Vancouver mayoral hopeful believes light rail system is better than subway for city
Written by RT&S Staff
The city of Vancouver is currently constructing an extension of SkyTrain.
A Vancouver candidate for mayor wants to drop plans for a subway in favor of a much broader light-rail line network.
Colleen Hardwick made the announcement on Oct. 5 and believes the change in direction is a logical one that would carry the most impact to transportation in the city. A SkyTrain extension to Arbutus is currently under construction. Hardwick wants to eliminate a 7-km subway extension from Arbutus and instead wants Vancouver to invest in four light-rail lines.
The light-rail network would move across the city and downtown to the Fraser River. The four routes would be the 17-km Crosstown Line, the 15-km Arbutus-Marine line, the 18-km 41st Ave Line, and the 8-km Commercial-Victoria Line.
Hardwick claims building light rail would be less than one-sixth the cost of building underground per kilometer. Hardwick also says the cost of the SkyTrain extension subway is not covered.
Current Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart is against the light rail plan, saying commuters have indicated “loud and clear that they want to take SkyTrain all the way to UBC [the University of British Columbia].”
Read more articles on track construction.
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