TRANSIT: Railway buffs promoting cheap alternative to B-Line bus
Brian Lewis
Province
The new Sullivan station in Surrey is a replica of a station from the Inter Urban days.
This is one of the rail car types being considered for the new service
Anyone who says history cannot repeat itself is on the wrong track — literally — according to dedicated and far-sighted railway buffs in the Surrey-based Fraser Valley Heritage Railway Society.
These people not only enjoy bringing the region’s rail history back to life, they’re now on a major quest to make something old new again — namely, the resurrection of the old Inter Urban rail passenger service from Surrey to Chilliwack, by using modern rail cars powered by non-polluting hydrogen fuel cells.
The proposal has also caught the eye of Surrey City Council, which hired W.G. Lambert Transportation Consulting.
Its Phase 1 feasibility study on this intriguing idea is near completion. Phase 1 would run over existing track on the original Inter Urban right-of-way near Scott Road SkyTrain Station through Kennedy Heights, Newton and Sullivan Heights to culminate in Cloverdale.
A second phase, also over existing track on the original route, would extend service through Langley and Abbotsford to Chilliwack.
The project’s spokesman is Peter Holt, executive director of the Surrey Chamber of Commerce. He’s an engineer by profession — and self-confessed train buff.
Holt says the heritage group stumbled into its current role as proponent for the new service through its ongoing project of buying and restoring several original Inter Urban cars, which it wants to run as a tourist attraction on the route.
“We quickly realized that the best way to get the heritage part running was to have a modern passenger service running as well,” he says.
The group envisions a new classification called “community rail,” which unlike commuter rail would operate more like a bus service with multiple stops.
It’s big in Britain, where abandoned rail lines are now being rejuvenated with hi-tech, self-powered propane cars carrying 50 to 100 passengers each. Converting this new car breed to fuel cells is feasible, Holt adds.
He also says community rail and the Fraser Valley’s transportation needs fit hand-in-glove.
Key regional town centres such as Cloverdale, Langley, Abbotsford and Chilliwack developed from the original Inter Urban, an electrified service which operated from 1910 to 1950 from downtown Vancouver to Chilliwack.
The rejuvenated line would also link key commercial centres, the expanding Abbotsford International Airport and colleges (Kwantlen, Trinity Western, University College of the Fraser Valley).
In fact, a total of 13 village centres with potential for new residential and commercial development triggered by community rail service have been identified along the full route.
The project has veteran Surrey councillor Bob Bose clearly excited. He is chairman of the city’s new transportation committee and says community rail could help solve some of Surrey’s transportation challenges.
“It will take decades to break Surrey’s car-dependent mould, but this project will certainly be a good starting point,” he says. “Community rail is a wonderful adjunct to our entire initiative towards having higher density and less car dependency.”
Adds Surrey councilor Linda Hepner: “From an economic development perspective, I’m really keen on the fuel-cell idea.”
Although much work still needs doing, Holt would like Phase 1 in service by 2009 and full service, even on a preliminary basis, ready for the 2010 Olympics.
Preliminary cost estimates for the first phase are $10-$15 million, Holt says. That compares with a TransLink plan to build a dedicated B-Line bus service down King George Highway at an estimated $120 million, he adds.
Will it happen? These train buffs think it can.
If you have a story idea or noteworthy item about anything going on in the Fraser Valley, you can e-mail Brian at [email protected]
© The Vancouver Province 2006