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Albion Ferry - 50 Years

The Albion Ferry makes daily crossings between Fort Langley and Maple Ridge occupying a place where there is no other crossing of the Fraser River, British Columbia's largest river, for roughly 30km in either direction. Recently celebrating its 50th anniversary of operation the Albion Ferry is not only a significant transportation hub but also of great historical importance for the residents of the Fraser Valley.

The Albion Ferry began service in 1957, but this had been a long time coming. Residents of the surrounding area had been clamouring for a ferry crossing since the early days of the 20th century. The concept had gained power in the early 1940's when the proposed situation actually passed through municipal offices in New Westminster. While the proposal was still underway, the communities had begun work on the docks and structures on both sides of the river. The plan, however, was delayed and fell through when costs and bureaucracy became obstacles. Despite the many years of work and the voices that had advocated for the creation of a ferry service between these two communities, the plans were again abandoned. Finally, in the 1950's, the North Langley Chamber of Commerce and the Municipality of Maple Ridge made further strides toward the creation of the crossing and after years of discussion and searching, the communities obtained their first full time ferry.

The T'lagunna began service on June 3rd, 1957. She was an 18 car 100 passenger vessel that completed the half mile trip across the Fraser River in roughly 10 minutes, 24 hours a day. Originally, known as the Agassiz she had been the principal ferry at a crossing farther up river between Agassiz and Rosedale. She was renamed T'lagunna and refitted for the crossing at Albion. As a toll ferry, she was used only when necessary by the residents in Langley and Maple Ridge. The Albion crossing had started as a operation under the British Columbia Electric Railway Company. The unique crossing would come under control of the British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority in 1962, finally entering the British Columbia Transit Authority in 1972. Under this authority, the toll was removed from the route and the result was a dramatic increase in traffic handled at the Albion crossing.

In 1978 the Klatawa entered service as traffic boomed in the growing communities of Langley and Maple Ridge. Built by Vancouver Shipyards Ltd. of North Vancouver, the Klatawa was a much larger vessel. She held 26 cars and was a far more efficient design for the short 10 minute crossing. The T'lagunna was not retired but placed on standby in case of technical difficulties with the more modern Klatawa. Waits soared as the single ferry attempted to accommodate the huge populations wishing to avoid the drive east or west to the Mission or Port Mann bridges. Even with the aid of the ageing T'lagunna, the route was quickly swamped by huge lines and wait times on both sides. A sister ship to the Klatawa, the Kulleet was added to the run in 1985 to help handle the traffic congestion on both sides of the river.

In 1985 the Klatawa was refitted. In a remarkable innovation, the vessel was fitted with a diesel and natural gas engine, the first of its kind to be on a ferry service in North America. This extremely reliable and economic engine brought the service a much needed boost to its projected lifetime. In 1988, the Kulleet was similarly modified, and the T'lagunna was retired and sold. The Albion run itself also encountered changes as it began a 22 and a half hour daily operation, 7 days a week. Since the late 1980's the ferry service has become steadily busier as the surrounding population has grown many times beyond what it had been when the service began in 1957.

The Fraser River is the centre of the magnificent Fraser Valley. The river flows from east to west as it reaches the West Coast. There are numerous bridge crossings throughout the Fraser Valley for cars railways and sky trains. Currently there are three bridges under construction over the Fraser River and two sky train public transit bridges across the middle arm and north arm of the Fraser River. The most important bridge in regard to the Albion Ferry is the Golden Ears Bridge. Currently under construction, this bridge will replace the Albion Ferry as a crossing between the Langley and Maple Ridge areas, slated to be completed in 2009. Situated a few kilometres downstream, it will be a toll bridge, in fact, the only toll bridge across the Fraser River.

Despite the huge impact it has on the communities of Fort Langley and Maple Ridge, the Albion Ferry will be discontinued with the projected completion of the Golden Ears Bridge in 2009. The ferry service currently employs 59 full-time and 18 auxiliary employees, and transports approximately 1.5 million vehicles and 4 million passengers and bicycles annually. The ferries Klatawa and Kulleet have a projected lifespan of 20-25 years, from a report released in 2004 by Translink. Similarly, the docks and support structures have an estimated lifespan of 20 years. The service provided by the Albion Ferry is currently through the Fraser River Marine Transportation under Translink and the Greater Vancouver Transport Authority.

The Albion Ferry is now the last regular ferry service to cross the Fraser River. In British Columbia it is one of the few inland ferries left in operation, as bridges and other transportation routes take over. The proposed closure of the crossing has sparked outrage and concern about the future of the area. Translink and the Greater Vancouver Transport Authority have discussed different options leading up to and during the construction of the Golden Ears Bridge. They have decided along with the municipalities, that the ferry service would be uneconomical to continue when the toll bridge becomes operational.

Contributed by Stefan Einarson
— 2008 UCFV Practicum Student with The History Group Inc.