Winnipeg Rapid Transit is a bus rapid transit system of

Winnipeg Transit Winnipeg Transit is the public transit agency, and the bus-service provider, of the City of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Established years ago, it is owned by the city government and currently employs nearly 1,600 people—including approximately 1, ...

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, currently consisting of the BLUE line. The system's only route runs on both dedicated transitway and arterial road in Southern Winnipeg. Future expansions are in the planning stages, consisting of an Eastern Corridor connecting

downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ( ...

Transcona Transcona is a ward and suburb of Winnipeg, Manitoba, located about east of the downtown area. Until 1972, it was a separate municipality, having been incorporated first as the Town of Transcona on 6 April 1912 and then as the City of Transc ...

and a West-North Corridor connecting St. James with Downtown and West Kildonan.

History

The timeline of accomplishing some form of

rapid transit Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT) or heavy rail, commonly referred to as metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport that is generally built in urban areas. A grade separation, grade separated rapid transit line below ground su ...

in the Winnipeg area goes back to the late 1950s, when the Greater Winnipeg Transit Commission hired an urban planner from

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

to design a subway for Winnipeg. ''The Future Development of the Greater Winnipeg Transit System'' recommended 3 semi-circular lines intersecting at various points in the metro area. Combined, these three rapid transit lines would have cost $449 million. During the 1960s when the ''Greater Winnipeg Development Plan'' was being written, the Metropolitan Corporation of Greater Winnipeg studied a future transit system for the region. In their report, '' Winnipeg Area Transportation Study: Projections & Recommendations (Vol. 3)'', a 5.4-mile (8.69 km) underground subway system between Polo Park Shopping Centre and Henderson and Hespeler Avenue in Elmwood was recommended. The WATS study did computerized modelling for a bus only transit system, but found it woefully inadequate for a metro population of 781,000 in 1991.

The transit system visualized in this scheme would involve the introduction of 36 different transit routes totalling 622 route miles and requiring a fleet of 1,090 buses. Such an operation would ensure that, on the average, in the peak hours, buses in the metropolitan area would be spaced at 3.38 minute intervals along their routes. This compares with 6.43 minutes under the system in operation in 1962.

In 1972, Mayor of Winnipeg Steve Juba advocated for a suspended

monorail A monorail is a Rail transport, railway in which the track consists of a single rail or beam. Colloquially, the term "monorail" is often used to describe any form of elevated rail or people mover. More accurately, the term refers to the style ...

operating along

Portage Avenue Portage or portaging (Canadian English, CA: ; ) is the practice of carrying water craft or cargo over land, either around an obstacle in a river, or between two bodies of water. A path where items are regularly carried between bodies of water is ...

and later St. Vital. Juba said that it would be cheaper to construct than a subway. Cost estimates were $22 million for the completed project, or $1 million per mile. At the time, the only monorail operating in North America was the Seattle monorail. While Juba was away,

City Council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough counc ...

held a vote on the monorail, which was lost. After the

amalgamation of Winnipeg The amalgamation of Winnipeg, Manitoba (also known as Unicity) was the Municipal corporation, municipal incorporation of the old Winnipeg, City of Winnipeg, eleven surrounding municipality, municipalities, and the Metropolitan Corporation of Grea ...

with its suburbs in 1972 and the creation of

, the newly-created transit department completely changed its view on rapid transit, opting for Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) instead, and changing where it should initially go to between downtown Winnipeg and the

Fort Garry Fort Garry, also known as Upper Fort Garry, was a Hudson's Bay Company trading post located at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers in or near the area now known as The Forks in what is now central Winnipeg, Manitoba. Fort Garr ...

campus of the

University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a public research university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Founded in 1877, it is the first university of Western Canada. Both by total student enrolment and campus area, the University of ...

. Deleuuw Dillon was hired to create a plan for bus rapid transit, now the Southwest Transit Corridor. However, politicians balked at the cost of any form of rapid transit—rail or bus, due to the very high initial construction costs. Dillon Consulting remains involved in planning for Southwest BRT. In 2002, Mayor Glen Murray pushed for BRT as the mode choice for the Southwest Transit Corridor using

guided bus Guided buses are buses capable of being steered by external means, usually on a Bus lane, dedicated track or roll way that excludes other traffic, permitting the maintenance of Public transport timetable, schedules even during rush hours. Unl ...

technology like that in the

Essen, Germany Essen () is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and Dortmund, as well as ...

