The province’s transit agency is scaling back plans for a major transit line linking Brampton and Mississauga in order to cut costs.

In a statement released Thursday morning, Phil Verster, the chief executive officer of Metrolinx, announced changes to the Hurontario LRT that he said were intended “to offer riders a more convenient route and alleviate potential budget pressures.”

The changes include removing the proposed loop around Mississauga city centre, and eliminating three stops. That would shorten the LRT by about two kilometres and leave it with 19 stops.

A proposed pedestrian bridge at the Cooksville stop will be deferred in the hopes a private developer will pick up the cost in the future, Verster said, and streetscaping along the LRT route will also be scaled back.

The LRT, which under the new plan would be about 18 kilometres long, is still intended to run between Port Credit GO station and the Brampton Gateway Terminal. A Metrolinx spokesperson said the line’s planned completion date of 2022 remains unchanged.

According to Verster, the revisions were “recommended by Metrolinx” and “approved by the government of Ontario.”

The release didn’t say how much money the changes would save.

Metrolinx spokesperson Amanda Ferguson said the $1.4-billion budget for the LRT hasn’t changed, but revisions were necessary because “independent cost estimates have shown potential budget pressures for the project based on the current scope.”

Ferguson said transit users shouldn’t expect similar reductions to LRT lines Metrolinx is building in Toronto.

“Unlike the Hurontario LRT, which is still in procurement, both the Eglinton Crosstown and Finch LRT projects are fully procured and contracts are signed so therefore no changes are planned,” she said.

In an emailed statement, Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie said the city was “pleased that the Ontario government remains committed to this important project, including the promise to cover 100 per cent of the costs needed to build the LRT.”

However, she described the downtown loop that Metrolinx is removing from the plan as “a key component” of the line that “will help us realize the full potential of downtown Mississauga.”

“While today’s announcement defers (the loop’s) completion, we will continue to work to see it built in the future,” she said.

Jessica Bell, the transit critic for the opposition Ontario NDP, blamed the reduction to the scope of the LRT on the Progressive Conservative government, and urged Premier Doug Ford to reverse it.

“This callous cut to the Hurontario LRT comes as a devastating blow to Mississauga residents who were counting on this vital transit project coming to their city centre,” she said in a statement.

“GTHA residents deserve an affordable world-class public transit system and a government that builds the transit we need.”

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Transportation Minister Jeff Yurek defended the cheaper LRT plan at question period at Queen’s Park Thursday.

“The plan is to reduce costs while still providing a fast, reliable and seamless customer experience,” he said, noting the LRT would still connect to GO Transit stations, the Mississauga Transitway, and the Square One bus terminal.

Ben Spurr is a Toronto-based reporter covering transportation. Reach him by email at bspurr@thestar.ca or follow him on Twitter: @BenSpurr

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