Transdev Canada, as part of the Connect 6ix consortium, has been selected by Infrastructure Ontario (IO) and Metrolinx to operate and maintain the new Ontario Line, a stand-alone rapid transit line, for a 30-year term. The Ontario Line will be a 15.6-kilometre-long, stand-alone metro transit line that will connect the Ontario Science Centre to Exhibition/Ontario Place. Immediately, Transdev will play a key advisory role during the design and construction phases of the project to ensure that operations and maintenance requirements are addressed and fulfilled.
This is the second significant project awarded to Transdev in the Greater Toronto Area, the first being the Hurontario Line, a 19-stop light rail system that runs north and south along Hurontario Street from Port Credit in Mississauga to the Brampton Gateway Terminal.
Like the Hurontario Line, this contract is being delivered through a public-private partnership model that puts much of the financial risk on the consortium while providing cost and schedule certainty, design and construction efficiencies and opportunities for innovation.
“Because of the worldwide scope of our operations, Transdev is very familiar with public-private partnerships for building transit,”
“This approach involves the operator at the earliest stage of the design process and ensures the sustainability of the system over the long-term. Being awarded a 30-year commitment to operate the line, we are more than keenly interested in ensuring the final product delivers on all of the expectations for riders.”
Arthur Nicolet, CEO Transdev Canada
Transdev has served the Canadian market for 50 years and continues to expand throughout Ontario, Quebec and Western Canada. They currently service over 100 Canadian municipalities, operating 2,000 vehicles with 2,500 employees (including transit, paratransit, student and medical transportation). Their school bus fleet was among the first in North America to include electric vehicles as a private operator. Transdev has also partnered with the City of Montreal to explore the use of autonomous shuttles in urban areas in 2019.
Globally, Transdev operates 24 light rail projects in 10 countries and manages 16 different modes of transportation like buses, coaches, ferries or heavy rail lines. The international insights from the success of these multi-modal transportation projects will help inform Transdev’s approach to the Ontario Line in Toronto.
For further information and updates from Transdev Canada on the progress of the Ontario Line, visit www.transdev.ca