Light rail envisioned as possible future for Langley’s 200th Street

Langley Township will consider the possibility of future light rail for 200th Street in Willoughby as part of a review of the route’s future development.

At the Langley Township council meeting on Monday, April 3, Mayor Eric Woodward asked for a more expansive change to the terms of reference for a plan dubbed 200 Street 2040.

Woodward and the council asked staff for the corridor plan last year, aiming to weave together the five different neighbourhood plans in Willoughby that cover different stretches of 200th Street between 68th Avenue and 88th Avenue. The idea is to create an overarching plan for the area that will be a major population and transit corridor.

The report on terms of reference for the creation of the plan said it is meant to “establish a vision for 200th Street as a frequent transit growth corridor, and to guide consideration of future transit-oriented development proposals, particularly at major development nodes around anticipated Bus-Rapid Transit (BRT) stops and transfer points.”

Bus-Rapid Transit is planned for 200th Street by TransLink, and is scheduled to be in place sometime in the next five years.

BRT is a fast bus service that runs down bus-only lanes in the center of a major roadway, thus allowing buses to avoid traffic congestion and move people quickly. TransLink has mapped out a series of BRT routes across the Lower Mainland, including connections that would eventually go through Langley City to Brookswood and west to South Surrey.

A similar system was in place in Richmond on Number 3 Road before the SkyTrain line was extended down that route.

However, Woodward said he wanted the terms of reference to be a bit broader.

The draft terms suggested the Township would look at 400 metres on either side of 200th Street, and Woodward wanted to double that to 800 metres.

He also asked that the terms of reference consider the possibility of light rail transit on 200th Street.

“It’s a once in a generation, if not more, opportunity for this corridor,” Councillor Michael Pratt said of the idea of planning for the future of 200th Street. He agreed it was better to expand the scope of the study out to 800 metres, as that’s how far people will walk to get to real rapid transit, he said.

The proposed terms of reference were referred back to staff unanimously.

This is not the first time light rail has been proposed for 200th Street. Former Township councillor Jordan Bateman advocated for a streetcar or trolley line for 200th Street 15 years ago, but the idea didn’t gain traction with TransLink or provincial authorities.

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