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New funding will help growing need for transit in Mission

The federal and provincial governments joined forces to provide a financial boost to the transit system in the Central Fraser Valley.
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A new $28 million transit depot and maintenance facility is coming to the Fraser Valley.

A new $28 million transit depot and maintenance facility is coming to the Fraser Valley. It’s part of a series of investments that will benefit both Mission and Abbotsford.

The federal and provincial governments have joined forces to provide a much needed financial boost to the transit system in the Central Fraser Valley, thanks to the new Public Transit Infrastructure Fund.

Last week, Mission Mayor Randy Hawes along with his counterpart Abbotsford Mayor Henry Braun joined Jati Sidhu, MP for Mission-Matsqui-Fraser Canyon and Abbotsford MLA Michael de Jong for the official announcement.

Along with the new facility, the two communities will also see the addition of modern buses with improved technology, including closed circuit TV to improve the safety of passengers and drivers, real-time information for accuracy and precision, and automatic passenger counters that will enable BC Transit to optimize service delivery based on gathered data.

The new and expanded Central Fraser Valley Transit operations and maintenance facility will support a fleet of cleaner burning compressed natural gas (CNG) buses.

The $28 million project will position Abbotsford and Mission to meet a growing demand for transit in addition to improving operational efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

“We are very excited to not only address the significant capacity constraints with our transit operations centre which have posed a major challenge for our growing community, we couldn’t be more pleased to see our transit system jump ahead into the 21st century with a whole new level of technology and convenience for transit users,” said Hawes.

Monday’s announcement follows the recent signing of a bilateral agreement with British Columbia that will result in more than $900 million being invested by the Government of Canada, British Columbia, and municipalities, in public transit projects across the province.

“Increased service in our transit system has been impossible because we have outgrown our maintenance facility. Absolutely no more buses can be serviced there. This $28 million dollar investment will fund new expanded maintenance capacity which will allow us to add buses and improved service,” added Hawes.

Manuel Achadinha, president and CEO of BC Transit said this investment will meet the growing transit needs of the Central Fraser Valley.

“The new facility will support CNG buses which will benefit the environment and reduce operating costs.”