Feds make big Transit investment
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 20/07/2022 (315 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
In Manitoba, the Government of Canada has invested more than $945 million in over 229 infrastructure projects since 2015. From contributing to community splash pads to mega-projects such as supporting Winnipeg Transit, when the different levels of government come together on infrastructure, we can really make a difference.
Earlier this month I joined with Premier Stefanson and Mayor Bowman to make a half billion-dollar commitment to Winnipeg Public Transit, of which over $200 million will be coming from the federal government.
At the announcement, I said “Winnipeg is a fast-growing, thriving city. If we want to continue welcoming more residents in a sustainable fashion, we need a public transit system that is reliable, accessible, and user-friendly. This federal funding will go a long way towards achieving those objectives by adding dozens of buses, many of them electric, on Winnipeg’s roads, and improving the transit system’s technology. The investments we’re making in transit will help connect Winnipeggers to work to school and to each other while creating jobs and reducing emissions.”
Some $110 million of federal funding will help electrify Winnipeg Transit’s bus fleet with the purchase of approximately 100 electric battery and electric fuel-cell buses and related infrastructure. An additional 135 diesel buses will be added to Transit’s fleet to meet the needs of a growing transit system.
Another $73 million from Ottawa will also go towards the replacement of Winnipeg Transit’s 70-year-old North Garage to be a new LEED-certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design ) energy efficient bus storage and maintenance facility.
The remaining four public transit projects will enhance the efficiency and accessibility of public transit in Winnipeg, representing a total federal contribution of $19.9 million. From the redesign of the Winnipeg Transit Master Plan, to supporting the preliminary design for downtown rapid transit corridors, this funding will help ensure that the City of Winnipeg can meet the growing demand of transit users.
This investment will also support improvements to the existing bus radio hardware and equipment to Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) technology and ensure greater accessibility and safety for persons with disabilities by replacing 325 wheelchair securement devices on existing transit vehicles.
By making smart investments in public transit, we can improve people’s day-to-day lives by ensuring they can get where they need to go in safe, fast, and reliable ways.
Winnipeg is our city and having a modernized public transit system is not an option as we move towards things like downtown corridors, rapid transit to the south along with new rapid transit infrastructure to the north. How we better facilitate route changes in a timely fashion along with incorporating new routes is so very important. A public transit system needs to be supported at all levels and in all ways. I want people to be able to feel safe when they are on a bus and feel confident that our busses are where they need to be, and they are on time.
If we are successful in managing the changes needed, over the next few years we will see a healthier transit system here in Winnipeg one that is better prepared to take on the next 25 years and be a part of facilitating healthier urban growth and prosperity.
Kevin Lamoureux
Winnipeg North constituency report
Kevin Lamoureux is the Liberal Member of Parliament for Winnipeg North.