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the mountain valley express CHILLIWACK WHISTLER 6 0 minutes 2 CHILLIWACK the ABBOTSFORD mountain valley express A vision to connect the Fraser Valley, Metro LANGLEY Vancouver, and the Sea-to-Sky Corridor with fast, reliable express rail. SURREY VANCOUVER capacity for up to Up to faster 80% VANCOUVER 15,300 than driving between NORTH passengers per hour whistler & chilliwack that’s equivalent to 6 lanes of highway HORSESHOE 30-70% would attract cheaper than BAY 97,000 highways for same demand trips everyday SQUAMISH taking 20% of support drivers off our roads 460K-1M create jobs over 30 years $49-61B WHISTLER in transport benefits over 30 years ENVISIONED BY THE MVX COLLECTIVE Images sourced from unsplash.com or labelled for reuse 3 Proposal whistler MVX— the Mountain Valley Express — is a high speed rail corridor connecting Vancouver to Whistler in the north and Chilliwack to the east. With speeds of up to 300km/h, passengers will be able to travel from the mountains to the valley in under an hour. With stations at key regional hubs, MVX will become the economic engine of sustainable growth for the next generation. Utilizing predominantly existing highway squamish and rail corridors, MVX will feature new, dedicated rail tracks, enabling consistent and fast travel times. By moving up to 80% faster than cars, MVX will transform the way we move and live, opening up unforeseen economic opportunities for decades to come. horseshoe bay north vancouver waterfront lougheed commercial-broadway langley surrey chilliwack abbotsford TRAVEL TIMES IN MINUTES MVX 13 11 4 3 3 4 3 4 7 7 car Auto 40-50 40 14 7-14 8-14 14-30 14-28 14-28 26-45 22-30 SURREY WHISTLER LANGLEY SQUAMISH LOUGHEED CHILLIWACK WATERFRONT COMMERCIAL ABBOTSFORD HORSESHOE BAY NORTH VANCOUVER 4 Background British Columbia is at a turning point in its history. We can no longer continue investing billions in The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the public funds towards highways, which fuel rising inequities in our society and fragilities in our congestion, greenhouse gas emissions, and expensive economy. With the largest job loss recorded since sprawl that eat away our farmland and forests. We World War II, and a disproportionate risk being can, and we must, do things differently. placed on essential workers in our communities, how British Columbia, Oregon, and Washington State we respond to this moment will define a generation. are currently investigating building a high-speed While the recovery from COVID-19 remains top-of- rail corridor that would connect Portland, Seattle, mind, there is an even larger crisis looming. Climate and Metro Vancouver. This project is being planned change requires us to rethink how we live, work, and because it will foster strong economic growth play. We cannot continue the status quo - we must along the West Coast. High-speed rail is a proven, build back better. This requires bold investments in zero-emissions transportation alternative that has resilient, equitable, and sustainable infrastructure. revitalized communities and created powerful economic megaregions across Europe and Asia. 5 To support economic recovery and prosperity for The Mountain Valley Express would connect people people right here in Metro Vancouver, we must with more employment opportunities, at a scale not ensure that our local communities can access seen in generations. It would contribute to a more opportunities without a car. We need to connect the affordable and equitable region. South Coast from Whistler to Chilliwack with high- From the Kettle Valley Railway, to hydro-electric speed rail. We need the Mountain Valley Express. power projects, to the Coquihalla Highway; British The Mountain Valley Express would move 97,000 Columbians have always been willing to make bold trips per day, taking 20% of all drivers off our investments for our future. congested highways. Building high-speed rail It is time to build the Mountain Valley Express. would support up to one million good jobs for British Columbians and reduce travel times by 80% compared to driving. It would also support our province’s goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 60 per cent by 2040. 6 Benefits AFFORDABILITY and time between communities, new opportunities for innovation, employment, education, and The unaffordable cost of housing in regional centres exchange are created. And with MVX stations has driven many families far from where they work located at major destinations and urban centres, and play, where rent is lower and home ownership economic opportunity will be spurred across the is more achievable. However, without reasonable South Coast region. With additional public and alternatives to driving, many families are forced private investment to co-locate post-secondary to commute by car. Our region is polycentric, and campuses, start-up incubators, and co-working connecting these centres with MVX is an obvious spaces on MVX, stations will become the innovative regional mobility