BC selects firm to study rapid transit for North Shore

The Province, TransLink and municipal funding partners have selected Mott MacDonald Ltd. to study the technical feasibility of high-speed transit from the Burrard Inlet to the North Shore.

Connecting Lonsdale City Centre with Downtown Vancouver and the regional rapid transit network is one of the recommendations put forward by the Integrated North Shore Transportation Planning Project chaired by Bowinn Ma, MLA for North Vancouver-Lonsdale, in 2018.

The study will consider the compatibility of a transit crossing with existing and future land use and the potential for affordable housing as part of its evaluation.

The results will help inform the long-term Transport 2050 planning led by TransLink and the Mayors’ Council.

This working group includes all levels of government on the North Shore, working in partnership to identify ways to improve mobility in and around the region.

“Years of hikes in housing costs have forced people to live further from where they work, resulting in longer commutes and traffic congestion issues,” Ma said. “Our government is committed to investigating and delivering effective solutions that will help get the North Shore moving again.”

The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, the districts of North Vancouver and West Vancouver and the cities of Vancouver and North Vancouver are contributing joint funding toward the study that will get underway later in the fall. Input will be sought from Indigenous groups and other key stakeholders over the course of the project.

“Traffic is a significant problem for people on the North Shore and finding solutions is important to our government,” said Claire Trevena, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure. “This feasibility study will explore ways to connect our communities better, shorten commute times and cut down on carbon pollution.”