one of several options as part of its new regional transportation strategy, called Transport 2050.

“The lack of connections to population centres and the slowerthan-bus travel time are more compelling reasons why the idea has not been recommended for consideration for either rapid transit or inter-regional rail options,” TransLink’s spokesperson said in an e-mail.

Housing affordability and better transit are inextricably linked.

To that end, citizen activist groups have been arguing for the benefits of restoring passenger service on the old line that runs from Surrey through the Fraser Valley. The rail line is currently used for freight, but it is owned by BC Hydro, a Crown corporation whose private predecessor, BC Electric Railway, built the line in 1910. The line was built to link farming communities with the city, serving more than a dozen tiny communities and helping grow the Fraser Valley. It got decommissioned when cars and buses ruled the day, but now that congestion is making the region unlivable, proponents want to bring the old way of train travel back.

Some say it’s a better option than the costly SkyTrain proposal to link Surrey to Langley. There are residents in those cities who vehemently oppose the idea of an interurban service over the faster SkyTrain.

Daryl Dela Cruz, a 23-year-old student, formed a citizens’ group in support of SkyTrain instead of an interurban train from Surrey to Langley. His group mounted a petition that has about 6,000 signatures and they campaigned during the civic election to make it a central issue.

“We’re saying, ‘Hey, your [interurban] line theory might not be a bad idea, perhaps more study could be done – but it’s not a replacement for the SkyTrain,’ ” Mr. Dela Cruz says.

Others say the interurban is more inclusive of the entire Valley, which is quickly expanding and it shouldn’t be disregarded because of SkyTrain. They argue that the interurban goes through Langley Centre, as well as areas that the SkyTrain would miss, including North Delta, South Newton, Cloverdale and Abbotsford.

TransLink says that while those areas are important, its mandate is to prioritize urban centres identified in the Metro Vancouver Regional Growth Strategy. The interurban does not go through Surrey Centre and it takes a winding route to Langley Centre, TransLink says.

“We have been tasked with delivering fast, frequent and reliable rapid transit between urban centres – the interurban project does not achieve that goal.”

The pro-interurban groups say that the number of stops could easily be adjusted, and because it has its own path, the service wouldn’t be affected by car traffic.

It would therefore be faster than driving in gridlock.

TransLink responds: “The interurban is not completely separated. There are many crossings at road intersections. As per the facts in the agreement with BC Hydro, there would definitely be conflicts with freight operations.

Passenger trains would be slowed by car and freight traffic, if not completely separated.”

BC Hydro owns the land and two private freight companies own the track that sits on the land. Those companies are CP Rail and Southern Railway, which owns the vast majority of the track. Hydro has a long-standing agreement with CP Rail that allows negotiation of the track for passenger service. There is also a clause that permits CP to double track the line at its own cost. BC Hydro spokesman Geoff Hastings says it does not have such arrangements with Southern Railway, which would require negotiations.

Mr. Hastings says that BC Hydro and the private railways would have to reach an agreement before TransLink could enter into separate commercial negotiations with the companies on acquiring passenger service rights.

“Entering into these agreements also requires the co-operation and consent of CP and Southern Railway, as passenger service would have to be scheduled around freight movement.”

John Vissers is a recently retired owner of a construction company that built multifamily housing. He has lived in Abbotsford for 30 years and sits on the city’s development advisory committee. On a good day, Abbotsford is a little more than a one-hour drive from Vancouver.

His city might not be as dense as Surrey, but what policy-makers are missing, he says, is that Abbotsford is expected to expand to about 200,000 people – and nobody is preparing for that. He was involved in the development of an official community plan to add density and create urban areas as opposed to sprawl, but that can only be accomplished with better transit. Mr. Vissers says Abbotsford households are so car dependent that they often own three or four cars.

He supports the revival of the interurban as an expedient way to develop affordable housing and a walkable city.

“Why aren’t we doing this?

What’s holding us back and why are the policy-makers not interested?” he asks. “That’s the thing that mystifies me. We own the land and we did it 100 years ago, why can’t we do it now? I think they are using a 20th-century model for their thinking.”

The needs of the entire Valley should be considered, he says. He is not opposed to residents in Surrey and Langley who want SkyTrain.

