Brampton plans $325-million bus facility
The City of Brampton announced on June 12 that it has approved plans to build a new bus maintenance and storage facility—the first phase of which could cost of as much as $325 million.
The facility, which will be one of the largest of its kind in North America, is part of the city’s plan to introduce a fully electric, zero-emissions bus fleet. Phase one of the construction plan will create a 400,000-square foot facility with room for 250 buses; the second phase is scoped as a 200,000-square foot addition with room for an additional 188 buses. Construction of phase one is scheduled to begin in 2022 and finish in 2024.
“Creating a first-of-its-kind fully electric transit facility and transitioning to a fully electric zero emission bus fleet in the future builds on council’s commitment to reducing our carbon footprint and building a green city,” said councillor Rowena Santos. “This is a milestone in our journey to reducing greenhouse gas emissions generated in Brampton by 80 percent by 2050.”
Initial plans suggest a construction budget of $175 million for the first phase building, with an additional fee of between $125 million and $150 million for the electrification of the building. Construction, however, is contingent on the city receiving funds from the provincial and federal governments.
Some of the electrical features that may be included in the first phase of construction are high-powered overhead pantograph style chargers, substations to support the power demand required to charge the fleet, on-site energy storage capacity, and consideration of future hydrogen storage tanks or hydrogen generation equipment.
The city has already selected a location for the new facility. It has identified a 40-acre site at the southwest corner of Highway 50 and Cadetta Road that is currently a satellite public works yard and agricultural lands. An environmental assessment on the site is expected to be completed by February 2021.
“These concrete steps move our city closer to achieving our climate change goals, as with each battery-electric bus put into service, we will save approximately 235 tonnes of C02 emissions per year, per bus,” said Mayor Patrick Brown. “We are continuing our partnership with the federal government to bring zero-emission buses to Brampton, and serving our residents with an excellent transit system.”
The need for a new bus facility—the city’s third—comes as transit in Brampton continues to grow. Since 2009, ridership on Brampton Transit has tripled. Over the past five years, ridership grew by 62 percent, while the city’s population grew by just 12 percent.
By 2022, Brampton Transit will exceed combined optimum operating capacity at its existing facilities on on Clark Boulevard and Sandalwood Parkway. The third garage will be needed to support further fleet growth.
Already, 28 percent of Brampton Transit’s fleet is composed of diesel-electric hybrid buses.