. He made a deal with Premier

Gary Doer Gary Albert Doer (born 31 March 1948) is a former Canadians, Canadian politician and diplomat from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. He served as Canada's List of Canadian ambassadors to the United States, ambassador to the United States from 19 Octo ...

that would see the construction of the Kenaston Underpass, the construction of the Manitoba Hydro headquarters downtown, and the construction of Phase I of the Corridor. All projects except the BRT were funded and constructed. Murray quit his job as Mayor to run for a seat in the 2004 Federal election, which he lost. The next Mayor,

Sam Katz Samuel Michael Katz (born August 20, 1951) is a Canadian businessman and former politician who was the 42nd mayor of Winnipeg, Manitoba from 2004 to 2014. He is the owner of the Winnipeg Goldeyes of the American Association, as well as the ...

, promised to cancel a $43-million federal grant for the Southwest Transit Corridor and use that for improving recreation centres. At the same day of the 29 September 2004 vote on rapid transit, 25-year (1979–2004) veteran Transit Director Rick Borland quit the position and retired over the issue when one of Katz's advisors, Bryan Gray, criticized a report by Winnipeg Transit used to request funding for the busway. In November 2004, Katz visited Ottawa and rode the

O-Train The O-Train is a light rail system in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, operated by OC Transpo. The O-Train system consists of three lines, all of which are fully Grade separation, grade-separated. As of March 2025, one line is currently being extended an ...

(now Line 2). Katz commented "And it's new, it's innovative -- it's the 21st century. There's no reason in my mind that we shouldn't explore this." Instead, Katz formed an ''

ad hoc ''Ad hoc'' is a List of Latin phrases, Latin phrase meaning literally for this. In English language, English, it typically signifies a solution designed for a specific purpose, problem, or task rather than a Generalization, generalized solution ...

'' group, chaired by Councillor Wyatt (Transcona), in the same ward that

New Flyer New Flyer is a Canadian multinational Bus manufacturing, bus manufacturer, specializing in the production of transit buses. New Flyer is owned by the NFI Group, a holding company for several bus manufacturers. New Flyer has several manufacturing ...

has its manufacturing plant, to complete a study on the viability of LRT for Winnipeg, though Katz could not accomplish an LRT for Winnipeg. The ''Rapid Transit Task Force'' report was released in 2005. Columnist Tom Brodbeck wrote in a September 2004 ''

Winnipeg Sun The ''Winnipeg Sun'' is a daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It is owned by The Klein Group circa 2024.Following its acquisition of Sun Media, opinion plus an emphasis on local news stories, and ex ...

'' article that there had been no cost-benefit analysis of the BRT project. As a compromise, Katz allowed Phase I of BRT that "could be converted to LRT at a later date." Papers were signed in September 2008, with construction beginning during the Summer of 2009. On April 8, 2012, Phase 1 of the Southwest Transitway opened. On April 12, 2020, Phase 2 of the Southwest Transitway opened.

Southwest Transitway

The Southwest Transitway is a dedicated bus rapid transit roadway in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, which commenced operation in April 2012. The first section was built parallel to the railway tracks running southwest from

Queen Elizabeth Way The Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) is a 400-series highways, 400-series highway in the Canadian province of Ontario linking Toronto with the Niagara Peninsula and Buffalo, New York. The highway begins at the Canada–United States border on the Pea ...

at The Forks to

Pembina Highway Route 42 is a major arterial road located in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It connects the suburbs of North Kildonan, East Kildonan, Fort Rouge, Fort Garry, and St. Norbert with the city's downtown core. In the north, it is a continuation of Manito ...

at Jubilee Avenue. An extension from Jubilee Avenue to Markham Road and the

was then built, which opened on April 12, 2020. Bus rapid transit services through the

downtown Winnipeg Downtown Winnipeg is an area of Winnipeg located near the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. It is the oldest urban area in Winnipeg, and is home to the city's commercial core, city hall, the ...

area use the Graham Avenue Transit Mall and other

bus priority Bus priority or transit signal priority (TSP) is a name for various techniques to improve service and reduce delay for mass transit vehicles at intersections (or junctions) controlled by traffic signals. TSP techniques are most commonly associa ...

routes.

