Langley City Council Calls for Expanded Affordable BC Bus Pass Program

While Langley City is one of the most affordable places to live by Metro Vancouver standards, I know that the cost of housing, transportation, and food is a challenge for many people. A Metro Vancouver report noted that for most people, transportation expenses are about the same as housing expenses. Many households have two or more vehicles. Investing in high-quality, fast, and frequent transit supports lowering transportation costs as people can then have the option of reducing the number of vehicles they own and operate.

Transit is also linked to better social well-being and health outcomes, providing access to essential services and reducing social inequities.

TransLink has a reduced-fare program that applies to seniors and younger people. The provincial government has the BC Bus Pass Program, a low-cost transit pass limited to low-income seniors and people receiving disability assistance from the Province of British Columbia.

Metro Vancouver is one of the few major regions in Canada without a low-income transit pass for all ages and abilities—Halifax, Toronto, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Edmonton, and Calgary each offer reduced-fare transit passes.

Many people who would qualify for BC Housing-funded or below-market rental housing would not qualify for the BC Bus Pass Program. Expanding this program would allow more people in Metro Vancouver access to opportunity, boost the regional economy, improve equity, and reduce fare evasion and its associated enforcement costs.

I’m happy to say that Langley City Council unanimously passed the following motion at its meeting last night.

THAT Council direct the Mayor to write a letter to the Provincial Minister of Transportation and Transit, requesting that the Province of British Columbia expand the eligibility requirements for the BC Bus Pass Program to include low-income households in Metro Vancouver.

Staying the Course with the Mayors’ Council’s Transportation Vision

Transport 2050 and Access for Everyone are TransLink's long-term and 10-year plans, respectively, which were approved by the Mayors’ Council on Regional Transportation before the last local government election in 2022. Transport 2050 must be reviewed every 5 years. These plans take a significant amount of time to develop and update, so if a major update to either of these plans were required, TransLink staff would need to get working on it now.

Map of Priority Transit Improvement from Access for Everyone. Select the map to enlarge.

At last week’s Mayors’ Council meeting, TransLink staff asked the Council to re-endorse both plans without change.

Since 2022, there have been significant changes in finances, with rising inflation and general purse-string tightening in government, especially at the federal level. This means that both Transport 2050 and Access for Everyone will likely take longer to implement than originally envisioned, as federal and provincial capital funding is lower than expected and construction costs are higher.

Even with this in mind, both plans outline what is still required to keep our region moving and are still very valid. As a note, recent TransLink trip surveys find that about 30% of trips in the region are by walking, cycling, or transit, which is good news, but other factors, such as the affordability of our transportation system, are not on track.

Given the reduced capital funding available from the federal and provincial governments, TransLink staff recommended that the Mayors’ Council also approve a reduced number of projects from these plans to move forward within the short term. The intention is to work with the Mayors’ Council to select these projects over the coming months. Given that there is a local government election this fall, these projects would need to be confirmed again by the incoming Mayors’ Council.

The Mayors’ Council approved these next steps, except for the Mayor of the City of Surrey, who was not in favour.

I would expect that in September, the Mayors’ Council will have the next phase of projects selected.

Bus Delays Costs Region About $115 Million Annually

TransLink recently released its 2025 Bus Speed and Reliability Report and found that bus delays caused by congestion are a significant concern, slowing bus travel times and costing TransLink about $115 million annually to maitain service frequency. Simply, if you want a bus every 15 minutes, the slower the bus travels, the more buses you need to maintain the same level of frequency. If we were able to eliminate all delays, which of course is not possible, the region would be able to increase bus service by 13%, which is significant.

Knowing this, TransLink has been working with municipalities to speed up bus travel times. In Langley City, we have bus lanes on Fraser Highway, 203rd Street, and Logan Avenue as a result of this program.

Some of the more recent successes include the installation of bus lanes on Scott Road, which has improved bus travel times by 20% (about 10 minutes) from Scott Road SkyTrain to Newton. Another example is the ramp queue-jumper lanes on Highway 99 and 17A, which allow buses to zip past congestion, improving bus route travel times by 30%.

