No. H 003/08
For release - January 8, 2008
BRAMPTON — The AcceleRide bus rapid transit system moved forward today after the Government of Canada formalized its $95 million investment by signing a federal-municipal contribution agreement with the City of Brampton. The agreement was signed by the Honourable Jim Flaherty, Minister of Finance and Minister Responsible for the Greater Toronto Area, on behalf of the Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, and Her Worship Susan Fennell, Mayor of Brampton.
"The agreement signed today demonstrates this government's unwavering commitment to the residents of Brampton and the development of transportation alternatives," said Minister Flaherty. "AcceleRide is part of our long-term transportation action plan, FLOW. Over time, this plan will help reduce traffic congestion, strengthen the economy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions throughout the Greater Toronto Area."
"Today we have moved another step closer to achieving our vision of having a seamless transit network that will benefit the people of Brampton and transit users across the Greater Toronto Area. It's also an investment that facilitates sustainable and environmentally friendly growth, which is critical to Brampton as the second-fastest growing city in Canada," commented Mayor Fennell.
"Public transit is a priority for the Government of Canada," said Minister Cannon. "Projects such as this new transit system will help increase economic growth and improve the quality of life of residents in one of the fastest growing areas of Canada."
FLOW is an initiative of the Government of Canada designed to reduce traffic congestion, improve the environment and strengthen the economy in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). FLOW consists of key transportation infrastructure projects, including AcceleRide, and was developed to help enhance the quality of life for families and help businesses increase efficiency in the GTA by keeping people, traffic and goods FLOWing in the largest metropolitan area in Canada.
AcceleRide is a bus rapid transit system which will operate along Brampton's key transportation corridors linking the downtown to the north and west areas of the city, as well as to the City of Mississauga and the regional Municipality of York. The project will be constructed in two phases, the first expected to be completed by 2010, with ultimate completion anticipated in 2021.
The federal contribution of $53 million to the City of Brampton for the first phase of the bus rapid transit project comes from the Canada Strategic Infrastructure Fund (CSIF), which supports large-scale strategic infrastructure projects that improve quality of life and further economic growth. An additional $42 million will be provided via a memorandum of understanding for the second phase of this project.
The Province of Ontario provided $95 million to Brampton to support this project in 2006. The City of Brampton will be responsible for the remainder of the project costs. Construction on the project is expected to begin in 2008 and be completed by 2013.
Other transit projects that make up the FLOW action plan include the construction of a bus rapid transit corridor in Mississauga; the extension of the Spadina-University subway line to Vaughan Corporate Centre; the enhancement of the York VIVA rapid transit system; and funding for regional rapid transit expansion studies in the Regional Municipality of Durham.
As federal funding is reimbursement-based, funds will be transferred once the agreement is signed, eligible costs are incurred and all federal requirements have been satisfied.
Backgrounders with further information on CSIF, FLOW and Brampton Transit are attached.
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Contacts:
Karine White
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities
613-991-0700
Gordon Smith
Manager, Media Relations
City of Brampton
905-874-3426
Media Relations
Communications
Transport Canada, Ottawa
613-993-0055
Transport Canada is online at www.tc.gc.ca. Subscribe to news releases and speeches at www.tc.gc.ca/listserv/ and keep up-to-date on the latest from Transport Canada.
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BACKGROUNDER
CANADA STRATEGIC INFRASTRUCTURE FUND
The federal funding for this project is coming from the Canada Strategic Infrastructure Fund (CSIF). Through the 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. CSIF supports large-scale strategic infrastructure projects that improve quality of life and further economic growth.
FLOW
FLOW, the Government of Canada's transportation action plan for the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), is designed to reduce congestion, cut commute times, help clear the air and help drive the economy in the GTA.
It consists of key transportation infrastructure projects that are being funded and built in the short to medium term. In most cases, the projects are being cost-shared by the three levels of government — federal, provincial and municipal.
The projects were selected following consultations with the Province of Ontario, mayors in the GTA, regional chairs, municipal councillors and various community groups.
This plan was developed to help enhance the quality of life for residents and help businesses increase efficiency by keeping people, traffic and goods FLOWing in the largest metropolitan area in Canada.
Federal funding is contingent on the completion of a due diligence review, the negotiation and signing of a contribution agreement and completion of any applicable federal environmental assessments required under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act.
The FLOW transit infrastructure projects include the following:
Brampton AcceleRide
This project involves the construction of a bus rapid transit system along Brampton's key transportation corridors to link the downtown to the north and west areas of the city, as well as to the City of Mississauga and the Regional Municipality of York.
The Government of Canada has committed up to $95 million, while the Province of Ontario has already provided $95 million. The City of Brampton will be responsible for the remainder of the The project will be constructed in two phases, the first expected to be completed by 2010, with ultimate completion anticipated in 2021.
Mississauga Transitway
The project involves the construction of an east-west dedicated bus right-of-way across the City of Mississauga between Winston Churchill Boulevard and Renforth Drive. This project will improve local and inter-regional bus operations across the City of Mississauga. A total of 11 stations will be constructed along the route.
