Brampton plans construction for one of North America’s largest electric bus transit facilities
Published June 12, 2020 at 6:55 pm
Brampton City Council recently approved plans for Brampton Transit’s fully electric transit maintenance and storage facility.
Brampton City Council recently approved plans for Brampton Transit’s fully electric transit maintenance and storage facility.
This is a milestone in Brampton’s commitment to being a Green City.
Brampton Transit’s third facility will be one of the largest new bus facilities in North America which will be constructed to support a fully electric, zero-emissions bus fleet in the future.
The construction for this new facility will take place in two phases beginning in 2022.
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The completion of Phase 1 is estimated for late 2024.
Phase 1 of the new facility is expected to store approximately 250 buses, while Phase 2 is expected to store an additional 188 buses, equaling to a total of 438 buses.
The construction of this facility depends on funding from other levels of government that are received.
This includes full electrification requirements.
Facility features could include elements such as high-powered (600kWh) overhead pantograph style chargers and/or plug-in style overnight chargers to support zero-emission battery-electric buses, the consideration of future hydrogen storage tanks and/or hydrogen generation equipment to support zero-emission fuel cell electric buses and on-site energy storage capacity to provide optimal energy efficiency including peak-shaving and smart grid management.
Additionally, they could include substations (e.g. 20 megawatt) to support the power demand required to charge the fleet and dedicated areas in the maintenance section of the facility to support repairs to the high voltage systems and specialized maintenance equipment and tools required to support a fully electric bus fleet.
These elements are all subject to the design process and depend on the required funding available.
Currently, the high order cost estimate for electrification requirements in Phase 1 of this facility is $120-$150 million, which does not include the additional investments required for a fully electric zero-emission bus fleet, the purchase of electric buses, or additional infrastructure needed beyond the property such as on-street eChargers and power grid improvements.
Electric buses would be introduced into the location as new growth buses and replacement buses are purchased and will be based on Brampton’s 10-year capital forecast and approved budgets, which include Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP) and other funding.
“Brampton is a leader in sustainable transportation. A well-connected, sustainable transit network is critical to building Brampton’s position on Canada’s Innovation Corridor, and I am proud to be a part of such a forward-thinking Council,” said Mayor Patrick Brown.
“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 C02 emissions per year, per bus. 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 City of Brampton and Brampton City Council are working closely together to move forward on design and funding for the new facility.
Based on existing ridership, high population growth over the past three years and projected future growth, this new transit facility is necessary for the City of Brampton.
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