Liberals say they may pay for Cambridge LRT expansion

The Ontario Liberals say the planned Cambridge LRTexpansion may be eligible for provincialfunding if they are electedin the June 12 provincial election.

• LRT construction bid pegged at $532M
• 2014 election is 'referendum' on LRT, says Cambridge mayor

An $818-million light rail transit line running through Waterloo and Kitchener connecting Conestoga Mall and Fairview Park Mall has been fully funded by municipal, provincial and federal governments and is expected to be in service by 2017.

But a planned extension of that line to Cambridge has not yet been funded.

The Liberals' full election platform, released Sunday, now states that the Cambridge extension will be "eligible" for funding from their previously announced $29-billion transportation fund.

"We will work with municipalities on how to best prioritize transportation and transit investments through the use of rigorous business-case analysis," the document says.

"We will have a fair, evidence-based, inclusive process for deciding which projects will receive funding, and when and how they are built, based on the benefits to communities and to Ontario as a whole."

There were no further details on how the money could be portioned out.