On behalf of Finance Minister Joe Oliver, Devinder Shory, Member of Parliament for Calgary Northeast, yesterday announced that the Government of Canada will help fund the Stoney Compressed Natural Gas Bus Storage and Transit Facility in the City of Calgary. Mr. Shory was joined at the event by Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi and Malcolm Logan, Calgary’s General Manager of Transportation.
Through the P3 Canada Fund, the Government of Canada will provide an investment of up to $48.4 million toward the construction of the facility. This is the P3 Canada Fund’s first project with the City of Calgary. A Request for Qualifications is scheduled for release in December 2014. The 30-month construction period is expected to begin in June 2016, and the facility opening is expected in November 2018.
The new complex will feature storage and maintenance space for the City of Calgary’s new fleet of CNG powered buses as well as diesel buses that are currently stored outside of the city’s other bus garages. The facility will be capable of housing up to 400 natural gas mass transit vehicles, including indoor vehicle storage, 40 maintenance bays, two steam bays, on-site natural gas compression, CNG storage distribution infrastructure, and administrative facilities. The site will allow for the servicing of existing diesel buses until the NGV fleet is large enough to occupy the entire facility.
“This is an important investment in Calgary transit that will have significant benefits for Calgarians. Natural gas can be less expensive and have a lower environmental impact than diesel fuel, and natural gas buses can be quieter and more reliable than their diesel counterparts. Moreover, this is a great opportunity to showcase Canada’s natural gas industry right here in Calgary,” said Naheed Nenshi, Mayor of Calgary.
Source: City of Calgary.