TransLink Unveils First 10 Years of Transport 2050 Priorities

TransLink and the Mayors’ Council on Regional Transportation released Transport 2050: 10-Year Priorities, detailing priority investments to meet the increasing demand for transit and support the transportation needs of Metro Vancouver’s growing population. 

The proposed 10-Year Priorities is the next step to implement the goals set out in Transport 2050, Metro Vancouver’s recently approved 30-year Regional Transportation Strategy.

“Transport 2050: 10-Year Priorities is an ambitious and necessary plan that outlines more than double the investments from our previous Mayors’ Vision," said Jonathan Coté, chair, Mayors’ Council on Regional Transportation. "I am confident that with a broadly supported set of priorities and a strong partnership with the Province of BC and the Government of Canada, we can deliver on these shared benefits.”

Proposed investments detailed in the 10-Year Priorities include doubling regional bus service levels and up to 170 kilometres of new rapid transit on up to 11 corridors, including:

• Up to nine Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) routes using new zero-emission buses on dedicated, traffic-separated lanes
• A rapid transit connection to the North Shore
• The Burnaby Mountain Gondola to SFU
• The Millennium Line SkyTrain extension from Arbutus to UBC
• Exploring other potential SkyTrain extensions, including Newton in Surrey and Port Coquitlam
• Building 450 kilometres of new traffic-separated cycling paths

The Transport 2050 Strategy concluded that there is a widespread need to address climate change, housing affordability, and traffic congestion by increasing and improving transit service.

With Transport 2050: 10-Year Priorities, TransLink is proposing an expansion of the SkyTrain network, and introducing high-capacity Bus Rapid Transit. This new zero-emissions bus-based rapid transit could be deployed along high-demand corridors throughout Metro Vancouver.

“It’s critical that we lay the groundwork for achieving the region’s shared goals set out in Transport 2050," said Kevin Quinn, CEO, TransLink. "Our region needs to rapidly invest in transportation improvements to combat climate change, address the housing affordability crisis, and improve congestion in a growing region. Transport 2050: 10-Year Priorities will chart a fast and effective course to quality transportation choices for the people of Metro Vancouver.”

In addition to Transport 2050: 10-Year Priorities, TransLink is also releasing the 2022 Investment Plan, which aims to stabilize funding over the next three years.