While preparations for the official launch of the Confederation line are underway, construction is already beginning for the second stage of LRT.
Members of the Finance and Economic Development Committee were given an update to the latest on development for the Trillium line.
Director of the Rail Construction Program at City Hall, Michael Morgan, outlined that construction has begun south of Greenboro.
Morgan also says construction has begun at Walkley for their maintenance and storage facility.
He says new vehicles are will also be built for the Trillium line.
"We're getting 7 new (Stadler FLIRT vehicles). They're roughly 80m in length. They're being fully manufactured and assembled in Switzerland. They'll be taken apart, brought to Canada by boat and then by truck. They'll be re-assembled at the new Walkley facility and then they will undergo final testing at Walkley yard and on the line to demonstrate integration of the system but also get the final Transport Canada approval."
One point that was brought up during the update was by Mayor Jim Watson. Watson says residents maybe shocked to find a number of trees being cut down to make way for the light rail expansion in the west-end. He says he has asked staff to "over-communicate" the issue and that there will be a re-forestation plan.
"When the chainsaws come out, people are going to say I didn't know this was happening." Watson says. "There is a re-forestation plan that will actually provide more trees than what is there now."
He says that staff will be looking into sign designs to let residents know of the plan.
The total cost of the Stage 2 expansion of LRT is approximately $4.66 billion dollars.
