Surrey Langley Skytrain - Expo Line Extension | U/C

[madog222]

Due to the number of posts, this project has been split into two threads. This thread covers construction of the project.

Please see the previous thread for all discussion up until the start of construction:

https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/showthread.php?t=162194

[Hotwax]

October 2024 update from Stainer:

• Video Link

[Stainer]

Originally Posted by CanSpice

I just drove from Willowbrook to 176th down Fraser Highway and it's definitely shovel-ready. The White Spot at Willowbrook is gone, there are three cranes set up near Fraser and 184th, they've started closing lanes between 184th and 176th...

It's gone? Ah man, it was standing when I filmed there the other week!

[CanSpice]

Originally Posted by Stainer

It's gone? Ah man, it was standing when I filmed there the other week!

Yep, it was a giant pile of rubble yesterday afternoon. Kind of sad to see, I have fond memories of going to the drive-in there. But progress must march ever on!

[mcj]

Originally Posted by Stainer

It's gone? Ah man, it was standing when I filmed there the other week!

Already something to show on the next update! Great job as always

[officedweller]

30-acre vacant City of Surrey-owned site to be used to fabricate SkyTrain extension's concrete segments
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/surrey-langley-skytrain-precast-yard-elevated-guideway-concrete

[officedweller]

Second round of Open Houses

Upcoming Station Design Open Houses
https://app.webtrackz.com/?q=email/view/14_J7MHX0Dy0oO0T9RrdVKbqROs9IBI6T6vliFaiuCgnF7hgtKGj8GCA

Between November 28 and December 12, 2024, the Surrey Langley SkyTrain (SLS) Project will share what we heard in the first round of engagement on the designs of the eight new stations, and present updated designs. Attendees of the public open houses and the virtual information session will have the opportunity to speak to members of the project team and ask questions. You can participate in three ways: 

Drop in to one of our open houses  
Join our virtual information session 
View materials and share feedback online (between November 28 and December 12, 2024)

[idunno]

Anyone heard yet if there's gonna be a "golden shovels in the ground" moment to announce start of substantial construction?

[Jimbo604]

Originally Posted by idunno

Anyone heard yet if there's gonna be a "golden shovels in the ground" moment to announce start of substantial construction?

Ya, hopefully soon.

As we saw in Stainer's video (which was awesome, good work, man), they still are doing preliminary works such as station site clearance, utilities relocation, test piles, etc. when he recorded back in October.

Hopefully we will get date on easy transport to Olive Garden soon!

[officedweller]

Precast yard:


Aerial shot of the foundation works of the guideway segments production building (Nov. 2024)
https://surreylangleyskytrain.gov.bc.ca/photos-and-videos/

[MIPS]

Comes down to cost. LRT has always on paper been cheaper than the SkyTrain but it always came at horrible drawbacks. The first billion we invested in the Expo Line all but cemented it to be the regional standard for high capacity transit. There's still belief that LRT can somehow outperform the SkyTrain using Rail For the Valley gymnastics.
IMHO, light rail works for branch lines where it's okay to reallocate some road capacity for shared RoW but unlike the 30's it requires so much additional work to make it compliant to modern standards it's full of hidden costs.

[Jimbo604]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Precast yard:


Aerial shot of the foundation works of the guideway segments production building (Nov. 2024)
https://surreylangleyskytrain.gov.bc.ca/photos-and-videos/

Is this building going to be just for building the precast concrete parts?

[officedweller]

Upon the conclusion of the elevated guideway fabrication process, Skylink will return the site to its original state, and it will be made available for future development under Campbell Heights’ existing “business park” uses.

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/surrey-langley-skytrain-precast-yard-elevated-guideway-concrete

Seems like a shame, but I guess that the pre-cast yard won't maximize use of the site as would an industrial warehouse building.

[BaddieB]

The site should really be kept do keep concrete casting ongoing to future lines like the Inlet Line and a KGB line.

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by BaddieB

The site should really be kept do keep concrete casting ongoing to future lines like the Inlet Line and a KGB line.

But it's the current contractor for the Surrey Extension that is building and commissioning the facility, not the Province or TransLink.
The tunnel liners for the Broadway Extension were cast in Nanaimo (the city, not the street)

[cganuelas1995]

Originally Posted by MIPS

Comes down to cost. LRT has always on paper been cheaper than the SkyTrain but it always came at horrible drawbacks. The first billion we invested in the Expo Line all but cemented it to be the regional standard for high capacity transit. There's still belief that LRT can somehow outperform the SkyTrain using Rail For the Valley gymnastics.
IMHO, light rail works for branch lines where it's okay to reallocate some road capacity for shared RoW but unlike the 30's it requires so much additional work to make it compliant to modern standards it's full of hidden costs.

Also I think it's developers pushing for it because, IIRC, it has a better "neighborhood integration" probably because the stations are closer to the ground. And I do remember seeing a comparison of the different options for a skytrain project study and I think the LRT option was just one minute faster but cost a lot more than using some paint, changing some traffic signal patterns, nicer stops with that real time info, and making the buses along that route more frequent.

[madog222]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Second round of Open Houses

Upcoming Station Design Open Houses
https://app.webtrackz.com/?q=email/view/14_J7MHX0Dy0oO0T9RrdVKbqROs9IBI6T6vliFaiuCgnF7hgtKGj8GCA

Open house is now open, lots of PDFs full of renders.

https://engage.gov.bc.ca/govtogetherbc/engagement/surrey-langley-skytrain

[jollyburger]

Their station personalization seems so contrived. Curved canopy openings are somehow more welcoming? Station colours?

"Inspired by the pink and purple hues of cherry blossom trees at the station site, the proposed accent colour for 152 Street Station is purple." Cherry blossoms aren't purple.

The coloured glass panels in the station just looks tacky. Paint the guideway or make all the trim of the station roof the station colour.

Interesting to see them rollout washrooms.

[dpogue]

The coloured glass panels are something that would be cool, unique, and interesting at one or two stations; but feels awkward and forced being rolled out to all of them. Particularly when no other stations on the SkyTrain system have that same sort of colour-coded station identity.

One thing that I think would be cool to have as a small detail instead of solid steel beams across the guideway to hold up the roof would be the triangular trellis trusses, matching the pattern of the original Expo Line hoop trusses. It's present in a few variations at the existing Surrey stations, and would be a nice bit of subtle design consistency along the whole length of that line.

[madog222]

Originally Posted by dpogue

The coloured glass panels are something that would be cool, unique, and interesting at one or two stations; but feels awkward and forced being rolled out to all of them. Particularly when no other stations on the SkyTrain system have that same sort of colour-coded station identity.

The stations on the Broadway extension each have an individual contrasting colour.