“I see us as complementing SkyTrain and saying, ‘Here is another tool in the toolbox, another way of adding to the capacity for public transportation.’ We are looking at how we can move people regionally and at an affordable price. We don’t want to wait another 20 years, and why should we?” Developers will embrace the interurban system because the line goes through downtown Abbotsford, he says. City council recently agreed that a proposal for a 600-unit downtown housing project should go to public hearing. If built, it would significantly densify the downtown core. His city is expected to grow by 40,000 in the next 20 years alone, and yet there is no significant plan for transit.

He says the people of Abbotsford, Mission and Chilliwack can’t wait for another 20 years.

“We are transitioning from a sprawl city to a livable, walkable, sustainable city,” he says. “We’ve developed an official community plan to absorb that increase, without growing our footprint, which is pretty exciting.

“But what we haven’t done is find any other regional transportation than that freeway. We know it’s a big mistake, but we haven’t really developed a plan to address that.”

Developer Michael Geller, who builds low- to mid-density projects, also embraces the interurban idea. He says the interurban would encourage development around the stations and revitalize communities. He argues that commuters would rather get work done while sitting in a train than sitting idle in a car.

“When they brought these train lines in in the old days, that’s what dictated where development went,” he says. “With trams and trains, you can have more stops than when you have a SkyTrain. And so you begin to get the development that happened 80 years ago.

“Housing development and transportation, they go together, and I think it’s just a matter of time before we do have a tram service or train service or some hybrid back out to Chilliwack … because you have housing choices out there you don’t have in Vancouver or north Vancouver, and it will help with affordability.”

Source

By Kerry Gold for the Globe and Mail:

Imagine a modern regional tram that could get people out of their cars and connect communities between Surrey and Chilliwack, similar to the passenger lines that have long existed in European cities.

The line already exists. It’s the old interurban track that was built by B.C. Electric Railway and completed on Oct. 3, 1910, when then-premier Sir Richard McBride drove the last spike. The Lower Mainland was undergoing a real estate boom at the time, and construction of the interurban rail line, and streetcars, opened up major new opportunities. The cars were bigger than streetcars, and ran from Vancouver to Chilliwack. But regional trams and city streetcars couldn’t compete with cars and buses, and the last interurban passenger service on the line was discontinued in 1958.

Now, with another major boom under way, and the search on for affordable housing in walkable urban communities, there is a campaign afoot to bring it back to the Fraser Valley.

“It’s getting worse by the day – the traffic is almost impossible, and the big difficulty is, if you keep widening a freeway and build more overpasses, a freeway simply creates more sprawl and more need for transit,” says Bill Vander Zalm, the former premier whose government ensured that the ownership of the interurban line would stay as publicly owned land.

Mr. Vander Zalm is one of the spokespeople helping to launch the South Fraser Community Rail campaign. ”With proper transit, if you look at where SkyTrain was built … wherever there is a station, there is a hub of housing. It happens at stations. So if we take the Fraser Valley community rail to Chilliwack, we are going to get development hubs, more affordable housing – it will prevent sprawl, keep the green space and agricultural land. It’s all a good thing.”

A 1923 map shows the route of an interurban train line between Vancouver and Chilliwack.

The line was operated until the 1950s by the B.C. Electric Railway. BC HYDRO As a kid, Mr. Vander Zalm lived in Bradner, a small community near Abbotsford along the old interurban line, and he would ride the tram to Langley. Passenger rail service was integral to the region’s growth, and the interurban was a massive undertaking at the time. In his 1948 history of the B.C. Electric Railway Company, Lighted Journey, author Cecil Maiden wrote:

“The conception was a bold one, yet if a line could be driven to Chilliwack, 64 miles up the Valley, it might prove an inestimable boon to the growing farm communities then moving in substantial numbers into the district.”

Mr. Vander Zalm says that after many of the interurban rail lines around North America were decommissioned in the latter half of the 20th century, displaced by an expanding highway system, it was routine for jurisdictions to sell off the land. But when the B.C. government sold off BC Hydro’s freight rail division to an American company in the 1980s, it retained ownership of the land. “We wouldn’t allow the sale of the track,” he said. “We would allow the sale of the freight rights, and we had a provision that if ever we needed the track for transit, for moving people, they’d have to give it up immediately, and make sure it was in good shape, etc.”

