When the SkyTrain line to was extended across the river into Surrey in March of 1994, it looked like the next logical step would see it running down the road to the Langleys.
Didn’t happen.
More than 20 years later, the only sign of that extension is the short stub of overhead track that comes to an abrupt stop atthe intersection of 138 Street and Fraser Highway in Surrey.
Langley politicians have been trying to get that line lengthened ever since.
It has seemed there was more interest in building additional SkyTrain lines in Vancouver than there was to provide service for stressed-out commuters in the City and Township.
So it is significant when the Mayors’ Council on Regional Transportation puts “building a new light rail system to connect neighbourhoods in Surrey and Langley” as a top priority for provincial politicians.
Both Langley mayors were present for the unveiling of the #CureCongestion campaign announced by the Metro mayors group in Surrey.
The hope is that all B.C. parties will adopt the platform, making sure whoever forms the next provincial government in Maywill had made a commitment to a 10-year-plan that includes a rail line from King George to Langley along the FraserHighway.
The fact that the other metro mayors have formally backed the Langleys is, in itself, a victory.
As Langley City mayor Ted Schaffer said, it means the communities are, finally, “on the radar.”
