News Archives 2005
December 2005
November 2005
- MetroLink wins Gemstone Award!
On Tuesday, November 2nd 2005, Metro Transit and HRM's Corporate Communications accepted a CPRS (Canadian Public Relations Society - Nova Scotia Chapter) Gemstone award for the Marketing and Communications plan for the launch of MetroLink!
The Amethyst Award for best program honours the best in comprehensive public relations programs. The award recognizes the challenge in delivering strategic and successful programs and rewards excellence in technique and tactics of program delivery.
As dictated by the CPRS website, "the amethyst award is given in recognition of excellence in marketing communications. The award cognizes communications campaigns that exceed industry standards. A strong marketing communications program identifies an opportunity for integrated communications, focuses on measurable marketing objectives, uses creative and cost-effectiveness tactics and is measurable and accountable."
For more information on CPRS and the Gemstone awards, visit www.cprsns.com.
August 2005
- MetroLink Limited Stop Service Launched as part of Urban Transportation Showcase Program
Officials and transit users gathered on Monday, August 22 2005 for the Launch and Inaugural Run of Phase I of Halifax Regional Municipality’s new limited stop, direct MetroLink service from the Portland Hills Terminal in Dartmouth to the downtown core. The service introduction marks the culmination of two years of planning after HRM was awarded funding through Transport Canada’s Urban Transportation Showcase Program, in partnership with the Province of Nova Scotia. It is designed to attract new riders to public transit and ultimately help reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
The Urban Transportation Showcase Program is a five year program created to demonstrate, evaluate and promote effective strategies to reduce GHG emissions from urban transportation. Through this program, Transport Canada is contributing $4.1 M towards the establishment of the MetroLink service.
"Transport Canada is committed to working in partnership with provinces and municipalities to demonstrate and evaluate a range of sustainable urban transportation strategies", said federal Transport Minister Jean-C Lapierre. Innovative projects such as MetroLink are giving Canadians convenient sustainable transportation options and helping us achieve our goal of reducing GHG emissions."
HRM’s Rapid Transit Showcase is a $13.3 million project which entails the establishment of two MetroLink corridors using Transit Signal Priority and limited station stops to create competitive trip times. The new service will utilize 20 new buses in two service corridors. Other features of the new MetroLink service include passenger comfort amenities on the buses such as air conditioning, highway-coach style, padded seating; bike racks and large Park & Ride Lots at the terminals, connected with Bikeways, to encourage use of alternative transportation.
The Province of Nova Scotia is a Showcase partner along with HRM and Transport Canada in the MetroLink program. The NS Department of Transportation and Public Works contributed $785,000, while the N.S. Department of Energy provided $80,000 for the Showcase. "This is a project that will go a long way towards encouraging transportation alternatives for Nova Scotians while creating a healthier and greener province," said Energy Minister Cecil Clarke. "The Province is pleased to support this initiative that will reduce the production of harmful emissions and help conserve fuel energy."
Halifax Regional Municipality has contributed an additional $8.06 million towards the project. TRAX of the Ecology Action Centre, a local organization which promotes the use of alternative modes of transportation is also a public education partner in the project.
At the launch, HRM Mayor Peter Kelly said " It is a very proud day as we introduce this much awaited new form of higher transit service to our region. Improvements to our municipality’s transportation system and ensuring a healthy, sustainable community are two of the key elements identified in HRM’s proposed Regional Plan. We have been able to make some of these improvements to our transit system and our community much more quickly than we anticipated, through the support of Transport Canada and the Province of Nova Scotia in the development of the MetroLink service under the Urban Transportation Showcase Program".
Phase II of the MetroLink service is expected to be introduced in Sackville in the Winter of 2006.
- Transit Priority Signals to be introduced with new MetroLink Service
Final preparations are underway to launch Phase I of Metro Transit’s new direct, limited stop MetroLink service next week from the Portland Hills Terminal on Portland Street. The introduction of the new bus service beginning at 6:00AM on Monday, August 22nd, will mark the culmination of two years of planning after HRM was awarded funding through Transport Canada’s Urban Transportation Showcase, in partnership with the Province of Nova Scotia. It is designed to attract new riders to public transit and ultimately help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Mayor Peter Kelly and other provincial and federal government officials will be in attendance at the Launch.
The new MetroLink service will initially feature two routes operating from Portland Hills Terminal :
#159 Portland Hills Link - offering 15 minute peak service, 30 minute off-peak service, Monday to Friday and 30 minute service all day Saturday, with stops on street at Penhorn Mall, Alderney Gate, the Bridge Terminal and Scotia Square.
#165 Woodside Link - offering 30 minute peak hour service Monday to Friday, connecting with the crossing times of the Woodside Ferry.
