GO-ALRT

Last updated
GO-ALRT
Overview
StatusCancelled
Owner GO Transit
Locale Greater Toronto, Ontario
Termini
  • Hamilton
  • Oshawa
Stations25+
Service
Type Rapid transit
System GO Transit
Services2
Operator(s)GO Transit
Rolling stockmodified ICTS-series (articulated)
Daily ridership25,000 (avg. weekday) [1]
Technical
Line length200 km (120 mi) (approximate) [2]
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in)
Electrification Overhead catenary
Operating speed120 km/h (75 mph)

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 that was 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, a number 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]

Contents

Fleet

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]

Cars

Inter Regional Rapid Transit Vehicle Mark 1
Manufacturer Urban Transportation Development Corporation
Constructed1980s
Number builtNone
Formation2 car trains (1 set permanently mated articulated pair)
Capacity124 or 147 seated, 42+ standing
Operators GO Transit
Lines servedALRT
Specifications
Car body constructionAluminum
Car length36.0 m (118 ft 1 in) or 47.5 m (155 ft 10 in)
Width2.8 m (9 ft 2 in)
Height3.9 m (12 ft 10 in)
Doors8 or 12 per married unit
Maximum speedDesign: 120 km/h (75 mph),
Service: 70 km/h (43 mph)
Weight57,050 kg (125,770 lb)
Acceleration 1.3 m/s2 (4.3 ft/s2)
Electric system(s) Overhead catenary
Current collector(s) Pantograph
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge

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 ]

Stations

List of the planned stations on the ALRT routes (stations listed west to east):

Cancellation

The GO-ALRT program died at the hands of the Peterson government in 1985, but other factors were considered:

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.

ICTS technology was later acquired by Bombardier Transportation when it bought UTDC in 1992 and is now utilized in the Bombardier Advanced Rapid Transit platform. The transit vehicle technology is now referred to as the Bombardier Innovia Metro 300, as part of a transit vehicle technology lineup of the Bombardier Innovia product line. [7]

Reflection

The GO ALRT project was viewed 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]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Line 3 Scarborough</span> Defunct light rapid transit line in Toronto, Canada

Line 3 Scarborough, originally known as Scarborough RT (SRT), was a light rapid transit line that was part of the Toronto subway system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The line ran entirely within the eastern district of Scarborough, encompassing six stations and 6.4 kilometres (4.0 mi) of mostly elevated track. It connected with Line 2 Bloor–Danforth at its southwestern terminus, Kennedy, and terminated in the northeast at McCowan. Until its closure in July 2023, the system had a ridership of 3,908,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GO Transit</span> Ontario regional public transit system

GO Transit is a regional public transit system serving the Greater Golden Horseshoe region of Ontario, Canada. With its hub at Union Station in Toronto, GO Transit's green-and-white trains and buses serve a population of more than seven million across an area over 11,000 square kilometres (4,200 sq mi) stretching from Kitchener in the west to Peterborough in the east, and from Barrie in the north to Niagara Falls in the south. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 56,036,900. GO Transit operates diesel-powered double-decker trains and coach buses, on routes that connect with all local and some long-distance inter-city transit services in its service area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Innovia Metro</span> Automated rapid transit system

Innovia Metro is an automated rapid transit system manufactured by Alstom. Innovia Metro systems run on conventional metal rails and pull power from a third rail but are powered by a linear induction motor that provides traction by using magnetic force to pull on a "fourth rail" placed between the running rails. However, newer versions of the technology are available with standard electric rotary propulsion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toronto subway</span> Rapid transit system in Ontario, Canada

The Toronto subway is a rapid transit system serving Toronto and the neighbouring city of Vaughan in Ontario, Canada, operated by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). As of September 2023, the subway system is a rail network consisting of three heavy-capacity rail lines operating predominantly underground. As of December 2022, three new lines are under construction: two light rail lines and one light metro line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lakeshore East line</span> Railway line in Ontario, Canada

Lakeshore East is one of the seven commuter rail lines of GO Transit in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada. It extends from Union Station in Toronto to Oshawa GO in Durham Region. Buses from Oshawa connect to communities further east in Newcastle, Bowmanville and Peterborough.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Urban Transportation Development Corporation</span> Canadian rolling stock and rail transport manufacturer

The Urban Transportation Development Corporation Ltd. (UTDC) was a Crown corporation owned by the Government of Ontario, Canada. It was established in the 1970s as a way to enter what was then expected to be a burgeoning market in advanced light rail mass transit systems. It developed significant expertise in linear propulsion, steerable trucks and driverless system controls which were integrated into a transit system known as the Intermediate Capacity Transit System (ICTS). It was designed to provide service at rider levels between a traditional subway on the upper end and buses and streetcars on the lower, filling a niche aimed at suburbs that were otherwise expensive to service.

