THE Province announced on Friday that it will match dollar-for-dollar the federal government’s 11-year commitment of up to $2.2 billion investment in new projects, including its commitments to new rapid transit projects in Surrey and Vancouver.

Peter Fassbender, Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development and Minister Responsible for TransLink, in a statement added: “With $4.4 billion in senior government funding now committed, the region is poised to make real progress in achieving the transit priorities for the Lower Mainland. British Columbia looks forward to continuing to work with our federal and regional partners on delivering the next phase of these projects.
“As the population of the region continues to grow, the B.C. government recognizes that it is essential that we continue to build an expansive, reliable and convenient multi-modal transit system to help meet the transportation needs of commuters, ensure the fast and efficient movement of people and goods and services, and create liveable communities that are interconnected, sustainable and affordable.
“Today’s announcement is on top of the almost a quarter of a billion dollars ($246 million) that we committed for Phase One projects to improve transportation in the region, including the purchase of new SkyTrain cars, a new SeaBus, upgrades to bus exchanges and SkyTrain stations, and important design and early works on rapid transit projects along the Broadway Corridor and Surrey-Newton-Guildford.
“With this historic level of funding commitments from senior levels of governments for Phase Two, the Province is committed to continuing to work with all of our partners to finalize important details about these new rapid transit and other projects so that we can move forward and get ‘shovels in the ground’ as quickly as possible.”