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An artistic rendering of the new Cadetta Johnston transit facility coming to Brampton.

Crews broke ground on what will be the city’s new transit hub with plans for electrification infrastructure that could help Brampton achieve its goal of becoming the first major Canadian city with an entirely bus fleet. electrified.

The new facility will be located at Highway 50 and Cadetta Road and is named in honor of Cadetta Johnston and the Johnston family who still own a family farm on the land south of the property.

Accommodating approximately 250 buses in the first phase, the 460,000 square foot facility will increase the city’s transit capacity and is designed with the future of Brampton Transit in mind, as the city looks to expand its options electrified public transport.

And although the comprehensive plan was developed “to account for future electrification,” additional funds are needed before the city can achieve that goal.

Money for the first phase comes from a total of $128.1 million from the federal and provincial governments and another $154.8 million from city funding.

“Brampton continues to advocate for full electrification of the facility, a key initiative as part of the city’s broader environmental goals,” the city said in a statement.

The city did not say how much the new facility’s electrical infrastructure would cost, but one expert told the council earlier this year it could cost more than $9 billion to decarbonize Brampton Transit’s entire vehicle fleet.

A groundbreaking ceremony took place Friday in Brampton with Mayor Patrick Brown and members of city council, as well as local and provincial MPs, among others, in attendance.

Brampton announced in 2023 that the city aims to become Canada’s first city with a completely zero-carbon bus fleet – a transition that is expected to reduce around 115 tonnes of CO2 emissions per bus each year, the equivalent of removing around 12,000 cars from Brampton’s roads each year.

Recent zero-carbon transit projects in Brampton include several new electric buses, specialized vehicles and charging stations thanks to a funding boost of more than $12 million from Ottawa and Queen’s Park, and a campaign to buy more than 50 new buses, including hybrids.

Unlike many Canadian cities where public transit ridership saw steep declines after and during the COVID-19 pandemic, Brampton’s public transit ridership saw an increase of approximately 40 per cent.

Brampton Transit accounts for approximately 70 percent of all city GHG emissions, and the new Cadetta Johnston transit facility was designed with an approximately 80 percent reduction in emissions compared to a code-based design of the building.

During the second phase, the city says the Cadetta Johnston transit facility will be able to accommodate an additional 188 buses. Construction is expected to last until 2027.

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