No. H181/05
For release September 6, 2005
RICHMOND HILL, ONT. - History was made today in the Regional Municipality
of York with the official launch of Viva, the first bus rapid transit service
of its kind in the Greater Toronto Area. The ceremony was held at the new
Richmond Hill Terminal, located at Yonge Street and Highway 7.
During today's event, York Regional Chair and CEO Bill Fisch and members of
the York Regional Council were joined by the Honourable Belinda Stronach,
Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, on behalf of the
federal Minister of Transport, the Honourable Jean-C. Lapierre; the Honourable
Greg Sorbara, Ontario Minister of Finance; the Honourable Harinder Takhar,
Ontario Minister of Transportation; and Michael Roschlau, President and CEO of
the Canadian Urban Transit Association.
"Through its New Deal for Cities and Communities, the Government of Canada is
committed to the development of sustainable communities across the country, and
improving public transit is very much a part of sustainability," said Minister
Stronach. "The investment we have made through the Canada Strategic
Infrastructure Fund, together with the province and York Region, is a testament
to this commitment. Better public transit helps improve the quality of life for
Canadians."
"This is great news for the commuters of York Region," said Minister Lapierre.
"The Viva rapid transit service is the first of many projects of its kind across
Canada."
"As York Region's population grows, the need for a strong public
transportation system becomes critical," said Minister Sorbara. "Today's
announcement represents a very important step towards ending gridlock in our
community and beginning a new age of rapid transit in York Region."
The Governments of Canada and Ontario each contributed $50 million to the
first phase of this initiative, under the Canada Strategic Infrastructure Fund.
For its part, York Region contributed $80 million.
"Viva will become a key piece of a Greater Toronto Area-wide transportation
system, helping to reduce gridlock and promote sustainable development," said
Minister Takhar. "The Greater Golden Horseshoe is growing at a fantastic pace
and the McGuinty Government believes we need transportation systems like Viva in
order to keep people and goods moving quickly and efficiently."
"Viva is a reality today because of the vision and commitment of the
Government of Canada, the Government of Ontario, and the members of York
Regional Council," said Chair Fisch. "By working together and pooling our
financial resources, York Region has taken this bold initiative from the drawing
board to the roadway in three years; an amazing accomplishment."
"York Region has done a wonderful job of designing and building a rapid
transit service that is innovative, user-friendly and practical," said Mr.
Roschlau. "Viva will provide an attractive alternative to driving, making people
think twice before grabbing the keys and heading out in their car."
Frequency will be the hallmark of Viva with rapid transit vehicles arriving
every five to 10 minutes during peak periods. New fare vending machines, located
at all Viva stations and terminals, will sell tickets that can be used on both
Viva and York Region Transit with no increase in price. Tickets are valid for
120 minutes, giving passengers up to two hours to hop on and hop off to run
errands. Along with this frequency and flexibility, Viva will also provide real
time information so passengers know exactly when the next vehicle is arriving.
The Viva service is being rolled out in four stages between September 2005
and January 2006. The first part of the service will run along Yonge Street from
Finch Station to Bernard Station and along Highway 7 from York University to
Town Centre Boulevard.
The Viva rapid transit vehicles were constructed in Belgium by the
award-winning bus manufacturer Van Hool. These new, modern rapid transit
vehicles are fully accessible, with wide doors, low floors and ramps to
accommodate wheelchairs and strollers. They operate on clean burning fuel and
meet the latest government emission standards. Today, there are 40 rapid transit
vehicles delivering the Viva service and that number is expected to increase to
85 vehicles by the time the system is fully operational.
When the first phase is fully implemented, York Region estimates initial
improvements will lead to a 30 per cent increase in transit ridership or an
additional 4.5 million riders - moving 7,000 cars a day off major arterial
roads.
For more information on Viva, the stages of service implementation or to take
the Viva Quiz, please visit the Viva website at
www.vivayork.com.
For more information on the Canada Strategic Infrastructure Fund, visit
www.infrastructure.gc.ca.
For more information on rapid transit and the Canada Strategic
Infrastructure Fund, see the attached backgrounder.
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Contacts:
André Fortin
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Transport, Ottawa
(613) 991-0700
Danna O'Brian
Office of the Ontario Transportation Minister
(416) 327-1815
Kirsten Goodnough
Communications
Transport Canada, Ottawa
(613) 993-0055
Patrick Casey
Director, Corporate Communications
The Regional Municipality of York
(905) 830-4444 ext. 1235
Dan Miles
Communications Specialist, York Region
(905) 886-6767 ext. 2250
Transport Canada is online at www.tc.gc.ca.
Subscribe to news releases and speeches at apps.tc.gc.ca/listserv/ and keep up-to-date
on the latest from Transport Canada.
This news release may be made available in alternative formats for persons with
visual disabilities.
BACKGROUNDER
RAPID TRANSIT AND THE CANADA
STRATEGIC INFRASTRUCTURE FUND
Through the $4-billion Canada Strategic Infrastructure Fund, the Government
of Canada works with provincial, territorial and municipal governments, as well
as with the private sector, to meet strategic infrastructure needs throughout
the country. The fund supports large-scale strategic infrastructure projects
that improve quality of life and further sustainable economic growth. The fund
also supports the Government of Canada's New Deal for Cities and Communities,
through which it strives to become a world-leader in developing vibrant,
creative and prosperous cities and communities. Since 1993, the Government of
Canada has committed $12 billion to infrastructure projects in Canada's
communities. This is expected to leverage over $30 billion from all partners.
The fund invests in the following areas:
Highway and railway infrastructure
Local transportation infrastructure
Tourism or urban development infrastructure
Water or sewage infrastructure
Broadband
The Viva rapid transit project is one of many benefiting from the Canada
Strategic Infrastructure Fund. Viva is an innovative rapid transit system that
will eventually link Markham, Newmarket, Richmond Hill, Aurora and Vaughan to
the four key transportation corridors in the Greater Toronto Area. Viva service
is being rolled out in four stages between September 2005 and January 2006.
Through the Canada Strategic Infrastructure Fund, the Government of Canada
has announced commitments to other transit projects across the country,
including the Richmond-Airport-Vancouver (RAV), GO Transit in the Greater
Toronto Area, the Ottawa North-South Corridor Light Rail Transit project,
Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) upgrades and a Montreal
airport-downtown link.
For more information on rapid transit systems funded under the Canada
Strategic Infrastructure Fund, visit the
Infrastructure Canada
website.
September 2005
