Link transit system phase-in plan presented
The Link bus rapid transit system is slated to begin a gradual phase-in beginning with service improvements starting in January of 2027. A report outlining the construction update and operational phase-in will be presented at the November 10 meeting of the Governance and Priorities Committee of City Council.
“Link is a significant change to how people move around Saskatoon,” says Terry Schmidt, General Manager, Transportation and Construction. “A phased-in approach to a summer 2029 full service gives Saskatoon Transit the time to complete all construction, properly test the system and deliver a more reliable experience for customers from day one.”
The Link corridors will form the core of the Saskatoon Transit bus network. To fully operationalize the benefits of bus rapid transit, a redesign of the local transit network is necessary and a phased-in approach will be necessary
A fully phased-in launch for summer 2029 will allow key infrastructure – including the 1st Avenue transit corridor and transit hubs for the Link routes and local routes to connect for passenger transfers – to be fully complete before the new system begins operating citywide.
Link will include rapid transit service on three lines, supported by approximately 94 transit station platforms, transit signal priority, new passenger shelters and real-time information displays all connected with a fibre-optic network. Dedicated centre-running transit lanes will be activated on portions of College Drive and 1st Avenue.
With a 2029 full launch, additional time would support testing and further refinement of transit signal priority, queue-jump lanes, staff training and the operational transition to the redesigned network. It would also allow the remaining estimated $9.2 million in operating phase-ins to be considered over the 2028 and 2029 budget cycles, rather than primarily in 2028.
The phased-in approach will allow infrastructure already built to be incorporated into the current network to enhance Transit experience as the City moves toward full implementation. Further details are contained in an appendix to the report, but the highlights are:
- Link shelters with on-demand heat, next bus display and CCTV will be installed starting in 2027. As these installations are completed, riders will benefit from more comfortable and improved waiting conditions;
- Transit signal priority and queue jump lanes will be deployed and operationalized as they become available. With design work underway and implementation to start in 2027, riders will begin to see benefits of improved reliability and on time performance;
- The construction of the College Drive corridor, including the centre lane dedicated runningway, has a contract completion date for the fall of 2027. When this corridor is completed, it will provide significantly higher priority for routes that currently travel this route improving reliability and on time performance and reducing the impacts of congestion during peak time on transit services;
- Transit hub construction will begin in 2028 with completion planned for launch in July 2029. As these facilities are completed, they will provide improved infrastructure in the current network for transfers between routes;
- Starting January 2027, transit service improvement packages will be incrementally realized with seasonal changes focused on expanding service in neighbourhoods which do not have full all-day service, and address capacity concerns in established high ridership corridors.
“Having the official launch of Link in the summer of 2029 will allow the City to continue making progress on Link infrastructure and early transit service improvements in 2027 and 2028, while reducing the risks associated with launching a new rapid transit system during major downtown construction,” Schmidt says. “It is exciting that we are moving closer to the implementation of Saskatoon’s first rapid transit system, a requirement for any growing city.”
More information on Link is available at saskatoon.ca/link.