For Immediate Release
July 12th, 2016
Mississauga Delegation Concludes Minneapolis-St. Paul LRT Site Review: Mayor Crombie
Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota – We are committed to using proven best practices, implemented by other major cities and regional governments, as we work with Metrolinx to ensure the successful construction of the Hurontario Light Rail Transit (LRT) and our commitment to build regionally-integrated transit, Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie said.
Mayor Crombie made the comments following a two-day site review of the Minneapolis-St. Paul METRO transit system which operates an extensive network of LRT and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lines. Minneapolis-St. Paul was chosen by Mississauga’s Hurontario LRT Project Office for in-depth analysis because it offers important parallels for Mississauga’s own transit-building efforts, including:
- Integrated-Transit Service: Minneapolis-St. Paul METRO operates two LRT and BRT lines, respectively. The Hurontario LRT will be linked to the MiWay BRT Transitway, GO Bus Transit and both the Port Credit and Cooksville GO Train stations;
- Regional Connections: Minneapolis-St. Paul METRO serves two large-size cities in Minnesota’s capital region, along with a number of area municipalities. The Hurontario LRT line will run directly through Mississauga and into Brampton, while serving residents in multiple municipalities throughout the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA);
- Population: Minneapolis-St. Paul has an area population of 3.28 million people, whereas Peel Region has a population of 1.3 million and the GTHA has a population of 6.5 million; and,
- City-Building: Minneapolis-St. Paul METRO transit stations are linked to busy downtown cores, along with the Mall of America, the University of Minnesota, the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and other points of interest. The Hurontario LRT will have four separate stations in Mississauga’s downtown, with connections to Sheridan College, the Living Arts Centre and Square One Shopping Centre and transfers for bus service to Toronto Pearson International Airport.
Mayor Crombie was joined by Councillors Jim Tovey (Ward1), John Kovac (Ward 4) and Nando Iannicca (Ward 7), along with members of the Mississauga’s Leadership Team, including City Manager & Chief Administrative Officer, Janice Baker.
The Mississauga delegation met with Adam Duinick, Chair of the Minneapolis-St. Paul Metropolitan Council, Chris Coleman, Mayor of St. Paul, along with local government administrators from area and regional municipalities.
“The Minneapolis-St. Paul METRO system is an effective, reliable and popular transit system,” Mayor Crombie said. “It was important for Council and staff to engage directly with the professional engineers, transit planners, budget experts, urban planners and public servants, who have helped manage the growth and community support for this important, regional public transit service.”
Last April, Premier Wynne’s government announced that the Hurontario LRT would receive full funding amounting to $1.6 billion dollars, Mayor Crombie said.
“Some of the most pressing priorities we must address have to do with how we move people, goods, services and ideas, and how we develop to meet the needs of new residential and commercial investments.
“As we look toward Mississauga’s promising future, Council will ensure we look to professional best practices and lessons learned by others as we work to meet the needs of our growing city and the priorities of our residents – and especially when addressing the urgent need to break gridlock and build public transit,” Mayor Crombie concluded.
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