On Nov. 24, members of the Durham Region Transit (DRT) Commission welcomed Granville Anderson, MPP (Durham) on behalf of Steven Del Duca, minister of transportation, as well as Chris Burke, director, service planning, Metrolinx, to celebrate the official groundbreaking of DRT Raleigh’s New Maintenance Facility.
The state-of-the-art building will replace the existing DRT Raleigh Maintenance Facility, which was originally erected in the early 1960s. The new structure will provide DRT with the required space, capacity and resources to properly maintain and service its bus fleet. Regular and preventative maintenance on vehicles ensures that buses operate safely and reliably– an essential component of DRT’s ultimate goal of increasing ridership in the Region.
DRT Raleigh’s New Maintenance Facility is a vital part of the Highway 2 Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project that is funded, in part, by the Government of Ontario and Metrolinx’s Quick-Wins initiative. The Government of Ontario, through Metrolinx, has committed $82.3 million to support the BRT project, with the Region of Durham funding the remainder of the total project cost, which totals approximately $104 million. Awarded to Buttcon Ltd. at a tender cost of $21.9 million, construction on the new maintenance facility is expected to wrap up in August 2017.
DRT Raleigh’s New Maintenance Facility highlights:
- State-of-the-art maintenance facility spanning 5,770 square metres.
- Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certified.
- Maintenance capabilities for a fleet of approximately 85 buses, including in-ground hoists, overhead exhaust and vital fluid reels, an indoor fueling lane, as well as a bus washer.
BRT Project highlights:
- 2012: DRT expands its Westney Operations and Maintenance Facility.
- 2013: Pulse BRT begins serving Regional Highway 2 with a fleet of 26 new, distinctly-branded, fully-accessible, clean-diesel buses.
- Early 2015: Smart technology implementation provides GPS-based real-time bus location information to DRT customers.
- Road widening at key intersections, along Highway 2 through the Town of Ajax and the City of Pickering, for the implementation of bus-only lanes.
- Ongoing implementation of accessible bus stops and shelters along Highway 2.
“Metrolinx supports improved transit across the GTHA. This new facility, along with this broader Highway 2 BRT project, is an important addition to the transit network in Durham Region,” said Chris Burke, director, service planning, Metrolinx
“In order to grow ridership in the Region, we need to ensure that residents have access to safe and reliable public transportation. On any given weekday, more than 75 buses will pass through the building to receive service. This facility will help the Region’s more than 10 million annual transit users get where they need to go,” said Roger Anderson, regional chair and chief executive officer, The Regional Municipality of Durham.
“This is great news for commuters in Durham Region. It is projects like this one that deliver convenience and reliability to those that take transit. The Ontario government is committed to building up our transportation infrastructure to improve our quality of life and drive economic growth in our region,” said Granville Anderson, MPP, Durham.
