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

Over the past 4 months we have been working very hard behind the scenes coordinating partners of our South Fraser Community Rail initiative and much more. To this end, our team is looking forward to delivering you a steady diet of what we consider to be good news in our efforts to reactivate the Interurban with a state-of-the-art Hydrogen Passenger Rail service South of the Fraser.

Our goals have been consistent from the beginning of this campaign, going back to March of 2017 with our almost 2-hour presentation to then Candidate John Horgan and Provincial Campaign Manager Bob Dewar. They are:

• The promotion of Interurban Passenger Rail reactivation to all residents and all elected representatives South of the Fraser

• The creation of a Provincially-led Transportation Task Force South of the Fraser, which will include public input and examine all transportation options, including the Interurban

A number of years before the 2018 Municipal Election, Surrey – with the support of the region’s Mayors – secured Provincial and Federal approval and funding for 11 kms of Light Rail (LRT), down 104th and King George Blvd. to Newton in Surrey.

Along came Mayor McCallum who – after winning the 2018 Surrey election – scrapped that well-planned and approved LRT and instead promised SkyTrain to Langley down Fraser Highway for the same price, within the already approved funding envelope of $1.65 Billion.

Of course, everyone knew that was impossible, since the existing funding would mean a dead-end for SkyTrain in Fleetwood. There is no more money, despite McCallum and the Mayors of the City and Township of Langley claiming that funding is coming.

Currently, the latest proposal is in front of the B.C. and Federal Government, for approval (or rejection) this summer.

This decision is a blatant waste of money and will continue to take away funding dollars from other Transit improvements though out the lower mainland out to Chilliwack if it is to proceed.

We are continuing to fight for what is best for our region- stay tuned!

On the topic of the Transportation Task Force, your Society Directors have been working for 6 months with our contacts in Victoria, requesting that the government lead such a Task Force.

In recent months, we have joined forces with the Surrey Board of Trade and the Chilliwack City Council to promote this initiative. We are expecting a number of other organizations to jump on board in partnership of this initiative.

Our efforts appeared to have paid off with a mention of the Innovation Corridor and South of Fraser Commuter Rail in this year’s Throne Speech. All of this was confirmed in the Budget Detail documents that outlined this provincial government initiative, and cited “an inclusive multi-modal transportation and development strategy for the Fraser Valley.” We will be working on understanding and having input into the study’s terms of reference and process, and communicating our efforts back to the public.

According to Minister Travena, speaking at a SBoT luncheon that our group attended, this study will be rolled out over the next two months.

Once we acquire all of the details surrounding this study, our SFCRS team will be rolling out our campaign with all of the necessary detail pertaining to the reactivation of the Interurban Corridor.

We will be involving citizens PLUS transportation professionals who have much to offer.

These efforts will (and must!) include all of you who support this initiative. This will be THE time for all to get involved. You are and will be instrumental in our success.

Coming up over the next 4 weeks:

• An interesting public letter from someone who knows the facts that will dispel any claims that the Interurban Corridor cannot be used. This letter will be sent in hard copy and email to all elected politicians (Municipal, Provincial and Federal), the Boards of Directors of TransLink, B.C. Transit, the Fraser Valley Regional District, members of the TransLink Mayors Council, and all media;
• A Press Release detailing the reality and impact of the Alstom purchase of Bombardier on our local transportation market, and on TransLink’s use of SkyTrain technology;
• A Press Release titled “Reviving Community Rail for a Sustainable Fraser Valley – Organizing Affordable Housing and Mobility around the Interurban line,” which will include important information laid out by Professor Patrick Condon of UBC

While the wait is frustrating to all, we have achieved significant breakthroughs in our quest to bring environmentally friendly, inexpensive and convenient state-of-the-art passenger hydrail to the 99 kms South of the Fraser.

Sincerely,

W.R. (Rick) Green
President SFCR
Former Mayor, Township of Langley 2008 – 2011
Home / Office 778 705-9282 / Cell 604 866-5752

South Fraser Community Rail Society / Members-
Rick Green, Lee Lockwood, Roy Mufford, Peter Holt, Brit Gardner, Gery Warner, Scott Thompson, Salvatore Vetro, Tony Edgar

&
Bill Vander Zalm, former Premier of the Province of British Columbia 1986 – 1991

Want to get involved?

1.

2. Sign & Share the petition to the Province to reactivate rail:
https://www.change.org/p/premier-john-horgan-reactivate-interurban-passenger-rail-for-surrey-langley-and-chilliwack

3. Join Us on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/connectthevalley/