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A B.C. group advocating a regional train service linking Whistler to Chilliwack has renewed its call for a government study of the idea.
According to Mountain Valley Express, the $10 billion project would reduce traffic congestion and related air pollution, and spur residential construction.
Under the proposed system, passengers could travel by rail to Whistler, the Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal, the Tsawwassen ferry terminal, the City of Surrey, the Abbotsford airport and Mission and Chilliwack.
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In a letter to the provincial government, the group says, “Though our region and province have made significant strides in improving transit in recent decades, one key piece of the transit puzzle is still missing: Frequent, regional rail service.”
The group points to Brisbane, Australia, as a metropolitan area with a population similar to Metro Vancouver that has a 690-km regional rail network.
“We recognize that our region has other transit priorities. We are not demanding that regional rail be put to the front of the line. Instead, we are requesting a minimum set of resources and attention be given to regional rail so that key planning issues are resolved years before any shovels are put into the ground.”
TransLink is in the process of completing a 5.7-km subway extension of the Millennium Line from VCC-Clark Station to Broadway at Arbutus in Vancouver. The $3 billion project is expected to open in 2027.
Mountain Valley Express has now launched a fundraiser to support its advocacy efforts.
Earlier this month, B.C. Premier David Eby split the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure into the Ministry of Transportation and Transit, and the Ministry of Infrastructure.
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