Metro Vancouver transit: Construction to begin on Scott Road RapidBus line

Plans for the R6 Scott Road RapidBus line, which is expected to launch in early 2024. (TransLink)

Improved transit service is coming to Surrey and Delta.

Construction on the R6 Scott Road RapidBus line has officially begun, officials announced Friday.

TransLink says commuters can expect service that’s at least 20 per cent faster than the current line.

“Once in service, the R6 will be approximately 10 minutes faster in each direction with capacity to serve more customers, which will save people critical time in their day and give more room to deliver this service,” said Kevin Quinn, CEO of TransLink.

There is great demand for more service in the area as Scott Road is one of the busiest corridors south of the Fraser Valley.

“Demand for transit south of the Fraser is bursting at the seams. While transit ridership in most other places in North America is struggling to bounce back, ridership south of the Fraser River has not only bounced back but it's actually surpassed pre pandemic levels,” said Quinn.

The region is seeing approximately 14,000 more transit trips on weekdays than it did in 2019, an increase of 10 per cent.

“The R6 will help to move ten of thousand of people reliably every day, speeding up their commute and getting them back home to their families. The most important part of our day,”said Brad West, Mayor of Port Coquitlam and Chair of the Translink Mayors’ Council.

The plan includes nine kilometres of new dedicated bus lanes, queue jumps and upgraded bus stops, which will be sheltered and provide real-time schedule information.

The route will use 60-feet long, hybrid diesel-electric buses, all of which will be air-conditioned. Construction will take place along the Scott Road corridor from now until late 2023.

It will impact traffic patterns along Scott Road and 72nd Avenue.

However, TransLink says one lane in each direction will be maintained at all times.

The R6 will provide service between the Scott Road SkyTrain Station and the Newton Exchange alongside Route 319, which currently serves the corridor.

Route 319 is the busiest bus route south of the Fraser River, and the fifth busiest bus route in Metro Vancouver.

When the new line is in service, Route 319 will continue to operate its regular route, servicing every stop along the corridor.

The R6 Scott Road RapidBus is TransLink’s largest service expansion since 2020.

The $33 million capital improvements are paid for through the Mayors’ 10-Year Vision, of which the Government of British Columbia contributed 40 per cent of all capital costs.

The service is expected to launch in early 2024.