History
Surrey Central Station was one of three new stations opened on March 28, 1994 when the Expo Line was extended into downtown Surrey. The name "Surrey Central" was given after an ad was placed in the local paper calling to residents in coming up with an appropriate name. Winners received a City of Surrey mug, a letter of thanks, and a T-Shirt with a vision of Surrey on the front of it. Previous to the SkyTrain, "Surrey Central" was a bus loop known as "Whalley Exchange" as the area was and is still commonly known today as "Whalley".
Over the years, the area has earned itself a reputation for being unsafe and as a centre for crime, both for violence and drug trafficking. Officers from both the South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority Police Service, and Transit Security Department can be found patrolling the bus loop and SkyTrain platform, in an effort to reduce crime and disorder. Surrey RCMP also make occsaional patrols of the Station.
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 are defined by TransLink as "a new approach to station design and access." While the original schedule called for construction to be completed by Spring of 2007, nothing beyond design plans have been completed. The Surrey Central plan specifically called for four improvements on Stations Access, Streets, King George Boulevard, and Land Use.
Read more about this topic: Surrey Central Station
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