One of the priorities is to grow the amount of bus priority measures along the frequent transit network. Between 2018, when the program was launched, and today, the share of bus priority measures along the frequent transit network has increased from 9% to 17%, a success story.

The following map shows bus priority measures implemented since 2019.

Map of Bus Speed and Reliability Project from 2019 to 2025. Select the map to enlarge.

TransLink is continuing to work with municipalities to identify areas for bus priority measures with a new funding intake this fall. These projects pay for themselves over time as they allow TransLink to reinvest bus service hours to improve service.

I look forward to seeing the continued rollout of this program, which is essentially like finding free money. To learn more, please read the full report.

Langley City Received $12.6 Million in Road, Cycling, and Walking Funding From Translink Since 2017

I’ve posted about this every so often, as many people do not know that TransLink is responsible for major roads in our region and provides funding, through a cost-sharing formula, to local governments to keep these roads in good repair. In Langley City, 200th Street, Fraser Highway (Excluding Between 203rd and 208th), the non-provincial section of the Langley Bypass, and 203rd/204th Street between Fraser Highway and the Township border are part of the TransLink-funded major road network.

TransLink also provides base-allocated and competitive grants to enhance the capacity, efficiency, and safety of the major road network, with a requirement to improve walking and cycling infrastructure. TransLink also provides funding specifically for costly road structures, such as overpasses, bridges, retaining walls, and large culverts.

Outside the major road network, TransLink provides base-allocated and competitive grants for general cycling, walking, and bus-speed infrastructure (such as bus lanes).

Between 2017 and 2025, Langley City has received $4.2 million in base-allocated funding and $7.2 million in competitive grants from TransLink. In 2026, Langley City will receive $1.2 million in base-allocated funding from TransLink.

Langley City received per-km funding to keep our section of the major road network in a state of good repair. We also received funding for the following projects since 2017.

• 48 Avenue Bike Lanes
• 200 St Culverts Rehabilitation
• 208 St Bike Lanes
• Douglas Crescent and 203 St Pedestrian Safety Improvements
• Duncan Way Sidewalks
• Fraser Highway Upgrades
• Fraser Highway (East of 208 Street) Cycling and Walking Safety Improvements
• Glover Road Bike Lane
• Langley Bus Speed and Reliability Study (as Part of Master Transportation Plan)
• Langley Bypass Roadway and Cycling Improvements
• Logan Creek Culvert Replacement
• Michaud Crescent Bike Lane
• Michaud Greenway

TransLink funding is an important part of how we work together as a region to support our major roads and improve transportation options for people.

Shared Bike, Scooter Growth in Metro Vancouver

Micromobility usage, including bikes, e-bikes, and e-scooters, is rising in the region, bringing challenges and opportunities. Along with the growth of private ownership, the shared usage of these devices has also increased. The City of Vancouver launched its bikeshare program back in 2016. Today, about 11 jurisdictions in the Metro Vancouver region have micromobility programs. E-scooters and e-bikes are growing in popularity.

Surrey piloted a bike-share program in 2025.

The following chart shows the growth in usage of shared micromobility devices in the region. Ridership is still primarily concentrated in the City of Vancouver.

Thousands of Shared Micromobility Trips by Month, Metro Vancouver, Jan 2021-Dec 2025. Select the image to enlarge. Source: TransLink

Compared to other regions in Canada, per capita ridership is significantly lower in our region. Some of the barriers to use in our region include multiple uncoordinated micromobility-sharing programs from different vendors, limited device availability, piecemeal service areas, and high prices. In regions like Toronto and Montreal, these services are coordinated and receive some public funding.

A shared micromobility program, if implemented correctly, can provide a cost-effective “last-mile” solution for getting people to and from transit and for short trips. For example, imagine being able to grab an e-scooter or bike at the future Langley City Centre SkyTrain station and zip back to your home. Just last week, a Langley City resident, who is also a senior, suggested that we roll out a bike share program in Langley City for this exact purpose.

In our region, TransLink could play a larger role. For example, having a single platform for transit and bikesharing would be helpful. If there were a desire at the regional level, we could help ensure lower prices and better access to a coordinated, region-wide system.

I believe that the expansion of SkyTrain service in our region presents a good opportunity to explore providing people with more ways to access rapid transit.

