The final piece of London's rapid transit funding puzzle may soon be in place, but there is still a hoop to jump through.
The federal government has announced that London is getting just over $204-million in infrastructure funding for public transit. That figure represents the approximate amount of the needed contribution of federal money for London's Bus Rapid Transit plan. However, the money is not specifically set aside for rapid transit and the federal government still has to approve the city's business plan for BRT.
“This is what council has been working so hard to achieve over the past many years. This funding will be transformative for London,” said Mayor Matt Brown. “We have a commitment for our provincial partners to fund our transit priorities and we are pleased to see our federal partners recognize London needs better transit and better infrastructure.”
Provincial funding of $170-million for BRT has already been secured, while the city has committed $130-million.
“I went to Ottawa in 2015 to help secure transit investments for this city because the people of London want and deserve a better, faster and more efficient transit system," London North Centre MP Peter Fragiskatos said in a statement released Friday morning. "This funding allocation of over $204-million will make that possible. It can be used at any time and for any purpose relating to transit and is proof our government is committed to giving London its fair share."
Fragiskatos says he looks forward to meeting with city officials to "ensure the needs of Londoners are advocated for and that we work to ensure the necessary review of projects selected for funding by the municipality are processed in a timely manner and rest on a solid foundation.”
In all, the federal government announced more than $11.8-billion will be provided to municipalities for infrastructure projects over the next decade.