The Prime Minister of Canada and the Premier of British Columbia, located in the south-west, have announced a funding package for the Surrey-Newton-Guildford Light Rail Transit (LRT) project. To be designed, built, operated and maintained by a private partner, the project involves a 10.5km street‑level rail service in the city of Surrey.
The project will create the first light-rail transit system in British Columbia. With 11 new stations, the LRT will provide much needed transit services in underserved areas, connect and revitalize communities, and make it easier to travel across the Lower Mainland region of the province.
The line will have a total end-to-end travel time of approximately 27 minutes. It will operate within dedicated train-only lanes on the road, allowing the trains to bypass traffic queues.
The funding package is the result of a funding agreement signed by the governments of Canada and British Columbia in the spring of 2018, under the Investing in Canada infrastructure plan that will see CAD3.917 billion (US$2.973 billion) in federal dollars invested in British Columbian infrastructure over 10 years.