The Honourable Jim Flaherty, Minister of Finance, and the Honourable Bob Chiarelli, Ontario Minister of Infrastructure and Minister of Transportation, announced their governments’ support for a public-private partnership (P3) to build the GO Transit East Rail Maintenance Facility. The joint investment in this facility is one of the most important investments in support of Metrolinx’s regional transportation plan, The Big Move.
“This facility will improve and expand access to rail services; make it easier and faster to get people and goods where they need to go; and support sustainable urban development that leads to stronger communities and a higher quality of life,” said Minister Flaherty. “By delivering this project as a P3, we can realize greater savings and efficiency in the delivery of this much-needed facility while reinforcing our Government’s commitment to jobs, growth and long-term prosperity.”
“The new maintenance and storage facility supports GO Transit’s expansions, including our commitment to bring two-way, all-day GO train service to commuters in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area,” said Minister Chiarelli. “The McGuinty government’s unprecedented public transit investments continue to make taking transit a better choice for commuters and helps reduce congestion on our roads and contributes to a better quality of life for Ontario families.”
A private partner will be chosen through a competitive selection process to design, build finance and maintain the building, which will be located in the Town of Whitby. With significant population growth in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, the facility is a top transit priority and will allow Metrolinx’s operating division, GO Transit, to expand maintenance capacity and increase ridership on all existing GO lines.
“The addition of this facility will allow GO Transit to provide more rail service to commuters in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, increase our maintenance capacity and improve efficiency and effectiveness of service,” said Gary McNeil, president of GO Transit. “It will support further transit investment and integration in the area in addition to other transit projects identified in The Big Move.”
The Government of Canada will contribute up to $94.8 million through the P3 Canada Fund towards eligible construction and implementation costs. The Ontario government will contribute 75 per cent of the final project cost.
The facility will include:
- 18 storage tracks
- an electrical substation for power supply to facility and trains
- progressive maintenance bays for train inspection and maintenance
- coach, diesel, paint and wheel shops
- locomotive and train wash buildings
- a fuelling station
- staff offices
Investing in public transit is part of the Government of Ontario’s plan to strengthen the economy. A strong economy protects the services that mean most to Ontario families—health care and education.
The P3 Canada Fund is a merit-based program with the objective of supporting P3 infrastructure projects that achieve value for Canadians, develop the Canadian P3 market and generate significant public benefits. PPP Canada was established by the Government of Canada to improve the delivery of public infrastructure by achieving better value, timeliness and accountability to taxpayers, through public-private partnerships. Today’s announcement is the first of three P3 Canada Fund announcements across the country.
For information on PPP Canada and the Government of Canada’s P3 Canada Fund investments, visit the P3 Canada website.
Metrolinx is the Province of Ontario’s regional transportation agency for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA). For more information, visit the Metrolinx website.
GO Transit, a division of Metrolinx, is Ontario’s inter-regional public transit system linking Toronto with the surrounding regions in the GTHA. GO carries more than 62 million passengers a year in an extensive network of train and bus services that spans over 100,000 square kilometres. For more information visit the GO Transit website.
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