Victoria – Langford and Victoria transit centers will see seismic upgrades and new facilities this year. Construction of a new purpose-built warehouse is currently underway in Langford, while the building of a new paint and body shop will begin this spring in Victoria. The Victoria transit center shop will also undergo seismic upgrades and retrofitting.
“Demand for sustainable and reliable public transportation is growing considerably, not only in Victoria, but in urban and rural regions throughout our country,” said the Honourable Amarjeet Sohi, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities. “The Government of Canada will continue to support public infrastructure projects that increase safety for transit users, and help British Columbia meet the transit need of residents now and into the future.”
“These upgrades in the Victoria region represent our shared commitment to providing seismically safe and operationally efficient transit solutions,” said Todd Stone, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure. “Not only do these upgrades protect transit employees, they also help ensure the integrity of the local transit systems, which provide an essential service for hundreds of thousands of British Columbians.”
Both construction projects are part of the almost $160 million in federal and provincial funding for BC Transit projects that was first announced in June, together with Premier Christy Clark and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
“A safe and efficient operation requires constantly adapting to change,” said Manuel Achadinha, BC Transit Chief Executive Officer and President. “This investment in facilities represents our response to projected growth, while also allowing us to build a safer transit future through upgrading our seismic integrity.”
Though the new facilities are being built in the Victoria Regional Transit System, their benefit is province-wide. The new Langford warehouse, a 4,000 square foot facility, will facilitate the creation of a centralized stockroom and provincial distribution facility, allowing transit systems throughout the province to be served in the timeliest and more efficient manner possible.
“I am immensely proud of the proactive approach taken by the Commission, together with BC Transit and our federal and provincial partners,” said Susan Brice, Victoria Regional Transit Commission Chair. “With these new upgrades, we are working together to be ready, willing and able to provide the safest and most efficient transit solutions possible.”
The new paint and body shop in Victoria will not only improve the seismic integrity of the transit center, but it will also boost the productive capacity of one of the busiest transit repair shops in the province. An average of 1,200 jobs are completed in the body shop each and every year.
In total, the facility construction and upgrades represent an investment of $10.9 million in provincial public transportation. Construction in Langford began on February 6, and is slated for completion in August 2017. Upgrades and new facility construction in Victoria will begin in April 2017, with expected completion in April 2018. Facilities in both transit centers will remain operational during construction, with completion expected in April 2018.
In partnership with local governments, BC Transit provides access to public transit to more than 1.6 million British Columbians in 130 communities outside Metro Vancouver. As a result of our commitment to transit in B.C., communities with as few as 1,000 people have access to transit making BC Transit a unique service for smaller communities anywhere in Canada.
The Province also provides the highest level of operating funding support, per capita, for transit in Canada.
For more information on the Victoria Regional Transit System, please visit bctransit.com/victoria or call 250-382-6161.
Media Contact:
Jonathon Dyck, BC Transit, Communications Manager
Media@bctransit.com 250-995-5720