Enhancements to Transit Including to Campbell Valley and Gloucester

A few weeks ago, TransLink staff attended a Langley City Council meeting to discuss improvements to transit service, with a focus on Langley and the South of Fraser. There are two big changes coming in the Langley area. The first is that this summer, you can now get to Campbell Valley Park on transit. The route goes from the Langley Centre bus exchange down 200th Street. The bus will run hourly on Saturday, Sunday, and holidays.

A long-awaited service is also starting in September, connecting the Langley Centre bus exchange to the Gloucester Industrial Estates in the Township.

Green routes are already in service, blue routes start this year, and red routes are planned for 2027. Select the map to enlarge.

Further year-round service is being introduced to 68th Avenue,Tilbury in Delta, and Campbell Heights next year. The following map shows new services rolled out this year and next year. Missing from the map is the R2 RapidBus extension, which I posted about yesterday.

TransLink has also improved, or will improve, service on over 100 bus routes to address overcrowding and increase service levels (frequency or extended hours).

These enhancements are funded by the Mayors’ Council’s Investment Plan, which is funded through property taxes and support from the provincial government.

Bus Rapid Transit Planning Continues. R2 RapidBus Extension Launches in Fall.

As you may know, TransLink is completing the planning work for two new bus rapid transit routes. TransLink is also launching an extension to the R2 RapidBus route this September, which will connect Metrotown via Hastings St/Burnaby Heights and Willingdon, with buses every 6 to 7 minutes during the busiest part of the day. Planning is ongoing to convert this route to bus rapid transit in the future.

Bus Rapid Transit means that buses, for the most part, operate in their own right-of-way to avoid congestion and have stations with more amenities, such as real-time information and larger shelters.

Work is also ongoing for the two bus rapid transit routes in the South of Fraser. One along King George Boulevard and the other connecting Haney in Maple Ridge to the Willowbrook Shopping Centre. These lines will have about two-thirds of their routes operating in dedicated right-of-way, resulting in travel times similar to driving and significantly faster than existing bus service.

The following is a typical cross-section for a Bus Rapid Transit system.

Typical cross-section for a Bus Rapid Transit system. Select image to enlarge.

This is the current planned alignment for the King George Boulevard line.

Current planned alignment for the King George Boulevard BRT line. Select image to enlarge.

This is the current planned alignment plan for the Langley-Haney Place line.

Current planned alignment plan for the Langley-Haney Place line. Selet image to enlarge.

Currently, funding is available to complete detailed design work, which is expected to wrap up in 2027. There is no funding to build or operate these lines at this time.

Train Whistling at Crossing in Langley City

Every so often, I see a request asking the City to do something to stop train whistling in our community. I understand this request as one of the busiest rail corridors in the country goes through Langley City. I also hear training whistling from time to time.

Back in 2004, Langley City and Canadian Pacific Railway (which operates the tracks through the City) signed a whistle cessation agreement. This agreement requires that, normally, when a train goes through the City, it should not sound its whistle at crossings. This process is regulated by Transport Canada. Even with a whistle cessation agreement in place, you will still hear train whistles in our community, as a railway crew will sound a whistle if they feel there is a safety concern.

Because of how sound travels due to certain times of the day and cloud cover, you might hear the train whistle from crossings that are outside of Langley City as well.

Safety is always a priority, so while the City has an official whistle cessation program, there will be occasions when train whistles sound in our community.

Population Growth Stalls, Transit Ridership Declines in Metro Vancouver in 2025

While normally TransLink’s Mayors’ Council on Regional Transportation meets monthly, the first public meeting of the Mayors’ Council will happen on April 30th. The heavy lifting for the Mayors’ Council happened last year as we moved towards approving the 2025 Transportation Investment Plan; the next Investment Plan must be approved in early 2027. Currently, the focus is on advocating to the province and the federal governments to increase funding for transit in our region and start delivering that funding as soon as possible.

Last year was an interesting year for population growth in Metro Vancouver. While we typically seen a 2% growth rate, in 2025 there was essentially no population growth. Of course, this isn’t evenly distributed. The City of Vancouver saw about a 1% population decline, whereas typically high-growth areas like Surrey saw only a 2% growth rate.

