When the BC Government sold off the B.C. Hydro Freight Division in 1988, they had the foresight to protect the rail corridor for future passenger use. The passenger rights to this line, from Pattullo Bridge to Chilliwack, are still legally retained for the citizens of B.C.
A 99 km state-of-the-art Community Rail Passenger Service will contribute significantly to economic growth, creation of jobs, serve 1.2 million citizens, sixteen cities and communities, major industrial parks, the Abbotsford International Airport (1,000,000 projected passengers in 2019), agritourism, and fourteen post-secondary institution campuses.
As the Mayor of the Township of Langley, I served on the Mayor’s Translink Council, and am well aware of the deep internal biases and parochial arguments that have been made by local politicians, past and present, who have chosen to ignore common sense and value-for-money arguments.
To the people of the Fraser Valley: It is long past time that we think of the value to the region, and improvement to the quality of life for everyone residing South of the Fraser, that a Community Rail service will provide. I am proud to announce and affirm my ongoing support of the newly launched public campaign for the South Fraser Community Rail.
The Fraser Highway Skytrain proposal that is now being irresponsibly rushed through by newly elected Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum, under the guise of better serving the region, is frankly a disguise for land speculation at residents’ (your) expense. This project does absolutely nothing for our region, or for the municipalities that fall beyond Surrey.
The South Fraser Community Rail website provides, in detail, the vision and history of the renewal of passenger rights on the contentious Pratt Livingston Corridor, a cost comparison to other options being considered, engineering reports, and an extensive benefit analysis that strongly favors the South of Fraser Community Rail Corridor servicing the entire Fraser Valley Region.
Stay tuned!
Rick Green
Mayor of the Township of Langley 2008–2011