Parties both promising SkyTrain to Newton

With the provincial election just a few days away, parties are ramping up their promises in hopes of winning over voters.

And on Tuesday, this took the form of both the B C NDP and BC Conservatives releasing promises about building a SkyTrain extension into Newton. 

Both party leaders have spent time campaigning in the city and many have called Surrey a battleground because of how tight some of the races were in the last provincial election. 

In 2024, the B.C. Conservatives swept up six of the city’s 10 ridings, but NDP candidate Gary Begg won the Surrey-Guildford riding by just 22 votes over the conservative candidate and gave the NDP its one-seat majority.

NDP Leader David Eby said if re-elected, the party would support the development of a SkyTrain extension along King George Blvd. 

“The mayor-elect and I worked together to get the SkyTrain to Langley under way, and I’m committed to partnering again to achieve his vision for improved public transportation in this city,” said Eby. 

Notably, Eby released a press release congratulating Surrey’s newly-elected mayor Doug McCallum— something he did not do for any other elected mayors this weekend. 

McCallum campaigned heavily on building this SkyTrain expansion and noted his part in lobbying to get the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain. However, this came at the cost of McCallum cancelling the light rail project meant to connect Newton and Guildford in 2018. 

It’s unclear if McCallum and his councillors will be cancelling the bus rapid transit line project along King George Blvd — a project the B.C. NDP have already committed $250 million towards earlier in their campaign. Building the SkyTrain would also likely take considerably longer than the BRT project, which is already underway. 

The B.C. Conservatives took it one step further and committed to building the SkyTrain. 

“This community has been patient for far too long. I’m committing to this project now, and a Conservative government will build it on time and on budget,” said Conservative leader Lorne Doerkson. 

In a press release, McCallum reacted to the party announcements by saying he will work “with whichever government Surrey elects on Saturday. But residents deserve to know the difference between a commitment and a conversation, and on SkyTrain to Newton, only one party has made a commitment.”

While Doerkson is committing to the project, he did not specify how much he believes the project would cost or what his government, if elected, would be willing to allocate to it. The province is currently facing a record deficit and there have been concerns that the Conservative party’s promise of sweeping tax cuts could cost the province $4 billion in lost revenue.