A combined investment of more than C$44.1 million (US$32.5 million) between the government of Canada and TransLink will help increase operational capacity to the Burnaby Transit Center (BTC), an operations and maintenance facility divided into two campuses.
The project will expand the BTC’s maintenance and storage capacity to support up to 130 additional buses. Funding will support the redistribution of the BTC’s functions between its north and south campuses and relocate some functions to an off-site location as the current campuses are at capacity. To accommodate the changes, improvements will be made to both campuses and the off-site location, including the demolition of an existing complex, the construction of new maintenance bays and the renovation of facilities.
“Today’s investment goes beyond renovating the Burnaby Transit Centre to better support TransLink’s services. Increasing the BTC’s operational capacity will encourage ridership in Metro Vancouver and make it easier for residents to access both necessities and opportunities. Investments in public transit infrastructure are beneficial for communities because they improve connections between where people are living and their destinations,” said Minister of Citizens’ Services and Member of Parliament for Burnaby North—Seymour Terry Beech.
“More transit centers across Metro Vancouver helps the transit system grow in tandem with these communities. People will soon have transit centers that can serve the needs of the future, create new jobs and continue to offer fast and convenient transit options,” said British Columbia Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Rob Fleming.
The government of Canada is investing C$17.6 million (US$13 million) through the Public Transit Infrastructure Stream of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program. TransLink is contributing C$26.5 million (US$ 19.5 million).
"Investing in transit infrastructure is the first important step towards enhancing bus service in Metro Vancouver. We thank the governments of Canada and British Columbia for investing in this important infrastructure project and we look forward to continued collaboration to further invest and expand transit services throughout Metro Vancouver,” said Kevin Quinn, TransLink CEO.
