In the Regional Transportation Strategy (RTS) released on October 12, TRANSLINK proposed to quadruple the scale of Vancouver's existing 100-kilometer rapid transit network, an additional 310 kilometers.

The strategy envisages the construction of additional light rail, subway, light rail or rapid transit routes. Before RTS becomes the final version, the plan will be open for the third and final round of public participation. The input will be used to update the strategy before sending it to the TransLink Board of Directors and the Mayor Committee for final approval in early 2022.

In the transportation 2050 document that draws up the city’s road map for the next 30 years, Translink proposed a “fast and reliable transportation network” that includes the existing 100-kilometer system and 1.3 billion Canadian dollars (1.04 billion US dollars) of 16-kilometer Surrey-currently Langley and Abutus light rail extension lines under construction. The expanded network will be mainly provided at the street level. RTS said that the light rail system will provide a wider range of dedicated lanes and give priority to roads at intersections and extensions of bus stations.

The Transportation 2050 plan also mentions the possibility of introducing an automatic LRV that can support frequency increase. This will be achieved by providing frequent local services to places within a five-minute walk of all communities in the urban areas of the area. The goal of the strategy is to ensure that 50% of passenger travel is done by public transportation, walking or cycling by 2050.

Transportation 2050 is developed through collaboration with residents, municipalities, Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, and stakeholders, as well as collaboration with indigenous peoples and groups. The report pointed out that by 2050, the region is expected to add 1 million people. The document also pointed out that during Covid-19, the number of passengers on the light rail system dropped by about half. Editor/Xu Shengpeng