The Government of Canada has committed up to $83 million to the project. The Province of Ontario has provided the City of Mississauga with $63 million to support the project and has committed to providing an additional $25 million to GO Transit. The City of Mississauga and GO Transit will be responsible for the remainder of the project costs.
The project is expected to be completed by 2012.
Toronto-York Subway
The existing Spadina subway line will be extended by 8.6 kilometres through York University to the Vaughan Corporate Centre.
The Government of Canada is committing up to $697 million towards the eligible project costs. The Province of Ontario has already provided $670 million to a trust for this project. The City of Toronto and Regional Municipality of York previously committed their contributions and will be responsible for the remainder of the project costs.
Federal funding commitments to this project are conditional upon the completion of a due diligence review, the negotiation of a contribution agreement and the proponent's adherence to conditions put forth by the federal Minister of Finance and the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities.
Along with funding from all three levels of government, the City of Toronto and the Regional Municipality of York will be exploring opportunities for alternative financing and procurement, such as public-private partnerships.
The project is expected to be completed by 2015.
York Region VIVA Phase 2, Part 1
The VIVA rapid transit system will be enhanced through the construction of dedicated bus rapid transit systems along Yonge Street, from the Finch subway station to the Richmond Hill Centre, and along Highway 7, from the Markham Centre to Yonge Street.
The Government of Canada is committing up to $85 million towards eligible project costs.
Federal funding commitments to this project are conditional upon a matching financial contribution by the Province of Ontario, the completion of a due diligence review, the negotiation of a contribution agreement and the proponent's adherence to conditions put forth by the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities.
The project is expected to be completed by 2010.
Durham Region Rapid Transit Project
Funding will be provided to the Regional Municipality of Durham to help it further refine its transit service strategy and bus rapid transit implementation plans. This will include demonstrating how best to support anticipated urban growth, assess transit options and their integration with other services, develop detailed ridership projections and conduct cost-benefit analyses.
The Government of Canada is committing up to $2.5 million and the Province of Ontario up to $2.5 million.
This rapid transit project is expected to start this year.
Other Projects
FLOW also includes three highway projects for which the Province of Ontario is responsible for determining the appropriate financing and delivery.
These projects include:
the extension of Highway 407 east to Highway 35/115;
the widening of Highway 7 in Durham Region; and
the extension of Highway 404.
As federal funding is reimbursement-based, the contribution agreement sets out the conditions and requirements. Once the agreement is signed, construction begins, costs are incurred and all federal requirements have been satisfied, funds are transferred.
January 2008
Brampton Transit – Fact Sheet
Brampton Transit ridership is growing approximately three times the national average, according to the Canadian Urban Transit Association. In 2007, there were 11,063,837 Brampton Transit riders, a nine per cent increase over 2006. The national average increase was 3.2 per cent for the first six months of 2007.
The City of Brampton is the second fastest growing city in Canada and is expected to reach a population of 680,000 by the year 2031. Since 2005, Brampton Transit has increased service levels by more than 50 per cent and has moved from a hub to a grid system. Brampton Transit has increased its accessible service to 58 per cent of its total trips. Currently, Brampton Transit has 21 fully accessible routes; connects with GO Transit, Mississauga Transit, Toronto Transit Commission, and York Region Transit.
To meet the growing demands, the City of Brampton has proposed AcceleRide, a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) initiative to improve service in high demand corridors; encourage increased commuter use; and more effectively integrate Brampton Transit with other public transit networks throughout the GTA.
BRT involves a combination of measures intended to give buses priority over other vehicles in terms of travel time, through-traffic signal priority and/or design features of the roadway including, in some cases, provision of separate bus ways. BRT also involves enhanced passenger facilities, information, and transit vehicles.
AcceleRide will introduce separate, enhanced services to encourage commuter usage on Queen Street East/Regional Road 107, Main Street and Steeles Avenue in the first phase of the project. These three BRT corridors will be fully integrated with a citywide transportation transit network. In time, services will be expanded to other high demand corridors enhancing connectivity within and beyond Brampton's boundaries.
Since March 2003, the City of Brampton has invested $2.4 million toward development and support of the AcceleRide initiative. On March 23, 2006, the Ontario Provincial Government announced a $95 million commitment to the program. And on March 6, 2007, the Federal Government announced up to $95 million in capital funding for the AcceleRide project.
In November 2007, Brampton Transit launched eRide a new and innovative web-based trip planner. This easy-to-use online tool helps riders calculate their journey from start to finish, including walking and transfer times.
www.brampton.ca/transit
About Brampton- Brampton was recognized in 2007 by the World Health Organization as an International Safe Community, the first in the GTA and one of only 10 cities in North America to receive this designation. With a diverse multicultural population representing more than 60 different cultures and 100 languages, the City is home to more than 8,000 businesses and is the first winner of the National Communities in Bloom Competition. For more information visit www.brampton.ca
