Hundreds of New Jobs Coming to Brampton

Published April 10, 2018 at 5:46 pm

Brampton is a city that’s constantly growing and developing, and now, a brand new manufacturing facility is opening that’s creating hundreds of new jobs.

Brampton is a city that’s constantly growing and developing, and now, a brand new manufacturing facility is opening that’s creating hundreds of new jobs. And, it’s attached to a few very important projects in the Greater Toronto-Hamilton Area (GTHA).

Minister of Economic Development (and former Minister of Transportation) Steven Del Duca and Mayor Linda Jeffrey made the major announcement on Tuesday April 10, 2018. 

French international company Alstom, a world leader in rail transport, is opening a light-rail vehicle manufacturing facility at 7 Blair Dr. in Brampton, which will create 100-120 new, full-time jobs at the facility itself and 400-500 spinoff jobs as a result.

“In May 2017, Ontario announced a contract with Alstom to provide 61 vehicles for light rail transit (LRT) projects in the GTHA, with an option to acquire an additional 44 vehicles,” reads a recent release.

The contract is worth a whopping $528 million. 

“This is where the vehicles will be assembled,” said Del Duca, adding that the facility will “help to carry our regional transit system into a new era.”

“The state-of-the-art light-rail vehicles that will be built here will be deployed on new LRT lines like Finch West and Hurontario in Mississauga.”

According to Del Deuca, the facility will be part of the project generating $50 billion over 25 years.

In context of the Hurontario LRT — which will run from Port Credit GO in Mississauga to Brampton Gateway Terminal in Brampton — Alstom is set to provide the system with its Citadis Spirit light rail vehicles.

“Alstom is thrilled to announce today we are opening a second industrial site in Ontario for the production of our ‘made for North America’ Citadis Spirit light rail vehicle,” said Angelo Guercioni, managing director, Alstom Canada. “This second facility confirms Alstom’s commitment to the ongoing transformation of the Canadian transportation landscape and the trust our clients have in the quality of our technology.”

The Citadis Spirit is a customizable car (the exterior and interior look and feel can be changed for any particular city) that’s made in America, has an interior without steps or ramps, can carry 200-300 passengers, and has 100 per cent low-floor design for easier accessibility from a street or a curb, with speeds at up to 65 miles per hour (just over 100 kilometres an hour).

After some controversy in early 2017 with Bombardier — originally, Bombardier vehicles could have been used on the LRT, but Metrolinx cancelled the massive contract after Bombardier had trouble meeting deadlines — it’s exciting to see that the project is still barreling towards a finish line.

The Hurontario LRT project is part of the largest infrastructure investment in Ontario’s history and the province is providing $1.4 billion to build it in Mississauga and southern Brampton (Brampton famously turned down additional funding to carry the route further down Main Street into the city’s downtown core).

The LRT project includes three stops in downtown Mississauga and also boasts connections Mississauga MiWay, Brampton Transit, Brampton Zum, the Mississauga Transitway and a maintenance and storage facility for the light rail vehicles at Highway 407.

The LRT could be completed and useable by 2022.

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