Overall, the transit system experienced a 1.5% decline in transit journeys in 2025 compared to 2024. Bus ridership declined 2.5%, and Expo/Millennium lines declined 2.6%. Canada Line ridership increased 1.1%, SeaBus ridership increased 3.8%, HandyDART service increased 6%, and West Coast Express ridership increased 11.2%. Over 60% of transit journeys are by bus. TransLink attributes the decline to fewer young adults in our region, resulting from changes in federal immigration targets, young adults leaving Metro Vancouver, and a smaller overall Gen Z population compared to millennials.

When you look at subregions, the largest decline was in the South of Fraser, though transit ridership there is still significantly higher than before the pandemic.

Annual Ridership Growth (First Number) between 2024 - 2025 & Share of System-Wide Boardings (Second Number) by Sub-Region in 2025. Select the map to enlarge.

Population growth will likely return to a stable growth rate in the near future, and transit ridership will likely resume growth as a result. There is no indication that transit is in a permanent ridership decline.

SkyTrain Pile Driving Operating Hours

I’ve received a few emails from residents about thumping or pounding sounds in the evenings over the last few weeks in Langley City. This is due to SkyTrain guideway pile-driving work occurring in and around our community.

I can also hear pile-driving work at my home and at City Hall, and I know it can impact people’s quality of life.

For the most up-to-date information, questions, and concerns, please reach out to the SkyTrain project team at 1-844-815-6111 or surreylangleyskytrain@gov.bc.ca. As this is a provincial project, they are not subject to local government bylaws, including those regarding noise and construction site hours of operation.

As of this post, regular construction hours for the SkyTrain project are 7 am to 10 pm Monday through Saturday. Noisier work, such as pile driving, is occurring between noon and 9 pm. To minimize the noise, the SkyTrain project team is using various techniques to manage it, including vibrating portions of the guideway columns into the ground. A project of this size will, of course, have impacts during construction.

Pile driving work is expected to conclude in mid-2027.

Improving Accessibility on Langley City Sidewalks and Streets

While Langley City is currently developing an Accessibility Plan, the City has been working for some time to address physical barriers to access on our sidewalks and streets.

For as long as I’ve lived here, the City has also been slowly making all bus stops accessible. An accessible bus stop has sufficient width and depth to allow someone in a wheelchair to board and exit a bus. Currently, 98% of bus stops in the City are wheelchair accessible, one of the highest rates in Metro Vancouver; the City is looking into making the remaining stops accessible.

In most communities, you’ll see curb letdowns at intersections, which allow people with wheelchairs and other mobility devices the ability to cross a street. While curb letdowns are important, at an intersection with traffic lights or a flashing crosswalk, people also need to be able to push the crossing button. The City has also been working to make sure these buttons are accessible. The following is a recent change at Michaud Crescent and 200th Street to make the crossing button accessible.

I remember going on a day trip years ago with a friend of mine who uses a wheelchair. As I walked with him, it heightened my awareness of the small things that can create big barriers to people accessing our community independently.

Langley City’s new Transportation 2050 plan continues to address improving accessibility in our community, including bringing all curb letdowns to modern standards, getting the last 2% of bus stops accessible, completing the sidewalk network, ensuring more accessible parking on-street and in private development, and making other small but important changes, such as for accessing crossing buttons.

Have Your Say: TransLink New Transportation Plan for Surrey, Langley, White Rock, North Delta

When I first got involved in transit and urban planning advocacy, I remember going to the old, now demolished Days Inn hotel, which was just south of the King George SkyTrain Station. This was a few years before I started this blog. I remember we were in a planning workshop where they gave us tape segments that represented kilometres of bus, light rail, and SkyTrain service. While I don’t remember the exact number, we could exchange our SkyTrain segment for something like 4 light rail segments or 10 bus segments. I was really impressed by the process, and I remember seeing how the community workshops and feedback actually shaped the plan (of course, at the time we were disappointed it didn’t include reactivating the Interuban).

A woman looks at a transit map for the South of Fraser in 2007.

TransLink adopted the South of Fraser Area Transit Plan in 2007, and it ran until 2013. It is way overdue for an update.

