SkyTrain guideway nearly two-thirds done as construction moves into Langley

LANGLEY — Work is well on track for the future of transit in Metro Vancouver, with the Langley Launcher gantry coming home to finish its job.

Standing more than 100 metres long and weighing over 440 tonnes, the gantry is integral to completing the Dave Barrett Extension guideway, which will expand the SkyTrain rapid transit system by 16 kilometres from King George Station in Surrey to Langley City Centre.

“The Langley Launcher’s arrival in Langley, together with the upcoming deployment of the Surrey Sprinter, is an exciting sign of the substantial progress being made on the Dave Barrett Extension,” said Mike Farnworth, transportation and transit minister.

“With guideway construction steadily advancing, we’re maintaining strong momentum on this key transit project that will benefit people and communities south of the Fraser for years to come.”

It began constructing the guideway over Willowbrook Drive this week and is set to move on to the Willowbrook Station site.

Guideway construction is approximately 65 per cent done, and foundation piles and columns for the guideway are at more than 95 per cent.

Ridership on the Dave Barrett Extension is expected to begin in 2029. Once complete, travel from Langley to Surrey will be cut by more than half, to roughly 22 minutes – serving an estimated 80,000 passengers by 2050.