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TransLink officials say there is a good business case for SkyTrain along Fraser Highway between Surrey and Langley, and the latest estimate for the entire line is $3.12 billion.

“It’s a very good project, and we at TransLink, of course, are eager to provide improved public transport in the form of rapid transit to people south of the Fraser, in Surrey and the city and township of Langley,” said TransLink CEO Kevin Desmond.

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Two years ago, a preliminary report prepared by a third party pegged the cost of the line, if construction started in 2022, at $2.9 billion.

TransLink staff have been studying the route in depth since last fall, when, at Surrey’s request, the Mayors’ Council voted to stop work on a planned $1.65-billion Surrey-Newton-Guildford light-rail line.

A 10-year plan for the region earmarks $3.55 billion for 27 kilometres of rapid transit south of the Fraser — on 104th Avenue, King George Boulevard and Fraser Highway. That amount includes the $1.65 billion that was approved in the second phase of the plan, plus $1.9 billion that is anticipated for the third phase but not yet funded.The region’s mayors have said that a SkyTrain project must be built within that $3.55-billion budget.