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A SkyTrain line is being recommended instead of light rail to extend rapid transit from Arbutus to the University of B.C.

The endorsement is in a staff report that will be considered by TransLink’s Mayors Council at their meeting Thursday, and Vancouver council next week.

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“Once the technology has been approved, it will allow us to go to the federal and provincial governments and start securing funding for this,” Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart said at a media availability Monday. “There seems to be a lot of enthusiasm among the other mayors for this project, and I’m very excited that this is moving forward.”

Stewart has been a strong advocate of extending rapid transit to UBC. Procurement has begun for the Millennium Line extension from VCC-Clark Station to Arbutus through a bored tunnel under Broadway. It’s estimated that the project will cost $2.83 billion and be completed in 2025.

The second phase of the 10-year transportation plan for the region set aside $3 million to develop concept designs and undertake pre-business-case work for the line to UBC. The last evaluation of options for the line was done in 2012, so last year TransLink hired a consultant to do a study to consider technology, operating assumptions, demand forecasts and costs.