GO ALRT (Government of Ontario Advanced Light Rail Transit)[2] was a rapid transit system proposed by GO Transit in 1982. The ALRT system would have been implemented along two new lines in the Greater Toronto Area. It would have utilized a new electric train to provide interurban service, then referred to as "inter-regional rapid transit", along the existing and new GO corridors. The system was based on an enlarged UTDC ICTS vehicle designed to offer a compromise between passenger capacity and the level of infrastructure needed. The project was cancelled due to budget cuts by the Tory government in 1985. However, several of the proposed lines were later implemented using conventional heavy rail systems, including the eastern portion of the Lakeshore East GO train service route from Pickering station to Whitby station in the Durham region.[3]
A number of vehicle design concepts were considered during the GO ALRT Project, with an initial design similar to the Mark 1 ICTS vehicle and later modifications making the vehicle larger and longer. Such a vehicle would have been designed and built by UTDC, although the crown corporation was sold off to Lavalin Inc. in 1986 and became known as UTDC Inc., before being sold to Bombardier in 1992.[4]
The proposed line would have used a modified version of the Urban Transportation Development Corporation's ICTS car, which would undergo about two additional railcar vehicle redesigns throughout the program's iteration. This proposed ALRT car was a two-car articulated vehicle, as opposed to individual cars with articulated bogies. The original vehicle design consisted of a unit of three married articulated ICTS cars forming a single train. The dimensions of the cars increased as time progressed, mainly in length, until they reached the same length as a regular passenger rail coach. Also, the GO-ALRT cars were to have used an overhead catenary for power pickup instead of a direct current third rail, and conventional traction motors were to have been used instead of a linear induction motor. The decision to launch the program was made after a study was published examining several options, including the use of electric multiple units, standard diesel trains, electric trains, and ALRT.[citation needed]
Design 1: 124 passengers - 36.0 m articulated car set[citation needed]
Design 2: 147 passengers - 45.6 m articulated car set[citation needed]
Stations
List of the planned stations on the ALRT routes (stations listed west to east):
Since the cancellation, there have been no similar plans for GO in Toronto. GO Transit operates a bus service along Highway 401 that parallels the northern ALRT route. Modern GO Transit Lakeshore services continue to serve the western and eastern routes.
The GO ALRT project was viewed by some as redundant since there had been interurbans, referred to as radial cars in Canada, provided earlier in the 20th century. More recently, there has been emphasis on attempting to revitalize and reconceptualize the suburbs as having urban infill development, similar to the storefronts with apartments on top as seen in downtown Toronto thoroughfares, with light rail transit similar to European low-floor tramways providing a transportation linkage for such a newer concept of built space. In theory, providing a long-distance high-speed rail rapid transit connection would be similar to the Bay Area Rapid Transit or the Hong Kong MTR, although as of late there is little discussion of linking the suburbs with a rapid transit system[citation needed].
The spiritual successor to GO-ALRT is the GO Transit Regional Express Rail project. The project is expected to electrify and increase frequencies on existing GO train lines to every 3–8 minutes during peak times and every 6–15 minutes off-peak on five of the corridors. The project, once complete, will be similar to other European regional rail networks, such as the Réseau Express Régional in Paris. Operating at metro-like frequencies throughout the Greater Toronto Area.[8]
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