I tried making a new SkyTrain line to connect Surrey to Burnaby. The aims of this line were to:
- Build a second rail crossing across the Fraser River to increase transit service resiliency (there were massive service reductions in 2022 when the SkyBridge was out of service)
- Make it easier for commuters to go from Surrey to Coquitlam or SFU Burnaby (the current transfer at Columbia is neither comfortable nor convenient, as you need to go to New West before heading north)
- Increase capacity along Scott Road
The one assumption I made was that:
- The Millennium Line was modified so trains can now go to Waterfront (using Expo Line tracks west of Commercial-Broadway) - I’ll get back to this later.
Bearing those guidelines in mind, let me walk through the alignment I proposed, from south to north.
The line starts at Newton Exchange to connect with a future Newton-Guildford SkyTrain. It then heads west along 72 Avenue until reaching Scott Road (120 Street). This section features a wide road with centre median strips, so an elevated guideway seems possible. At Scott Road, the line makes a sharp turn to face north and continues northward until 99 Avenue. This vertical section does not have as wide roads, since there aren’t many centre median strips, so underground tunnels seem mandatory.
Around 99 Avenue, the line pops out of a tunnel (if underground) and follows the tracks of the Southern Railway of British Columbia until Old Yale Road (see
https://rac.jmaponline.net/canadianrailatlas/ for exact track alignment). The gradient here is less harsh than if you remain on Scott Road and while I’m not sure exactly what value it is, it has to be fairly mild like 1.5% for the freight train tracks to be usable.
Moving on, the line intersects Scott Road SkyTrain station, either on the surface or underground. It then continues north, maybe along 125A Street before crossing the Fraser River using the all-new SkyBridge II. It crosses industrial lands before intersecting the Expo Line before Braid station at a new wye.
As seen from the first picture, this line would effectively take over the Expo Line tracks for its Production Way-University leg. There would be trains headed to Newton from both Columbia and Production Way-University. Assuming the Millennium Line service between Commercial-Broadway and Waterfront is established, Surrey commuters would not suffer too much time wasted if they took the Millennium Line from Production Way-University to Waterfront, so the burden on the Expo Line would potentially reduce.
Anyway I'm not 100% satisfied with the alignment (could probably shift the bridge further to the east to cross the river at a narrower point, also didn't finalize any station locations along 72 Ave or Scott Road) but I'd appreciate constructive criticism.