The MetroLink service will provide transit priority features through Transit Signal Priority (TSP) and Transit Queue Jump Lanes. Transit Signal Priority is the ability of a bus to extend green signals and shorten red signals in advance of an intersection through the 3M ’s Opticom system. Fifteen traffic signals along the Portland Corridor will be equipped with this system.
Two transit queue jump lanes are being provided at the intersection of Portland Street at Woodlawn Avenue/Baker Drive. This will allow a bus to bypass a queue of vehicles at an intersection and receive a transit-only signal. The transit-only signal is a vertical white bar positioned above the red signal on the traffic signal display. This signal is activated by the presence of a bus in the queue jump lane and is displayed in advance of the green signal for a short period of time. This will provide transit with a priority over other vehicle movements at the intersection but will not significantly impact traffic progression along Portland Street.
Similar transit-only signals have been operated on a trial period at the entrance to the Angus L. Macdonald Bridge on North Street in Halifax and at Mumford Terminal on Mumford Road. Many other large municipalities utilize transit priority signals for public transit.
MetroLink Passes for September go on sale at limited Transit Retail Outlets beginning August 22nd. Cash fare may also be paid on the MetroLink buses and passengers transferring from the conventional transit service with regular passes, U-Pass or transfers pay an additional 50 cents when boarding MetroLink. The premium Fare Structure will be $2.50 for Adults/$1.90 for Seniors & Children. Monthly passes are $75 for an Adult or $68 for a Senior or Child Monthly pass.
Early purchasers of MetroLink passes may ride for 10 days in August for free on their September Pass. For further details, on the new transit service, people may call the HRM Call Centre at 490-4000.
July 2005
If you are a registered user of Access-A-Bus or use a walker, or wheelchair on a regular basis, and are able to travel unassisted to a bus stop and board a bus, we invite you to try our ALF service free of charge and travel on the regular Accessible Low Floor (ALF) routes during the entire month of July 2005!
- Metro Transit Conducts Annual Ferry Passeger Surveys Tuesday July 19th until Thursday, July 21st
July 19th through 21st, Metro Transit will be conducting its annual rider survey to determine customer satisfaction levels and any changing travel patterns or demands, in order to continue providing efficient ferry service and plan for the future.
The surveyor will be inside the Dartmouth and Halifax terminals for the first two days. On the third day he will travel the Woodside Ferry during the morning, and Alderney/Halifax Ferry during the evening.
See below for the Survey Schedule:
Tuesday, July 19 (rain date Tuesday, July 26)
Alderney Ferry Terminal - inside terminal
7:00 am to 9:00 am
10:30am to 2:00 pm
3:30pm to 6:00 pm
Wednesday, July 20 (rain date Wednesday, July 27)
Halifax Ferry Terminal - inside terminal
7:00 am to 9:00 am
10:30 am to 2:00 pm
3:30pm to 6:00 pm
Thursday, July 21 (rain date Thursday, July 28)
Woodside Ferry on board
6:37 am to 10:04 pm
Alderney /Halifax Ferry on board
6:45 pm to 10:45 pm
For more information, please call the HRM Call Centre at 490-4000.
June 2005
May 2005
On May 29th, the new Portland Hills Terminal opened its doors, servicing a number of Metro Transit routes, including the new fully accessible ALF Route #72 Portland Hills.
- Transit reports a number of faulty Riders' Guides
Metro Transit regrets to advise passengers that due to a printing error, a number of new Riders' Guides, dated May 29th 2005, are missing pages 29-52 in the middle of the booklet.
As a result of the many booklets that have already been distributed to our Retail Outlets and throughout the transit system, and the fact that the defective Guides are being found at random in boxes with other booklets which are correct, it makes it very difficult for us to track down all the faulty Riders' Guides. Should you find yourself in possession of one of these schedule booklets, please accept our sincere apologies. You may request a new booklet at your nearest Transit Retail Outlet.
Arrangements have been made with our printer to reproduce a large quantity of the May Riders' Guides and re-stock our Transit Retail Outlets.
New Route, new terminal and MAJOR schedule adjustments. Click here to learn more!
April 2005
On Tuesday, April 12, 2005 Mayor Peter Kelly and Members of Regional Council got their first look at one of the vehicles to be used for HRM's new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service, scheduled to be launched in the Fall of 2005. Built by New Flyer Industries of Winnipeg, the new 40 foot, low-floor bus features special amenities such as air conditioning, high-backed upholstered seats and bike racks, as well as a unique name and paint scheme, meant to distinguish it from Metro Transit's existing, regular route service.
January 2005
Metro Transit announced on Friday, January 14 2005 that HRM will receive 50% funding from Transport Canada for a $500,000 Automated Vehicle Location (AVL) pilot installation project for the BRT.
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