Surrey Central station explained

Surrey Central
Symbol Location:vancouver
Symbol:expo
Type:SkyTrain station
Style:TransLink (BC)
Style2:SkyTrain
Address:10277 City Parkway
Borough:Surrey, British Columbia
Country:Canada
Structure:Elevated
Platform:Centre platform
Tracks:2
Rebuilt:2017–
Accessible:yes
Code:SC
Owned:TransLink
Zone:3
Former:Whalley Central (planning)
Connections: R1 King George Blvd

Surrey Central is an elevated station on the Expo Line of Metro Vancouver's SkyTrain rapid transit system. The station is located in the Whalley / City Centre district of Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, just east of the North Surrey Recreation Centre. The station is within walking distance of the Central City shopping centre, Surrey City Hall, and SFU Surrey, the Surrey campus of Simon Fraser University.

History

Surrey Central station was opened in 1994 along with two other stations when the Expo Line was extended from Scott Road station farther into Whalley, to the "Surrey City Centre" district.[1] Prior to the opening of the station, there was a bus loop on the site known as "Whalley Exchange", which opened in 1975.[2] The station was briefly known as "Whalley Central" during planning;[3] however, the name "Surrey Central" was chosen in December 1992 as the winning entry in a public contest.[4]

Over the years, the station has earned a reputation for being unsafe and a magnet for crime, including violence and drug trafficking. In 2009, it had the second-highest number of violent crimes in the SkyTrain system (with Commercial–Broadway station having the highest).[5] [6]

In an effort to combat the station's rundown image, and to show off experimental urban design, the City of Surrey and TransLink agreed to have Surrey Central station participate in the GVTA's Urban Transit Village program. The Transit Villages were defined by TransLink as "a new approach to station design and access." While the original schedule called for construction to be completed by the second quarter of 2007, nothing beyond design plans were completed. The Surrey Central plan specifically called for improvements in four areas: station access, street design, King George Boulevard, and land use.

Officers from the Metro Vancouver Transit Police can be found patrolling the bus loop and SkyTrain platform in an effort to reduce crime and disorder, with supplemental volunteers patrolling the area and reporting any suspicious or dangerous behaviour.[7] By the mid-2010s, with extensive police patrols and redevelopment of the area, violent crimes shifted from Whalley south to Newton, which has taken over the area's reputation of being the most dangerous part of Surrey.[8]

In March 2017, station upgrades started on Surrey Central station to create two new entrances on the north side of the station at Central Avenue and City Parkway to reduce congestion. Accessibility and lighting was also improved with three additional escalators and an elevator.[9] Construction work was completed in February 2019, and the new stationhouse opened to the public in March 2019.[10] [11]

Services

Surrey Central station is a transfer point for several bus routes that serve various areas of Surrey, White Rock, North Delta and Langley.

Station information

Design

Surrey Central station was designed by Musson Cattell Mackey Architects and includes a series of references to Victorian-style train sheds, which the Vancouver Sun criticized as "attempts to create instant heritage where none exists".[12]

Entrances

Transit connections

See also: List of bus routes in Metro Vancouver. Bus bay assignments are as follows:[14]

Bay number Location Route Notes
1Bus loopUnloading only
2Bus loop501 Langley Centre
509 Walnut Grove
  • PM peak hours only
N19 Downtown
  • NightBus service
3Bus loop335 Newton Exchange
  • Via Guildford
4Bus loop323 Newton Exchange
  • Via 128 Street
393 Newton Exchange
  • Via South Newton
  • PM peak hours only
5Bus loop320 Langley Centre
  • Via Cloverdale
5AUniversity Drive
337 Fraser Heights
6Bus loop371 Scott Road Station
373 Guildford
7Bus loop316 Scottsdale
  • Via 116 Street
325 Newton Exchange
  • Via 140 Street
8Bus loop324 Newton Exchange
  • Via 132 Street
326 Guildford
  • Via Fleetwood
9Bus loop
  • Some trips extend as "White Rock South"
  • Limited service to New Westminster Station on Sundays and holidays only when SkyTrain is not operating
10Bus loop503 Fraser Hwy Express to Langley and Aldergrove
11City Parkway
R1 King George Blvd to Newton Exchange
12City Parkway
502 Langley Centre
  • Via Fraser Hwy
13City Parkway
R1 King George Blvd to Guildford
  • RapidBus service
14City Parkway
  • 314 Sunbury
  • 314 Scott and 96 Avenue
  • Sunbury portion: Monday to Saturday only during daytime
  • Scott and 96 Avenue portion: evening, Sunday, and holiday service
321 Scott Road Station
  • Peak hours only
329 Scottsdale
  • Monday to Saturday only

Notes and References

  1. Web site: SkyTrain Your City to City Connection. March 11, 1994 . The Buzzer . . March 12, 2019.
  2. News: Surrey-Delta-White Rock . May 23, 1975 . The Buzzer . . July 16, 2017.
  3. Web site: Another 15 routes becoming accessible . September 25, 1992 . The Buzzer . . March 12, 2019.
  4. News: December 17, 1992 . Surrey SkyTrain station gets down-to-earth name . B1 . Vancouver Sun . Newspapers.com . June 10, 2023.
  5. News: SkyTrain crime falls but surrey stations still worst . Nagels . Jeff . September 11, 2009 . . .
  6. News: More than 3,500 crimes plagued Metro's transit system in 2009, data shows . Skelton . Chad . August 3, 2010 . . January 28, 2018.
  7. News: Transit Watch provides more eyes and ears for police . Reynolds . Sheila . March 31, 2015 . . January 28, 2018.
  8. Web site: Newton taking over Whalley's crime reputation . The Vancouver Sun . August 18, 2014.
  9. Web site: Surrey Central SkyTrain Station Upgrades Begin . TransLink . May 22, 2017 . January 29, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180129140936/http://www.translink.ca/en/About-Us/Media/2017/March/Surrey-Central-SkyTrain-Station-Upgrades-Begin.aspx . dead .
  10. News: $24-million expansion of SkyTrain's Surrey Central Station now complete (PHOTOS) . Chan . Kenneth . February 22, 2019 . . February 24, 2019.
  11. 1102316053701554182 . TransLink . [Surrey Central] open now! I hear it's pretty nice! ^LA . TransLink BC . March 3, 2019 . March 3, 2019.
  12. News: Ward . Robin . September 10, 1994 . Saturday Review column . D8 . Vancouver Sun . Newspapers.com . June 12, 2023.
  13. Web site: Translink Surrey Central Upgrades . June 25, 2017 . June 28, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170628230107/http://www.translink.ca/en/Plans-and-Projects/Station-and-Exchange-Improvements/Expo-Line-Upgrades/Surrey-Central-Station-Upgrades.aspx . dead .
  14. Surrey Central Station Map. TransLink. January 2024. April 2, 2024. April 2, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240402083129/https://infomaps.translink.ca/system_maps/skytrain_station_maps/surrey_central_station.pdf. dead.