Bombardier Transportation was a Canadian-German rolling stock and rail transport manufacturer, with headquarters in Berlin, Germany. It was one of the world's largest companies in the rail vehicle and equipment manufacturing and servicing industry. Bombardier Transportation had many regional offices, production and development facilities worldwide. It produced a wide range of products including passenger rail vehicles, locomotives, bogies, propulsion and controls. In February 2020, the company had 36,000 employees, and 63 manufacturing and engineering locations around the world. Formerly a division of Bombardier Inc., the company was acquired by French manufacturer Alstom on 29 January 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">H series (Toronto subway)</span> Toronto subway rapid transit rolling stock

The H series was the third series of rapid transit rolling stock used in the subway system of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They were built in six production sets, named H-1 to H-6, from 1965 to 1990 in Thunder Bay, Ontario, for the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metrolinx</span> Transportation agency in Ontario, Canada

Metrolinx is a Crown agency of the Government of Ontario that manages and integrates road and public transport in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA), which comprises much of Ontario's Golden Horseshoe region. Headquartered at Union Station in Toronto, the agency was created as the Greater Toronto Transportation Authority on June 22, 2006. The agency adopted its present name as a brand name in 2007 and eventually as the legal name in 2009.

GO Transit is an interregional public transit system in Southern Ontario, Canada, operated by the provincial crown agency Metrolinx. It primarily serves the conurbation referred to by Metrolinx as the "Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area" (GTHA) with operations extending to several communities in the area centred around Toronto and Hamilton.

Krauss-Maffei's Transurban was a 12-passenger automated guideway transit (AGT) mass transit system based on a maglev guideway. Development started in 1970 as one of the many AGT and PRT projects that followed in the wake of the HUD reports of 1968. Its selection as the basis of the GO-Urban system in Toronto in 1973 made it well known in the industry; it would have been the basis of the first large-area AGT mass transit network in the world. Technical problems cropped up during the construction of the test track, and the sudden removal of funding by the West German government led to the project's cancellation in late 1974. The Ontario government completed development and installation of a non-maglev version, today known as the Bombardier Advanced Rapid Transit.

GO-Urban was a planned mass transit project for Greater Toronto to be operated by GO Transit. The system envisioned the use of automated guideway transit vehicles set up in hydro corridors and other unused parcels of land to provide rapid transit services without the expense of constructing tunnels. GO-Urban would serve high-density areas in the downtown core, but also be able to accelerate to high speed between distant stations in the outskirts of the city. Similar deployments were planned for Hamilton and Ottawa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toronto streetcar system rolling stock</span>

In 1921, the Toronto Transportation Commission (TTC) was created to integrate and operate the Toronto streetcar system. It inherited the infrastructure of two separate streetcar operators: the Toronto Railway Company (TRC) and Toronto Civic Railways (TCR). The TTC immediately embarked on a program to connect the TRC and TCR lines into one network. The TTC had to rebuild most of the track to provide a wider devilstrip so that the wider Peter Witt streetcars it was ordering could pass without sideswiping. Between 1938 and 1945, it placed five orders for air-electric PCC streetcars to replace the old, wooden streetcars of the TRC, and to address rising ridership. Between 1947 and 1951, the TTC placed three orders for all-electric PCC cars, with one order equipped with couplers for multiple-unit operation. Between 1950 and 1957, the TTC purchased PCCs from four American cities. By 1957, the TTC had more PCCs than any other city in North America. After the opening of the Bloor–Danforth subway in 1966, the TTC considered terminating all streetcar service in Toronto. However, in 1972, a citizens group led by Jane Jacobs and Steve Munro called "Streetcars for Toronto" persuaded the City to retain streetcar operation. This led to the development of the Canadian Light Rail Vehicle (CLRV) and its longer, articulated cousin, the Articulated Light Rail Vehicle (ALRV), to replace the aging PCC fleet. The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA) mandated that the next generation of streetcars be wheelchair-accessible. Thus, to replace the CLRVs and ALRVs, Bombardier adapted its low-floor Flexity Outlook model for the TTC to navigate the Toronto streetcar system's tight curves and single-point switches, characteristics set in 1921 to accommodate Peter Witt streetcars, as well as for the broad gauge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hurontario LRT</span> Light rail line under construction in Mississauga and Brampton, Ontario, Canada

