Transit funding to provide better service, new infrastructure

New transit funding Nearly half a billion dollars in government funding will overhaul routes, design new stations.

Winnipeg — Nearly half a billion dollars in public transit funding from all three levels of government means a complete route overhaul, more frequent and reliable service, and new downtown stations for Winnipeg bus riders. But one advocacy group says Winnipeg city council should be doing more to improve transit service.

Announced last week at a joint government press conference, $478 million is going towards six projects as detailed in the city's 25-year Master Transit Plan. "It's the biggest government funding announcement we've ever had in our history, and we're excited about all the projects it's delivering," said Kevin Sturgeon, senior transit planner with Winnipeg Transit.

Sturgeon says the two most transformative projects are the downtown rapid transit corridor design and the primary transit network infrastructure. "It will be an entirely new route network that we'll be implementing over the next few years," he said, "None of the routes that exist today, except in southwest Winnipeg, will continue."

The funding announcement was also good news for Kyle Owens, president of Functional Transit Winnipeg, a volunteer non-profit organization that advocates for transit users. "This is a long-overdue crucial infrastructure investment that is really going to help Winnipeg Transit," he said.

While Owens is thrilled about the new funding, he says the first thing city council should do is reverse budget cuts implemented during the pandemic. "During COVID there was a six per cent cut to transit service. That was, to some extent, understandable, because ridership dropped so much."

But he says now the pandemic is over, that decision should be reversed. "They've got it backwards. They're waiting for users to come back, they're not putting buses back on the road."

The downtown rapid transit corridor design is also slated to begin with this funding, something Sturgeon is particularly excited about. "It will lay the foundation for the rapid transit infrastructure projects that we're planning over the next 20 years," said Sturgeon.

Sturgeon notes the plan will see three new transit stations built: on Stradbrook Avenue near Donald Street, at Portage and Main, and at Union Station.

"The plan has been on the books for decades, and an agreement with the railway companies has been in place for a while," he said. The new transit station will be built on an elevated transitway next to the VIA Rail passenger terminal.

But those infrastructure projects are still years away from reality. Owens thinks the focus now should be on improving route frequency and reliability. "Slow service is frustrating, unreliable service is a deal-breaker. All too often, anyone needing to get where they need to be can't rely on Winnipeg Transit," said Owens.