Trudeau confirms $1.37B in federal funding for Metro Vancouver transit projects
Federal government and province commit more than $3B for Broadway subway project and Surrey LRT
The federal and provincial governments re-announced their commitment Tuesday to more than $3 billion in funding for the Broadway subway and Surrey LRT projects.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was joined by B.C. Premier John Horgan, Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson and Surrey Mayor Linda Hepner at the Surrey campus of Simon Fraser University.
While there was no new money announced Tuesday, Trudeau and Horgan said the media event was a public assertion of the commitment to the two transit projects.
"This [news conference] is about locking this down. This is happening. It's not being revisited," Horgan said.
"The new information is that the cheques are in the mail and we're going to be building."
Surrey's $1.65-billion LRT project has faced opposition from those who say it will be slow and will disrupt traffic.
But a news release from the federal and provincial governments says the line will operate within dedicated lanes on the road, allowing the trains to bypass traffic.
The project will link the areas of Guildford, Surrey Central and Newton with 10 kilometres of two-way, street-level track.
Construction of the new project is expected to begin within the next two years.
The Broadway subway project will add 5.7 kilometres of track and six stations to the existing SkyTrain Millennium Line.
Construction is expected to begin in 2020 and the Broadway extension is scheduled to open by 2025.
The province will contribute $1.82 billion to the two projects, the federal government will contribute $1.37 billion, and TransLink, the City of Vancouver, and the City of Surrey will contribute $1.23 billion.
'Locked in this funding'
Trudeau said Tuesday's announcement was a chance to reiterate the commitment of all levels of government to the expansion of public transit in Metro Vancouver.
"What we're doing right now is making sure that in advance of the municipal elections, everyone understands that we've locked in this funding for the next 10 years," Trudeau said. "These are investments that are going to make a huge difference in the lives of people all across the Lower Mainland."
Later Tuesday afternoon, Trudeau participated in a roundtable discussion on gangs and gun control with Minister of National Defence Harjit Sajjan and Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction Bill Blair.