The completed Southwest Transitway, dubbed the Blue Line, opens Sunday with little of the fanfare or ceremony expected of a $467-million project. Instead, the 11-kilometre route from downtown to the University of Manitoba and St. Norbert will open as transit ridership has plummeted in the face of the COVID-19 health emergency. Jance Lukes, whose ward is a major benefactor of the new transitway, finds it "incomprehensible" the Blue Line is being put into operation at full high-frequency service at this point. "This is certainly not the circumstances in which I had ever envisioned an opening of the rapid transit line, with COVID-19, and we are seeing significant reductions in transit transit ridership these days," said St. Boniface Coun. (Jaison Empson/CBC)Allard says the Blue Line will open and run under a full schedule for the time being, but that may change.

Source: CBC News April 11, 2020 22:11 UTC