Langley Launcher arrives home as SkyTrain project advances

The Government of British Columbia announced that construction of the Dave Barrett Extension (formerly Surrey Langley SkyTrain) guideway will reach Langley this week as the Langley Launcher gantry arrives in its namesake community.

Construction in Surrey will continue as the Surrey Sprinter gantry begins work at Green Timbers Station in the coming weeks.

“The Langley Launcher’s arrival in Langley, together with the upcoming deployment of the Surrey Sprinter, is an exciting sign of the substantial progress being made on the Dave Barrett Extension,” said Mike Farnworth, Minister of Transportation and Transit.

Launching gantries are specialized machines that are integral in constructing the SkyTrain guideway. Each launching gantry is more than 100 metres long and weighs more than 440 tonnes.

The Surrey Langley SkyTrain is No. 15 on ReNew Canada’s 2026 Top100 Projects report.

The Langley Launcher has built approximately three kilometres of the Dave Barrett Extension guideway, beginning at the Hillcrest-184 Street Station. Starting this week, it will begin constructing the guideway over Willowbrook Drive before advancing to the Willowbrook Station site.

The Surrey Sprinter is scheduled to arrive at Green Timbers Station in the coming weeks, where it will continue guideway construction west of the station this fall. Meanwhile, the Fleetwood Flyer will finish building approximately three kilometres of guideway in October 2026.

Construction of the Dave Barrett Extension continues to progress on schedule, with anticipated opening in 2029. The guideway construction is approximately 65 per cent complete and foundation piles and columns for the guideway are more than 95 per cent complete. Additionally, construction is well underway for all eight stations.

The Dave Barrett Extension will expand the SkyTrain rapid transit system 16 kilometres from King George Station in Surrey to Langley City Centre, adding eight new stations. It will improve access to jobs, housing and education throughout the Metro Vancouver region.

Featured image: A launching gantry installs guideway segments as it heads towards Bakerview-166 Street Station, Sept. 2026. (BC Ministry of Transportation and Transit)