evolution. employment hubs of tomorrow. With travel times up to 80% faster than driving, MVX will replace unreliable car commutes with LOCAL EXPRESS TRANSIT comfortable, fast connections from the suburbs to the city in record time. With MVX, it will be as fast With a limited-stop, express rail corridor through to travel into Downtown Vancouver from Chilliwack the heart of Metro Vancouver, the MVX can also as taking the bus from Marpole. This time-space serve as an express transit service for local trips. An transformation will create significant opportunities existing 35 minute SkyTrain trip from Waterfront to to expand housing options in communities with Lougheed will be replaced by an 7 minute trip on the greater land availability and lower land costs, MVX. This will dramatically improve access between improving housing affordability for thousands of Downtown Vancouver and suburban destinations, families. And by commuting with MVX, many creating new economic and social opportunities. households will be able to reduce driving or even sell MVX will help relieve growing pressure on the their vehicle, producing additional savings. SkyTrain Expo Line, which currently acts as the primary east-west transit corridor in the region. It AN ECONOMIC ENGINE will also help provide redundancy to the regional transit network, essential during extreme weather High speed rail has a proven track record of creating events, power outages, and periodic SkyTrain significant economic value. By compressing space closures. 7 RESORTS AND OUTDOORS INTERNATIONAL CONNECTIONS Anchored by Whistler Blackcomb, one of the Just as the Canada Line transformed access to and world’s most renowned ski resorts, the Sea to Sky from YVR, MVX will build upon that success by has seen incredible economic growth and tourism extending the reach of this popular transit line. With demand since the 2010 Olympics. However, this has a transfer at Waterfront station, a tourist could travel also brought unprecedented highway congestion, from YVR to Whistler or Chilliwack in just under creating unreliable travel times and unanticipated an hour. This connection will also be extremely pressures on natural areas. Continued sustainable beneficial to locals, dramatically reducing car-free development is only possible with the alternative, travel times from the suburbs to the airport. fast transportation connection enabled by MVX. With a station at Horseshoe Bay, MVX will transform Just 31 minutes to Whistler from Downtown access to Vancouver Island, enabling trips to the BC Vancouver, MVX will vastly improve access for both Ferries terminal of 35 minutes or less. With the rise international visitors and urban daytrippers. MVX in car free trips on BC Ferries, MVX will support will also connect to Squamish, reducing parking an increase in more walk-on trips, which are more pressures to popular sights such as Shannon Falls, environmentally-friendly and less costly to service the Chief, and the Sea to Sky Gondola. And with the for the ferry corporation. planned Garibaldi at Squamish resort, significant new demand on the area will be managed thanks to a By creating a high-speed rail corridor through the quick 18 minute trip on MVX from Downtown. South Coast region, MVX will lay the foundation for a future planned connection to Seattle and Portland. Similar to the Sea to Sky, the Fraser Valley has With initial plans calling for the BC terminus in a bounty of natural destinations, whose access Surrey, BC, the Cascadia HSR project will be able is currently limited by a heavily congested and to connect to the MVX tracks and continue onto unreliable highway. With MVX, a trip to Chilliwack Downtown Vancouver. This will help drive additional will be just 28 minutes from Downtown Vancouver. demand along the Cascadia HSR, as studies have Nearby attractions include Harrison Hot Springs, shown that direct downtown connections are more Cultus Lake, Chilliwack Lake and Bridal Falls. MVX popular than alternate suburban locations. will enable more locals and visitors to experience these beautiful destinations, spurring additional economic activity. 8 Costs Based on capital projections for the Vancouver- As one of the largest urban economies in Canada, Seattle-Portland High Speed Rail, MVX is projected and the potential to showcase MVX as one of the first to cost between $7-16 billion. This capital cost high speed rail projects in North America, there is assumes the MVX is designed to operate at speeds a clear justification for federal contributions. MVX’s between 200-300km/h with 11 stations. A future transformational impact on emissions reductions, business case, along with routing options and improved affordability for families, and fueling the associated construction costs, can provide greater innovative economy of tomorrow align seamlessly certainty on capital costs. with the federal government’s priorities. The federal Without MVX, there will be increased pressures to government invested $1.2 billion through the new expand and upgrade both Highways 1 and 99.