SkyTrain manager sued over Surrey-Langley expansion cost overruns
Project manager Ahmed Salih claims he was 'scapegoated' after a concrete batch plant failure forced the partnership to buy materials at market rates.
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A project manager for BC's SkyTrain expansion is suing, claiming he was "scapegoated" after the project was plagued with cost overruns.
Ahmed Salih filed a petition to the B.C. Supreme Court on June 25, saying he worked as one of the project managers for the expansion linking Surrey's King George Station to Langley City Centre. He served as a liaison to labour unions, helped onboard more than 150 employees, and managed millions of dollars in subcontractors, including oversight of a concrete batch site designed to mix concrete on-site rather than trucking in ready-mix material.
According to the lawsuit, the principals at Con-Force Structures Ltd. signed contracts with third parties to build the concrete batch site before hiring Salih. When those contractors faced manufacturing delays, the RDLC partnership was forced to buy concrete at market prices instead, leading to "considerable" cost overruns and project delays.
The SkyTrain expansion project had already seen costs balloon significantly. In August 2024, the B.C. government said the project's forecasted cost had risen to nearly $6 billion—a 50% increase from the previous $4 billion estimate. The government attributed the increase to inflation, supply chain pressures, and rising commodity costs. Construction began in January 2025.