A lot has changed since 2007, and I’m happy to see that TransLink is now working on a new South of Fraser East Area Transport Plan, which covers North Delta, Surrey, White Rock, Langley City, and the Township. The plan will guide transit and regional cycling, walking, and goods movement within these communities over the next 15 years.

TransLink is seeking your feedback as it gets this process underway. You can complete an online survey or attend an in-person event.

An event in Langley City takes place:

Date: Saturday, February 28th
Time: 10am to Noon
Location: Langley City Library Branch at Timms Community Centre

Please visit TransLink’s South of Fraser East Area Transport Plan webpage for more information and to stay up to date.

Exploring a Resident-Permit Parking Program in High-Demand Areas

Yesterday, I posted about proposed changes to on-street parking and parking in City-owned lots in Downtown Langley City to ensure parking availability to support businesses as part of Langley City’s Public Parking Strategy. This plan calls for introducing two-hour, four-hour, and expanded monthly long-term parking options in Downtown. Today, I wanted to touch on the proposal for on-street residential parking.

Currently, people can park their vehicles for up to 72 hours on all streets in Langley City that aren’t signed otherwise. The community has expressed concern about on-street parking in certain neighbourhoods. Research by the City shows that some streets have high demand for on-street parking, as indicated by the dark purple on the following map.

Typical on-street parking utilization on Saturday, the busiest night of the week for overnight parking. Select the map to enlarge.

As all residents have on-site parking, some reasons people choose on-street parking are that on-site parking is priced (e.g., rental buildings or a university), used for reasons other than parking (e.g., storage), or not suitable for someone's vehicle (e.g., a commercial van). Of course, visitors also use on-street parking, and some people may have many vehicles.

To fairly manage residential parking in areas with high demand, such as the dark purple areas, the City would explore implementing a resident-permit parking program. A resident-permit parking program would encourage households to use available off-street parking, re-evaluate whether using off-street parking for alternative uses (e.g., storage) is optimal, and address chronic spillover parking from major destinations (e.g., a university). There are still many things to consider if the City were to implement a resident-permit parking program in select areas. Further work is required.

There will be a further opportunity to provide feedback on the City's proposed Public Parking Strategy. Follow “Let's Chat, Langley City!” to stay up to date.

Parking in Downtown Langley City: 2-Hour, 4-Hour, and Long-Term

Last summer, I posted about the work the City is doing to improve on-street parking management in our Downtown, Douglas and Nicomekl Neighbourhoods. After seeking additional public feedback, the City has further refined a proposed new on-street parking management strategy.

One of the big changes is switching on-street parking in Downtown from 3 hours to 2 hours to encourage more parking turnover, which is good for most businesses. Some customers may need to stay for more than 2 hours, so the City is also planning to increase the parking time limit in City-owned lots from 3 hours to 4 hours. Finally, we know that many employees need a place to park. Monthly, long-term parking will be expanded to include select parking spots at the Timms Community Centre. The following map shows the proposed parking time-limits for the Downtown area. Missing are the on-street parking spots west of 203rd Street in Downtown. I asked that they be included in the final strategy.

Proposed changes to on-street parking and city-owned lot timing limits in Downtown Langley City. Select the map to enlarge.

This change to the time-parking is something that the City would do as soon as possible. In preparation for SkyTrain, the City will also continue studying paid parking. The earliest paid parking would be considered for implementation would be in 2029 to coincide with the opening of SkyTrain in our community. The City would use paid parking to increase turnover and availability of parking for businesses near SkyTrain stations and to manage commuter parking. Any profit from paid parking would be directly reinvested in Downtown.

Other short-term projects to enhance the parking experience in Downtown include improving wayfinding, especially to City-owned lots, and modernizing and enhancing parking enforcement. In the longer-term, the City would look to implement real-time parking availability like in Kelowna, so people would know exactly where parking is available, either through an app or on-street digital displays.

Finally, the City will look to secure additional off-street public parking near SkyTrain stations as part of redevelopment projects.

Tomorrow, I’ll post about the recommendations for residential parking.