“We saw it coming – this is 30 odd years ago – and it took a long time for it to materialize, but I think the time has come. “I think we were the only ones in the whole of North America that kept a train track for moving people.”

With increasing home prices, the Fraser Valley has grown far beyond a farming region, as people “drive until they qualify” for home ownership. Highway 1, which connects the valley communities, is overwhelmed with daily gridlock. According to the 2016 Census, 11 per cent of workers, or 130,405 people, commute for more than an hour a day in Metro Vancouver. The return of an existing rail line – one that’s in good shape and already owned by the province – for passenger service has been an idea kicked around by various groups for a couple of decades – but relatively few people are even aware the line exists. The newly formed South Fraser Community Rail Society has put forward a proposal to resurrect the old line as a means to better connect the Fraser Valley and promote growth in the region in a way that’s more livable. A new interurban transit line would create hubs around which density could grow, and walkable communities could link up with other transit services.

Former Langley mayor Rick Green, who is spearheading the proposal, says the group is self-funded and apolitical. It includes retired politicians and community activists, and supporters such as Mr. Vander Zalm and the University of British Columbia’s Patrick Condon, who is professor of architecture and landscape architecture. Mr. Green got interested in 2006 and mobilized significant interest, but then in 2011, he failed in his re-election bid and the proposal lost momentum. He and a few other advocates decided to take another run at it, particularly with talk of extending SkyTrain into Surrey. For a meeting with The Globe and Mail, Mr. Green arrived with massive binders of documentation, including a B.C. government news release from 1988, which states that the sale of BC Hydro’s freight division “does not include land under or either side of the rail bed nor does it include air rights above Hydro’s rail corridor. These have been retained in order to accommodate future rail passenger, real estate or other developments along former B.C. Electric Railway routings in the Lower Mainland.” The fact that it remained within the public domain all these years is huge, he says. “It’s amazing how many people weren’t aware of it, and as we have over the last couple of decades talked to people at various candidate celebrations, and everything else, you put up your maps, and 99 per cent of people who look at it say, ‘why aren’t we doing it?’” Mr. Green says. “The explosion in the population, the exponential growth out to the valley, is far greater than we anticipated, and why did that happen? Growth of property values. Everybody wants a home they can afford,” he adds.

Over the next few weeks, the group is officially launching their campaign and spreading the message that the interurban rail will serve the bulk of the population south of the Fraser, as well as key job centres along Scott Road, Newton, Cloverdale, Langley and beyond. Mr. Green is armed with data, such as the estimation that it would cost $200-million a kilometre to build a SkyTrain line from Surrey Centre to Langley City, as opposed to the $12.5-million a kilometre they say it would cost to reactivate the interurban line from Scott Road to Chilliwack. He says the interurban project would connect 16 existing communities, 14 postsecondary schools, the Abbotsford International Airport, several industrial parks and bring students closer to several postsecondary campuses.

There are almost 1.2 million people living in the Fraser Valley region. It is growing faster than Vancouver, UBC’s Prof. Condon says, and traffic will only worsen as people seek affordable housing. His students did analysis and found areas where they could easily fit half a million housing units, he says. Modern passenger rail cars that run on hydrogen, as used in Europe, would offer a pollution-free alternative to the automobile, he says. “I think it’s an almost immediate solution to a critical problem,” Prof. Condon says. “If we can establish this now, it will help to organize the future land uses around transit as opposed to the automobile. “Most of the lands that the interurban goes through are previous industrial areas, and I would call them almost derelict now, not being used to maximum capacity – and they are perfect candidates for high intensity, mixed-use, walkable areas with housing and jobs within a 10-minute reach of the interurban line.” His theory on why the idea hasn’t been taken more seriously is a “Vancouver-centric” view of transit and land use. But times have changed, and it’s not all about Vancouver any more, he says. “Over 70 per cent of the car trips that originate south of the Fraser River stay south. So the idea that everybody is crossing the river to get to jobs is no longer true.”

From https://www.theglobeandmail.com/real-estate/vancouver/article-push-begins-to-rebuild-vancouver-chilliwack-rail-line/