As the costs of the project rose, however, plans to extend the line into Coquitlam were cancelled, though not before a third incomplete concrete platform on the westbound side of the Lougheed Town Centre station was built, with a spur of tracks for a potential extension.

In 2004, it was decided that a light rail line was the best option, as it would better blend in with the neighbourhood, cost less, better fit ridership patterns, and not compete with customers from the existing West Coast Express.

Detailed design began in October 2006, when the TransLink Board approved the Evergreen Light Rail Transit (LRT) project definition phase.

The report provided more information about the scope and characteristics of the proposed line and detailed the project's environmental and socio-economic requirements.

[16] On September 3, 2009, the release of the report on TransLink's 2010 ten-year plan by Martin Crilly, the Regional Transportation Commissioner appointed by the provincial government, indicated that rapid transit expansion, which included the Evergreen Line, was highly unlikely without a predictable source of operational funding.

Although he stopped short of offering his opinion on the project, he agreed nonetheless with TransLink that upgrades to the existing system should be prioritized before the construction of the Evergreen Line.

On October 7, 2011, the Mayors' Council approved the "Moving Forward" 2012 Supplemental Plan to fund various transportation projects in the Metro Vancouver region, including the Evergreen Line.

[23] At the same time, the province also awarded contracts to widen sections of North Road that were to be affected by construction of the line in the middle of the year.

[28] On February 5, 2013, Thales Canada announced that it had been awarded a contract by Partnerships BC to install the company's SelTrac communications-based train control (CBTC).

It was also announced that construction of the Evergreen Line guideway would start in the Burquitlam area of Coquitlam in mid-2013 and continue south to Lougheed Town Centre station.

[30] On February 13, 2015, the provincial government announced that the opening of the line would be delayed until late 2016, due to a slower-than-expected tunnel boring process.

[2] Funding for the project was provided from four major groups:[39] The July 2012 project update gave the following description of the alignment:[40] From the line's opening until June 24, 2018, trains ran in the direction of left-hand traffic instead of the standard right-hand traffic between Burquitlam and Lougheed Town Centre, and used two switches just south of Burquitlam station to return to normal travelling direction.

As part of the decision to use ALRT technology, four planned stations were cut: Cameron, Buller, Lansdowne, and Coquitlam Civic Centre.