The Yukon Party's train keeps-a-rollin' with more prebudget announcements, including $480,000 for the waterfront trolley and Roundhouse.

Highways and Public Works Minister Glenn Hart announced this morning the government will put $425,000 in the upcoming budget to extend the waterfront trolley to the Chilkoot Centre mall, which includes Wal-Mart.

He also pledged an extra $30,000 for continuing maintenance of the track.

On top of Hart's $455,000 for the trolley, Tourism and Culture Minister Elaine Taylor ponied up $25,000 to develop a plan for the Roundhouse building, now located at the foot of Wood Street.

Besides being used for a permanent home for the waterfront trolley, a government press release also indicates it will be used to show visitors the importance of transportation on the waterfront in the history of both the capital and the territory.

The 'interpretive plan' will be developed by the government, the Miles Canyon Historic Railway Society, the MacBride Museum and the City of Whitehorse.

The Roundhouse was built in 1953 to service White Pass and Yukon Route locomotives, which were replacing steam engines.

To extend the line, the government will lay 1,500 metres of track down along the waterfront to the traffic lights on Quartz Road at the south exit of the Chilkoot Centre.

Hart promised the new line will be added by August. The cost for a new platform at the end of the line is also in the $425,000.

'The trolley has become a popular and important historic attraction,' Hart said in the release. 'By extending the line, we will be able to showcase the area along the Yukon River as it evolves as well as improving this vintage transportation system.'

According to a government document, 25 per cent more people rode on the trolley last summer than had in 2002, bringing the total up to 11,455.

The minister hopes the extension will make that total grow. However, the line will not be finished until the end of the tourist season.

Today's announcement partly fulfils a promise made by the Yukon Party during the 2002 election campaign. The party platform promised 'to preserve the Roundhouse and expand the trolley and trail service from the Wal-Mart site to Schwatka Lake.'

The $480,000 is part of the goodies in tomorrow's 2004-05 budget which Premier and Finance Minister Dennis Fentie has already given Yukoners a good look at through a series of announcements.

While last week was bereft of any budget spending announcements, Fentie and his ministers picked up from two weeks ago, when there was a number of declarations of extra money made.

Earlier this week, Hart announced money for firefighting. Included in that money was:

• $500,000 for building a new fire hall in Mendenhall, west of Whitehorse;

• $50,000 to plan a new fire hall for Golden Horn;

• $80,000 to plan a building in Beaver Creek which will house wildfire fighting, a volunteer fire department, search and rescue and an ambulance;

• $225,000 to buy a new pumper truck for volunteer fire departments' fleet;

• $1.5 million for FireSmart;

• $28,000 to boost the honouraria for volunteer fire chiefs from $100 per month to $200 per month and hourly rate for volunteer fighters from $10 and $15 an hour to $20.

Earlier this week, Taylor announced an extra $1.3 million for marketing the Yukon's tourism industry.

On top of that, Health and Social Services Minister Peter Jenkins announced Tuesday the government will spend $1.2 million in the upcoming budget to plan and design new health care facilities for Watson Lake and Dawson City.

Jenkins said the buildings will combine the existing nursing stations with nursing homes so the elderly in these communities do not have to move to Whitehorse.

Jenkins said these facilities will likely cost $5 million when they're built.

The homes would be for those who need limited assistance. Elderly who would require 24-hour care would still have to go to Copper Ridge Place in Whitehorse.

The government is also spending $100,000 to look at building similar facilities in Teslin and Haines Junction.