City of Brampton plans to construct one of North America’s largest electric bus transit facilities supporting zero-emission buses

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Ragini Joshi
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City of Brampton plans to construct one of North America’s largest electric bus transit facilities supporting zero-emission buses

On June 10, 2020, Brampton City Council approved plans for Brampton Transit’s fully electric transit maintenance and storage facility, a milestone in the City of Brampton’s commitment to being a Green City. Brampton Transit’s third facility will be one of the largest new bus facilities in North America constructed to help support a fully electric, zero-emissions bus fleet in the future.

This new facility is targeted for construction in two phases starting in 2022, with Phase 1 completion estimated for late 2024. Phase 1 of the new facility is expected to store approximately 250 buses, and Phase 2 is expected to store an additional 188 buses, for a total of 438 buses. The construction of this facility, including full electrification requirements, is contingent upon receiving funding from other levels of government.

Facility features, subject to the design process and required funding availability, could include elements such as but not limited to:

• High-powered (600kWh) overhead pantograph style chargers and/or plug-in style overnight chargers to support zero-emission battery-electric buses.

• Consideration of future hydrogen storage tanks and/or hydrogen generation equipment to support zero-emission fuel cell electric buses.

• On-site energy storage capacity to provide optimal energy efficiency including peak-shaving and smart grid management.

• Substations (e.g. 20 megawatt) to support the power demand required to charge the fleet.

• Dedicated areas in the maintenance section of the facility to support repairs to the high voltage systems, and specialized maintenance equipment and tools required to support a fully electric bus fleet.

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The current high order cost estimate for electrification requirements in Phase 1 of this facility is $120-$150 million. This does not include the additional investments required to introduce a fully electric zero-emission bus fleet, the purchase of electric buses, or additional infrastructure required beyond the property such as on-street eChargers and power grid improvements.

Electric buses would be introduced into the location as new growth buses and replacement buses are purchased based on Brampton’s 10-year capital forecast and approved budgets, including Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP) and other funding.

The City of Brampton and Brampton City Council are working closely together to move forward on design and funding for the new facility. Based on existing ridership, high population growth over the past three years and projected future growth, this new transit facility is vital for Brampton.

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