Dodging traffic to get to the mountains or the valley may soon become reality
Imagine being able to get from busy, downtown Vancouver to Whistler in the mountains or Chilliwack in the Fraser Valley in just 30 minutes while completely avoiding traffic congestion in the process.
Well, that idea might come to life sooner than we think thanks to a group of urban thinkers, academics, and planners that have combined their efforts to create a proposal for a new high-speed rail corridor: the Mountain Valley Express, or MVX for short.
The vision on their website outlines their plan to create better connections within the Lower Mainland region. Their aim is to connect the Fraser Valley, Metro Vancouver, and the Sea-To-Sky Corridor with fast, reliable express rail.
The proposed high-speed train, which would move at speeds up to 300 km per hour, would allow commuters to get from Chilliwack to Whistler in 60 minutes, with several stops in between.
The Mountain Valley Express
The plan is for the high-speed train to move up to 80% faster than cars and aid in traffic decongestion by taking 20% of all drivers off the highways.
Furthermore, the group’s proposal claims it “will become the economic engine of sustainable growth for the next generation” and estimates the project will result in numerous benefits, including the creation of $49 billion to $61 billion in transport benefits and support of up to one million jobs over 30 years.
The Mountain Valley Express
The project could also help with recovery from the economic effects of COVID-19.
However, this is all still just a proposal with no actual plans to begin. It’s going to require a ton of funding and approvals to get the green light and, if those are secured, it will take many years before it’s ready for passenger use.
Until then, we can only hope that new, quicker ways to get around the Lower Mainland region come around.
Check out the full vision of the Mountain Valley Express