Langley-Maple Ridge Bus Rapid Transit Corridor Configuration Open House

Earlier this week, I posted about TransLink’s planning work for a new Bus Rapid Transit line connecting from the Willowbrook Mall area, along 200th Street, and up to Haney in Maple Ridge. Bus Rapid Transit is similar to RapidBus, but with dedicated bus lanes to prevent it from getting stuck in traffic.

TransLink is hosting a series of in-person open houses, including in Langley City. You can drop in anytime and stay for as little or as long as you want.

The details are as follows:
Date: Sunday, February 1st
Time: Noon – 4pm
Location: Timms Community Centre (20399 Douglas Crescent)

According to TransLink, you can “learn more about the proposed Langley-Haney Place Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project. Meet the project team, ask questions, and share your feedback on program features and route options.”

For a list of other open houses for this BRT, please visit TransLink’s website.

Provide Feedback on Langley-Maple Ridge Bus Rapid Transit Corridor Configuration

As part of last year’s approved TransLink’s 2025 Investment Plan, the Mayors’ Council on Regional Transportation approved advancing detailed planning for two new bus rapid transit lines in the South of Fraser along King George Boulevard and between Haney and Willowbrook.

We currently don’t have bus rapid transit in Metro Vancouver, but the key feature is that buses travel in dedicated lanes and have priority at intersections. It shares other features similar to RapidBus.

Between the SkyTrain expansion and new bus rapid transit lines, the following map shows the proposed future state of rapid transit South of the Fraser and in Maple Ridge.

Map of future rapid transit lines in the South of Fraser and Maple Ridge. Select the map to enlarge.

Bus rapid transit between Willowbrook SkyTrain Station and Carvolth Exchange will take between 16 and 18 minutes, faster than driving during peak periods.

Currently, TransLink is gathering feedback on the proposed travel lane reconfiguration to support bus rapid transit and is providing more information about the bus rapid transit corridors. You can visit their bus rapid transit webpage to take a survey, learn more about the corridors, and find out when and where in-person engagement opportunities are occurring.

While bus rapid transit is not running on Langley City roads, the Willowbrook Mall area is partially in the City. It will also hopefully improve access to and from the rest of Langley City, depending on how well it integrates with the local bus network.

Langley City’s New “Transportation 2050” Plan - High Priority Projects

Langley City’s last long-term transportation plan has been in place since 2014. Over the last several years, the City has been working on creating a new long-term transportation plan titled “Transportation 2050.”

The overall vision of the plan “is to provide a multi-modal transportation strategy to guide transportation policy and investments over the next 25 years.” Multi-modal means considering all forms of travel, such as walking, rolling, cycling, scootering, taking transit, and driving. It also considers goods movement.

Yesterday, City staff provided a final opportunity for Council to provide input on the proposed new long-term plan before formal consideration of adopting it as our new transportation strategy at an upcoming Council meeting.

Over the next decade, the following map identifies the high-priority transportation projects to complete.

Proposed high-priority transportation projects to be completed over the new decade. Select the map to enlarge.

For the high-priority road improvements, they are primarily focused on intersection improvements, such as ensuring turn lanes and bus queue-jump lanes. 62nd Avenue is identified for widening to four lanes. As the north of the centre line of 62nd is in the Township of Langley, this project must be completed in partnership with that municipality.

Council provided additional feedback on the plan, including a request for greater focus on creating slow streets and addressing new e-mobility devices, such as kick scooters. Council also asked for consideration of adding 208th Street to the regional major road network, given future growth in Brookswood. This will allow us access to regional funding when opportunities arise.

For more information, please read the draft “Transportation 2050” plan. City staff will now put the finishing touches on the plan for Council's formal consideration shortly.

TransLink Mayors’ Council - What’s Next for Transit Expansion

Leading up to April of last year was pretty intense as a member of the Mayors’ Council on Regional Transportation, which is one of the two decision-making bodies for TransLink. We had to work towards a regional solution to keep transit services running, expand bus service to meet growing demand, and continue investing in our regional road network. As a regional governing body, we reached consensus on the ultimately approved 2025 TransLink Investment Plan, which keeps TransLink’s operations fully funded through 2027.