Phase 1

Phase 1 of the Southwest Transitway commenced operation on 8 April 2012. The first section runs parallel to the railway tracks in a southwest direction from

(near The Forks) to

at Jubilee Avenue. Bus rapid transit services through the

area used the Graham Avenue Transit Mall and other

routes. Jubilee Station was the last one to be constructed and was completed on June 21, 2015.

was set to vote on approval of the station's construction in late 2012. It had a construction budget of C$3.9 million, with costs shared between the City (43%) and developer Gem Equities (57%). Due to cost overruns, Jubilee Station's actual cost was C$8.8 million after construction. The City owed more than C$1.3 million back to Gem to equalize the shared costs. Funding was approved for the planned extension of the transitway south from the Jubilee interchange to Bison Drive and the

. A funding announcement was made in February 2015, construction began in late 2016, project completion in Fall of 2019. Driver testing commenced in the Fall of 2019, with plans to begin service on 8 April 2020. Winnipeg Transit tried to mitigate pigeon droppings at Osborne Station, but in 2018 it was still a problem at that location. Winnipeg Transit sought advice from

Orkin Canada Orkin is an American pest control company that was founded in 1901 by Otto Orkin. Since 1964, the company has been owned by Rollins Inc. Orkin has held research collaborations with universities around the country and with organizations like t ...

who recommended using OvoControl P in nearby bird feeders to control the pigeon population.

Phase 2

Phase 2 of the Southwest Transitway commenced operation on 12 April 2020. Phase 2 of the project saw the Southwest Transitway extended from the Jubilee Overpass, through the Parker Lands and the Manitoba Hydro right of way before joining the CN Lettelier line north of Abinojii Mikanah. The Transitway then goes through Waverley Heights to Markham Road, where BLUE buses continue to the

or to St. Norbert In March 2019, Winnipeg Transit introduced a new route structure, which begun at the opening of Phase 2 (12 April 2020). Previously, the Southwest Transitway operated as an "Open Busway" design. The new "Spine & Feeder" routing is similar in functionality to rail-transit lines. Switching to "Spine & Feeder" meant that Winnipeg Transit has significantly changed its ideology since 1973, when it began promoting BRT, as the "Open Busway" ensured a "one-seat ride" and Parker Station (now Beaumont Station) was put on hold, pending legal settlements. It will be part of a future single-family and multi-family neighbourhood, Fulton Grove, situated within the Parker lands planning area. The station will be located between the existing Jubilee and Beaumont stations. Financing Phase 2's estimated $590-million cost will be split three ways: $225m provincially, $140m federally, and $225m municipally. Of the City's share, $19.7-million will have to be budgeted annually for the project, starting in 2020. In order to raise the revenue to pay the costs, one or a combination of "cash-to-capital funding, a property tax increase, ra transit fare increase" would be needed, according to the Dillon report of 2014.

Stations

Routes

Eastern Transitway

The eastern corridor is a planned bus rapid transit line from

Alignment Options

St. Boniface Option — the line would cross the Red River near Blue Cross Park and go through North St. Boniface and Whittier Park, crossing Archibald Street and going through the Mission Industrial Park terminating near Kildonan Place Shopping Centre. Point Douglas Option — the line would see improvements to Higgins Avenue and a transit only bridge crossing the Red River, going through the Mission Industrial Park terminating near Kildonan Place. Further public consultations on routing options will take place in October 2019, as no firm decisions have been made. However, since then further planning and decision-making on the Eastern Corridor has been put on hold, commensurate with the release of the Final Draft of the Transit Master Plan, expected Winter 2020.

North-West Transitway

The north-west corridor is a proposed bus rapid transit line that would use either the median or curb lanes along Portage Avenue from

Polo Park Polo Park (corporately styled as CF Polo Park) is a shopping centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It is situated on the former Polo Park Racetrack near the junction of Portage Avenue and St. James Street. Its grounds also includes a Scotiaba ...

to downtown, continuing on Main Street all the way to Inkster Boulevard in West Kildonan. The airport link is a proposed bus rapid transit link connecting

Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport (commonly known as Winnipeg International Airport or Winnipeg Airport) is an international airport located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It is the seventh busiest airport in Canada ...

to the North-West Corridor.

Other related works

The City of Winnipeg used the Phase 2 project as an opportunity to rebuild and expand the Jubilee Underpass, which has a history of flooding during heavy rainfalls in the Summer. Storm drains are being upgraded to prevent flooding. The CN Portage Junction Overpass, constructed in 1948 was replaced by a modern structure in 2018.

References

{{reflist

External links

Winnipeg Rapid Transit
(a
20162018

Stage 2 – Southwest Rapid Transit Corridor Project P3 Business Case SummaryPlenary Roads Winnipeg
Winnipeg Transit Bus rapid transit in Canada Busways 2012 establishments in Manitoba
Southwest Transitwayarchived version