Campbell unveils $14B transit upgrade for B.C.

The B.C. government unveiled a $14-billion transit plan for the province on Monday morning, including several majorimprovements to the Metro Vancouver rapid transit system.

Premier Gordon Campbell and Transportation Minister Kevin Falconunveiledthe 12-year plan in Vancouver. It's intended to improve public transportation infrastructure across the province with the aim of cutting greenhouse gas emissions, said the premier.

A key part of the plan is$10.3 billion in fundingto expandthe Metro Vancouver rapid transit system. That cashwill go toward a newEvergreen Line to the Tri-cities area,a newUBC Line,and upgrades to the Expo Line and the Canada Line.

The plan also includes $1.2 billion for Rapidbus services along seven major routes in Metro Vancouver, and one in Kelowna, and one in Victoria. Rapidbus service would dedicate special lanes to high-frequency, high-capacity buses on busy commuter routes.

The plan also contains $1.6-billionfor1,500 new, clean energy buses that would be used in communities throughout the province. Metro Vancouver would see its total bus fleet double as part of the plan.

The aim of the plan in Vancouver is to increase the percentage of people using public transit on weekdaysby five per cent to 17 per centby 2020. It also aims to increase transit ridership across the province to more than 400 million trips a year.

The plan will reducegreenhouse gas emissions by a cumulative total of 4.7 million tonnesby 2020, said Campbell. That would be the equivalent of parking all the cars and light trucks in Metro Vancouver for a full year by getting British Columbians out of their cars and onto transit, he said.

"As more and more British Columbians live and work near transit, urban form will shift, which will lead to lower energy use, increasing energy efficiency, and a lighter environmental footprint," said Campbell.

During the throne speech in February, the premier promised to put plans in place to cut B.C.'s emissions levels by one-third by 2020.