Construction to begin soon on new bus maintenance facility

Construction will soon begin on the new Transit Fleet Maintenance Facility in Regina.

The 60,000 square foot facility will be located on Winnipeg Street next to the existing Transit Operations Centre. It will be a vast improvement from the smaller, aging building near Albert Street and Sixth Avenue.

“It’s going to replace a 70-year-old building downtown that was meant to repair streetcars,” said Mayor Michael Fougere at Tuesday’s official sod-turning,

The mayor called the old building, where the initial announcement was made, a “bus barn”. The new facility will improve efficiency in maintenance and repairs, while saving more than 3,000 hours a year that is now spent moving the buses back and forth between the two buildings.

“Those who are staffed to do the work will have a better facility to do the work in, if you will.” said Fougere. “Better technology, more room to work and more room to move the buses around.”

Digital renderings of the new Transit Fleet Maintenance Facility on Winnipeg Street. (City of Regina)

The new facility will include in-ground hoists, more tire storage space and double the number of service bays. It will not only allow for the current 40-foot buses but also 60-foot articulating buses, which have yet to be used on Regina’s streets.

“The existing facility would not accommodate a 60-foot articulating bus so it simply wasn’t something we could service. This facility will allow the transit service to make those decisions in the future,” said Jill Hargrove, director of facility management services.

The $30.1million project is funded by the city, province and federal government. It is split three ways with the governments of Canada and Saskatchewan contributing $9.7M and the City of Regina spending a little more at approximately $10.7M. Once the new facility is completed in 2020, the old one on Albert Street will be repurposed for city roadway vehicle and equipment storage.