SURREY, sa国际传媒 鈥� The total cost of building the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain extension in Metro Vancouver has soared by $2 billion and the project has been delayed for a year.
The Transportation Ministry says in a statement the budget of the 16-kilometre extension of the SkyTrain into Langley is now estimated at $5.996 billion, up from the original $4 billion projected.
The project was to be moving passengers in 2028, but the ministry now says it is expected to be in service in late 2029, with the delays attributed to the "current market climate."
The ministry says the project is being built during a time of 鈥渟ignificant market challenges鈥� in sa国际传媒, and the costs of the project reflect rising inflation and labour-market challenges.
Once completed, the ministry says the commute from Langley into downtown Vancouver would be just over an hour.
The ballooning costs drew criticism from sa国际传媒 Conservative Leader John Rustad, who says the $2 billion increase is an 鈥渁bsolute disgrace," and shows the NDP government鈥檚 inability to manage a major infrastructure project.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 15, 2024.
The Canadian Press
