Tuscany CTrain Station opens for service to Calgarians on Monday, August 25, 2014
Officials from all orders of government were on hand today to celebrate the completion of the ninth station on the Northwest LRT (Red Line) and the 45th station in Calgary’s CTrain system. It will open for service on Monday, August 25, 2014. The new station, located 2.5 km west of Crowfoot Station, will serve about 40,000 people in the communities of Rocky Ridge, Royal Oak and Tuscany.
The new extension, by providing direct service to the station from the communities, saves over $1 million a year by reducing the need for two buses every day. It also decreases round trip time for buses, reduces fuel consumption, and reduces vehicle wear and tear in the long term. More than 300,000 people ride the CTrain in Calgary every weekday.
Construction on the extension began in July 2012 after a comprehensive design and consultation process. This latest improvement to Calgary’s transit system would not have been possible without a strong partnership between the Government of Canada, the Province of Alberta and the City of Calgary; each government made significant contributions to the project.
The total cost of the Northwest LRT extension to Tuscany is $123.3 million. The Government of Canada provided $2.5 million through the federal Gas Tax Fund. The Province of Alberta contributed $118.8 million ($34.5 million through the Basic Municipal Transportation Grant, and $84.4 million through a Municipal Sustainability Initiative (MSI) Grant). The City of Calgary contributed $1.9 million ($1.5 million through the Transportation Levy and $410,000 through the Corporate Capital Reserve).
“Improving public transit is an important factor in enhancing the quality of life in communities across the country as well as contributing to a cleaner environment. Through the federal Gas Tax Fund, we are continuing to deliver long-term infrastructure funding to municipalities for local road upgrades, as we focus on creating jobs, promoting growth, and building strong, prosperous communities across Canada," said Joan Crockatt, Member of Parliament for Calgary Centre.
“We are committed to investing in families and communities,” says Greg Weadick, Minister of Municipal Affairs. “By helping to build public transit, we are helping to build stronger communities in our great province. Calgary’s C-Train extension enhances the convenient and efficient transportation options that are important to quality of life in this growing city.”
“A growing city has to keep up with the transportation and mobility needs of its citizens. The CTrain extension to the communities of Rocky Ridge, Royal Oak and Tuscany allows us to bring efficient public transit to tens of thousands of Calgarians. The extension will improve travel time, reliability, and customer service for Calgary Transit customers in the area,” says City of Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi.
The federal Gas Tax Fund provides predictable, long-term funding to municipalities to help them build and rehabilitate their infrastructure. The federal Gas Tax Fund has been extended, doubled, indexed, legislated and made permanent. Eligible categories have also been expanded, providing municipalities with more flexibility than ever before to support local infrastructure. These improvements will see Canada's Gas Tax Fund grow from its current $2 billion per year while providing provinces and municipalities with predictable funding to deliver on local infrastructure priorities. Through the federal Gas Tax Fund alone, the federal government currently provides $208,650,536 in funding annually for municipal infrastructure in Alberta.
Since 2007, Alberta’s Municipal Sustainability Initiative has been the province’s key initiative for strengthening municipalities. Under the MSI, significant funding is provided to municipalities to enhance community sustainability, address local infrastructure needs and enable them to meet the demands of growth. The Alberta Government’s Budget 2014 is providing over $3.7 billion in MSI capital over the next three years, including support from the consolidation of the Basic Municipal Transportation Grant under the MSI program.
Links
See how the federal Gas Tax Fund provides long-term funding to help local governments build and revitalize their local infrastructure.
Follow the link for additional information on the New Building Canada Plan.
Consult Canada's Economic Action Plan to learn more about the Government of Canada's focus on jobs and the economy.
Contacts
Vincent Rabault
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Infrastructure, Communities and Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec
613-943-1838
Jennifer Renner
Deputy Press Secretary
Municipal Affairs
780-862 2957
The City of Calgary Media Line, Transportation
TransportationMedia@calgary.ca
403-828-2954 Option #1
Infrastructure Canada
613-960-9251
Toll free: 1-877-250-7154
media@infc.gc.ca
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