Since the end of April, the work of the Mayors’ Council has slowed as the next step toward delivering additional transit service, such as Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) in Langley, depends on additional federal and provincial dollars. The federal government has played a significant role in public transit funding. Between 2016 and today, they’ve provided $4.1 billion (in 2025 dollars). Over the next decade, they are expected to deliver about $2.1 billion, which is a decrease in funding. We actually need more funding from the feds, not less, over the next decade.

As Mayors in Metro Vancouver, we have been lobbying the feds to increase transit funding. For example, in the fall, Mayor Linda Buchanan and I went to Ottawa on behalf of the TransLink Mayors' Council for this.

While folks have been talking about SkyTrain expansion to UBC, the North Shore, and BRTs everywhere, without federal and provincial support, they will remain just lines on a map.

Our collective efforts for transit at this point really need to be focused on securing long-term, stable transit funding commitments from the feds and the province, and presenting our transit needs as a package for Metro Vancouver, not one-off projects. This will take a lot of work and coordination, but it is the only path forward to continue providing much-needed transit service expansion for our region. I also think it is possible because I have seen how unified we can be as a region.

Langley City’s Commitments to Ensure SkyTrain Extension Success

As part of the Surrey Langley SkyTrain extension, all municipalities along the alignment and the province signed Supportive Policy Agreements (SPA) with TransLink. These agreements ensure cross-governmental collaboration and accountability, leading to the best possible outcomes for this significant infrastructure project. TransLink creates an annual report that shows the progress towards meeting the objectives in the SPA. TransLink publicly presented this report to the Mayors’ Council on Regional Transportation in December.

Langley City’s high-level contributions to the SPA in 2025 were:

• Updating the Official Community Plan and Zoning Bylaw to support creating a transit-friends community.
• Continue work on the Glover Road Innovation District Plan, which is intended to support our Food Tech Hub strategy and create good jobs near the SkyTrain.
• Continue work on a new Transportation Plan to support connecting people to SkyTrain, including by walking and cycling, and creating a safe and reliable local street network.
• Continue work on a Parking Strategy to manage on-street parking demand near SkyTrain stations and within transit-oriented areas.

The Fraser Highway One-Way Revitalization Project was highlighted as a significant project showing the City’s commitment to “the delivery of key pedestrian and public realm improvements” to support the SkyTrain extension to our community.

There are other objectives for Langley City in the SPA that are either completed or were not planned to start in 2025. Langley City is tracking all green for meeting our objectives, except for the new Transportation Plan, which has slipped from an estimated completion in 2025 to 2026.

A First Look at the Langley City Centre SkyTrain Station Construction Site

The future end (or start) of the Expo Line in Langley City. Select the image to enlarge.

As you may know, I am a bit of a transit nerd, so I was absolutely thrilled when the folks from Transportation Investment Corporation invited me for a tour of the Langley City Centre Station construction site. I had no choice but to say yes.

I was having a good look around the construction site with our tour guides. Select the image to enlarge.

It was an extremely rainy day yesterday, but even in the pouring rain, ironworkers were still busy at work.

Ironworkers are building columns to support the Langley City Centre SkyTrain Station. Select the image to enlarge.

One thing I learned from the tour is that much of the infrastructure supporting the SkyTrain stations and guideway is underground. For example, in the Serpentine River valley, they have to drive pilings down 100 metres (about the same height as a 30-storey building) to reach firm ground. Langley City is also on mucky ground, so they have to pile-drive down to about 30 metres (about 9 stories).

The station columns themselves are also connected together below ground to prevent them from shifting or twisting.

The interconnected columns for the Langley City Centre SkyTrain Station. Select the image to enlarge.

Work is currently underway on Fraser Highway to support the SkyTrain in Langley City. They are running the power ducting and cabling to support the SkyTrain. This work is expected to be finished next summer. Next year, you will start to see sections of guideway along Industrial Avenue in Langley City. The first guideway section will be near 203rd Street and on the old ICBC site at Fraser Highway and Production Way.

There will be impacts on travel patterns, and you may notice vibrations from pile driving as guideway construction kicks into high gear. To stay up to date on construction, you can sign up for email notifications on the project’s website.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime project in Langley City, and it will have a profound impact on our community by connecting people to more opportunities. For the City’s part, we have been preparing for SkyTrain’s arrival for close to a decade; we will be ready for opening day.