The Hurontario LRT is a light rail line under construction in the cities of Mississauga and Brampton, Ontario, Canada. The line will run along Hurontario Street from Mississauga's Port Credit neighbourhood north to Steeles Avenue in Brampton. The line will be built and operated as a public-private partnership by Mobilinx, a consortium of private European and Japanese companies, with provincial transit agency Metrolinx retaining ownership of the line. It will be the only street railway operating in the Greater Toronto Area outside Toronto proper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hamilton LRT</span> Light rail line in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

The Hamilton LRT is a planned light rail line in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, to operate along Main Street, King Street, and Queenston Road. It is one of five planned rapid transit lines which form Hamilton's proposed BLAST network. The 14 km (8.7 mi), 17-stop route is planned to extend from McMaster University to Eastgate Square via downtown Hamilton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flexity Freedom</span> Light rail passenger vehicle

The Flexity Freedom is a low-floor, articulated light rail vehicle developed by Bombardier Transportation for the North American market. It is marketed as part of the Bombardier Flexity family which includes other models of trams (streetcars) and light metro vehicles. They are produced in facilities in Thunder Bay and Kingston, Ontario, which once produced rolling stock under the names of Canada Car and Foundry (CC&F) and Urban Transportation Development Corporation (UTDC), respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GO Expansion</span> Canadian rail expansion project

GO Expansion, previously known as GO Regional Express Rail (RER), is a project to improve GO Transit train service by adding all-day, two-way service to the inner portions of the Barrie line, Kitchener line and the Stouffville line, and by increasing frequency of train service on various lines to every 15 minutes or better on five of the corridors. This would be achieved with the electrification of at least part of the Lakeshore East line, Lakeshore West line, Barrie line, Kitchener line and Stouffville line. GO Expansion is one of the Big Move rapid transit projects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GO Transit rail services</span> Services provided by GO Transit

GO Transit rail services are provided throughout the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) and the Greater Golden Horseshoe. The GO Transit rail fleet consists of 90 MPI MP40 locomotives and 979 Bombardier BiLevel Coaches. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 40,807,100 passengers per year. GO Transit started on May 23, 1967, running single-deck trains powered by diesel locomotives in push-pull configuration on a single rail line along Lake Ontario's shoreline. When GO trains began operation, they ran on tracks mostly owned the two major freight railways of Canada: Canadian National (CN) and CPKC. Over time, GO Transit have acquired tracks, ensuring GO Transit has control over track maintenance and expansion. Metrolinx currently owns 80% of the GO's rail corridors.

The Whitby Rail Maintenance Facility is a GO Transit rolling stock maintenance facility in Whitby, Ontario, Canada. The depot lies between Victoria Street East and GO Transit's Lakeshore East line just east of South Blair Street. It is a secondary depot, the primary depot being the Willowbrook Rail Maintenance Facility along GO Transit's Lakeshore West line.

References

  1. "Subway Ridership, 2008-2009", TTC
  2. 1 2 ""GO-ALRT Electrification System Study"" (PDF). GO Transit. 29 July 1983.
  3. "Lakeshore East GO Expansion". www.metrolinx.com. Retrieved 2024-04-07.
  4. "BOMBARDIER on LinkedIn: Throwback Thursday: Celebrating 25 years since Bombardier's acquisition of…". www.linkedin.com. Retrieved 2024-04-07.
  5. Steve Munro (2007-05-24). "Forty Years of GO Transit". Archived from the original on 2015-03-03. Retrieved 2015-03-02.
  6. Peter Drost, "The GO-ALRT Program", Transit Toronto, 10 November 2006
  7. "Bombardier Celebrates 20 Years of Making World-Class Planes and Trains in Ontario". May 29, 2012.
  8. "New GO Expansion agreement with ONxpress Transportation Partners ushers in exciting future of faster, greener, more frequent GO train service". Metrolinx. Retrieved 1 May 2022.