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Support high for Metro Vancouver SkyTrain, light rail projects: poll

Nearly 90 per cent were in favour of a UBC SkyTrain extension
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Two-thirds of Metro Vancouverites support the incoming light rail project in Surrey, a survey released Thursday by Research Co. suggests.

Researchers spoke to 635 people in early October and found that 34 per cent strongly supported the Newton-Guildford line and another 34 per cent moderately supported it.

TransLink’s $1.65-billion 10.5-kilometre light rail line would connect Newton to City Centre via King George Boulevard, and City Centre to Guildford via 104th Avenue, as part of phase one that was “officially launched” by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in early September. The line would open by 2024.

ELECTION QUESTIONS: How do candidates form their opinions on transit in Surrey?

Support for light rail grew as people got older, with 40 per cent of baby boomers supporting the line compared to just 27 per cent of millennials.

NDP, Liberal and Green party voters were almost equally in favour of the line, with the NDP support slightly ahead at 37 per cent.

READ MORE: TransLink defends huge spike in cost of SkyTrain, light-rail projects

More than 80 per cent of those surveyed like the idea of the $2.83 billion SkyTrain Millennium Line Broadway extension.

The survey found that support for that line was highest from millennials at 60 per cent and lowest among baby boomer at 44 per cent.

And while Metro Vancouverites liked the current Millennium line extension, nearly 90 per cent were in favour of pushing that line all the way to the University of B.C. campus.

Support for that was highest among millennials 61 per cent and again lowest from baby boomers at 51 per cent.


@katslepian

katya.slepian@bpdigital.ca

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