Winnipeg Transit rejigs garage project thanks to cost pressures (2025)

A scaled-back plan for Winnipeg Transit’s next north garage could mean extending partial use of the aging garage it was slated to replace, a facility Transit warns is “in poor condition and functionally obsolete.”

City council recently opted to reduce the scope of the new garage to keep its original $200-million price tag, instead of approving a cost hike to complete the original project for $305 million.

Now transit is exploring extending the life of the existing north garage it built in the 1950s, which originally stored street cars, even after the new facility opens.

“In order to minimize the impact of not having enough space to park buses at this new garage, a facility assessment is underway for the existing north garage, located at 1520 Main St., to analyze the costs and requirements to keep it operational longer,” writes Jesse Crowder, the manager of Winnipeg Transit’s asset management office, in the report.

In an interview, Crowder said the city is considering using that old garage to store smaller buses for an additional three to five years after the new garage is open. It is expected to be built by 2028.

The old garage is transit’s oldest facility, the report notes.

“The risk of (the existing) north garage becoming unusable due to further deterioration of the facility is likely Winnipeg Transit’s most significant operational risk. (It) was designed for vehicles of another era, and cannot accommodate articulated buses, buses with bike racks, or even the newer buses in Transit’s fleet equipped with roof-mounted air conditioners. It cannot be upgraded to accommodate zero-emission buses,” the report notes.

Crowder said details of the plan to extend the facility’s life, and how much that could cost, should be released in the summer.

The reduced scope of the new garage could also hinder transit service levels, if the city can’t ensure enough space to store larger buses, he said.

“Not having the capacity to store those 60-foot buses… (has the) potential for an impact to ridership in terms of (more) pass-ups and less capacity on the main lines,” said Crowder.

A pass-up occurs when a bus is too full to let on more passengers, leaving riders to wait for the next scheduled bus.

The latest, scaled-back design for the new garage is expected to create a 26,500-square-metre (285,000-square-foot) facility at the intersection of Selkirk Avenue and Oak Point Highway. It will include storage for 207 40-foot buses, six repair and maintenance bays, four service bays, two wash racks, a bus interior cleaning area, an on-site electrical substation and electrical chargers for 24 battery electric buses.

The original plan called for 246 bus storage spaces, 20 maintenance bays and a geothermal heating system — an item that has been removed under the updated plan.

Crowder noted additional elements of the new garage could be deferred, if private bids for the work exceed the city’s budget.

“We may have to further reduce (the scope),” he said.

The report warns the scaled-back design raises the risk transit could run out of bus storage space in eight to 10 years, be forced to defer purchases of 60-foot articulating buses (due to lack of storage space) and face higher operating costs to transport buses back and forth from the Fort Rouge Garage for repairs.

Winnipeg Transit also plans to “repurpose” space at its Fort Rouge garage to maintain and repair 40-foot and 60-foot buses, due to the changes.

A local transit advocate said the reduced scope of the project continues a long-standing tradition of underfunding the transit system.

“The service garage is a great example of how the city and province fail to recognize the value of investing in transit… causing higher costs and reduced service in the future,” said Kyle Owens, president of Functional Transit Winnipeg.

The city risks losing out on the full potential of its new primary transit network, he said.

“My expectation is that the service (level) will (still) go up… but by failing to maximize improvements in service, the improvements in transit use might not be as high as it could have been,” said Owens.

The new primary network is slated to overhaul routes throughout the city, beginning on June 29.

The increased risk of pass-ups could also increase frustration among riders, said Owens.

However, council’s finance chairman said the $200-million new garage should still improve service overall and the city could expand it later, as funding allows.

“I think there’s still future opportunity, maybe even in the not-too-distant future, to complete the project (as planned)… I think this is a responsible way of… building a garage we can afford today,” said Coun. Jeff Browaty (North Kildonan).

The councillor noted the federal Liberal government promised $11.5 million of annual funding last month to support Winnipeg Transit infrastructure, which would last for 10 years, starting in 2026, if that party is re-elected on April 28.

Keeping the existing north garage open should help ensure transit has the storage capacity to maintain expected service levels when the new one opens, reducing the risk that more riders could be passed up at bus stops, Browaty said.

“(Extending use of the old garage) is not the ideal permanent solution. The building is (nearing) end of life, but it does provide indoor, heated bus storage,” he said.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

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History

Updated on Friday, April 11, 2025 8:33 PM CDT: Fixes typo