Abbotsford – A virtual celebration was held today to commemorate the completion of a new transit operations and maintenance facility for the Central Fraser Valley Regional Transit System. The new site, located at 3032 Gladys Avenue in Abbotsford, opened in December 2020 and is part of the larger Central Fraser Valley Transit Future Plan that aims to make transit a reliable alternative to personal vehicles, to reduce the community’s impact on the environment, and to improve service for Abbotsford and Mission transit users.
The site includes parking for 89 buses with the ability to expand to 150 in the future. Seven vehicle maintenance bays, an administrative building, bus wash and CNG fueling station are also on site. The facility is also home to a new fleet of medium and heavy-duty compressed natural gas (CNG) buses.
The Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities and the Honourable Rob Fleming, B.C. Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure, joined MLA for Abbotsford-Mission Pam Alexis, City of Abbotsford Mayor Henry Braun, District of Mission Acting Mayor Danny Plecas, and BC Transit President and CEO Erinn Pinkerton for the virtual event.
This $28.6 million project was first announced in 2016 as part of the Public Transit Infrastructure Fund (PTIF), from which approximately 83 per cent of construction costs have been provided by the federal government and the Province of BC. The remaining construction costs are jointly covered by the City of Abbotsford and the District of Mission. Land and other costs not eligible for PTIF funding are shared by the Province of BC, the City of Abbotsford and the District of Mission.
CNG buses
Nine medium duty and 26 heavy duty buses are now in operation, with an additional 10 heavy duty buses arriving by summer 2021. Upon their arrival, Central Fraser Valley’s conventional fleet will be made up entirely of CNG buses. CNG buses are part of BC Transit’s Low Carbon Fleet Program to support provincial targets for greenhouse gas emissions and align with the provincial CleanBC plan. FortisBC supplies natural gas for BC Transit’s CNG fleets, while the CNG fueling station is built and maintained by Clean Energy.
Each 30-foot, medium-duty Grande West Vicinity CNG bus can carry up to 24 seated passengers and 20 standing passengers. The 40-foot heavy duty XN40 Xcelsior CNG buses by New Flyer can carry 35 seated passengers and 46 standing passengers. All buses are equipped with a bike rack which accommodates three-inch tires, white LED destination sign, and full driver door designed to protect the health and safety of drivers and passengers. Heavy duty CNG buses also come with USB ports at each seat.
The cost of each medium-duty CNG bus is approximately $455,000, while each heavy duty bus is approximately $700,000. All are funded through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP), with the Government of Canada and the Province of BC each contributing 40 per cent of the cost. The City of Abbotsford and District of Mission contribute the remaining 20 per cent. FortisBC contributed $320,000 towards the implementation of CNG buses in the Central Fraser Valley fleet.
