GO Expansion

Last updated

GO Expansion
GO Transit logo.svg
Overview
Owner GO Transit
Locale Greater Golden Horseshoe, Ontario
Service
Type Regional rail, S-train
System GO Transit
Services Lakeshore East line, Lakeshore West line, Kitchener line, Barrie line, Stouffville line, Union Pearson Express
Operator(s)GO Transit
Ridership178 million annually (projected by 2031) [1]
History
Planned opening2025–2032 (2025–2032) [2]
Technical
Line length262 km (163 mi)
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Electrification 25 kV 60 Hz AC from overhead catenary
Operating speedUp to 140 km/h (87 mph) [3]
Signalling ETCS level 2 [4]

GO Expansion, [5] previously known as GO Regional Express Rail (RER), [6] 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. [1] [3] GO Expansion is one of the Big Move rapid transit projects.

Contents

With GO Expansion, GO Transit will increase the number of train trips per week from 1,500 (as of 2015) to about 2,200 by 2020 and expand to 10,500 weekly trips upon completion. [7] Most of the extra trips will be in off-peak hours and on weekends. The expanded services, new infrastructure and electrification is projected to roll out in phases between 2025 and 2030. [1] The 10-year regional express rail plan will cost $13.5 billion [8] and will require 150 kilometres (93 mi) of new track, including new bridges and tunnels. [9]

History

Background

GO Transit has historically offered two-way, all-day service along its Lakeshore East and Lakeshore West lines, while only providing peak rush hour service on its other lines. The Big Move outlined the building of express and regional rail service improvements across the existing GO Transit network. Other improvements included extensions to Hamilton and Bowmanville, as well as new GO Transit corridors to Bolton, Seaton and Locust Hill.

As part of the 2011 Ontario general election, Ontario premier Dalton McGuinty also made a campaign pledge to provide two-way, all-day train service on all corridors. [10] This vision of two-way, full-day train service on all corridors eventually included electrification of the system and was renamed Regional Express Rail. [11]

As part of the Phase 2 announcement, Metrolinx stated that the Kitchener and Lakeshore lines would be electrified, as well as the Union Pearson Express. [12]

With GO Expansion, Metrolinx expects to nearly triple ridership to 175 million riders per year by about 2031 from 65.7 million in 2015. [1]

GO Expansion

On March 31, 2017, the federal government announced it would contribute $1.9 billion of the estimated $13.5 billion cost of GO Expansion. The Kitchener line will receive at least $750 million of the federal funding for infrastructure upgrades including 40 kilometres (25 mi) of new track. The Barrie line, Lakeshore East line, and Lakeshore West line will share the balance of the federal funding for upgrades and 88 kilometres (55 mi) of new track. [13]

On February 23, 2022, Metrolinx announced that the preferred bidder for the contract was ONxpress Transportation Partners, [14] a consortium that includes Aecon, FCC Construcción, Alstom, and Deutsche Bahn, among others. [15] Under its $1.6-billion contract, ONxpress will complete Phase 1 of the GO Expansion project, which includes designing key infrastructure such as signalling systems and upgrades to Hydro One power infrastructure. Phase 1 also includes determining the full scope of the project. The consortium will also start construction for grade separations at rail and road crossings. [2]

The contract was finalized on April 19, 2022; Alstom announced it will be implementing the European Rail Traffic Management System for the signalling on the upgraded network, the first use of that standard in North America. [16] According to Metrolinx, ETCS would allow more trains to be on the line simultaneously, citing the words of University of Birmingham visiting lecturer Tyson Moore, who stated that systems with ETCS were "allowing trains to get closer together while still respecting basic safety margins". [17] The signalling system on the GO network will implement Level 2 of the ETCS. [4]

In January 2024, Metrolinx announced that, starting January 1, 2025, ONxpress would take over the operation and maintenance of the GO Transit train system in addition to the responsibility of introducing the improvements required for GO Expansion. ONxpress has a division named ONxpress Operations Inc., which consists of Deutsche Bahn International Operations and Aecon Concessions. [18]

Electrification

Metrolinx exhibits
Searchtool.svg Map of GO Rail Electrification

GO Expansion goals would be achieved with the electrification of core sections of the GO Transit train system while also expanding the use of diesel service in others, as follows: [19]

With electrification, service on the Lakeshore West line could possibly be as frequent as every three-and-a-half minutes during peak periods. [2]

GO Expansion will operate 4-car, bi-level electric multiple unit (EMU) sets which would be coupled to form 8- and 12-car trains. To reduce operating costs, smaller 4-car trains will run during periods of lighter demand, such as on weekends. GO Transit's existing fleet of unpowered bi-level cars will be used to operate many peak services but will be pulled by electric locomotives, in a similar manner to SEPTA Regional Rail. EMUs cost less to operate than 12-car diesel trains and have faster acceleration. Journey times can be reduced significantly with electric traction depending on the route, stopping pattern, and equipment. [20] Because electric trains can accelerate and decelerate faster at stations, trip times could be reduced on average by 10 minutes with a maximum reduction of up to 20 to 30 minutes. [21]

The electrified network will ultimately extend to 262 route-kilometres (163 mi), with six traction substations and 11 traction distribution facilities (switching or parallelling stations). [22] As of 2022, construction for the electrification of lines is to begin in 2023, with partial implementation in 2025 and 2026 and full completion in 2032. The project entails the electrification of over 600 kilometres (370 mi) of track, including 200 kilometres (120 mi) of new track. [2]

Proposed frequencies

In 2022, Metrolinx estimated that with GO Expansion, GO Transit would have the ability to run up to three times more trains than the 3,500 trains per week it ran in 2019. The busiest routes could operate between 8 and 18 trains per hour. Trains at GO stations such as Exhibition, Bloor and East Harbour could have a frequency of every 3 minutes and a 5-minute frequency at stations such as Burlington and Pickering. Evening and weekend service could be as frequent as every 6 to 15 minutes. [21] The following more modest frequencies were projected in 2015.

Two-way all-day service

Map of proposed GO Transit Regional Express Rail services GO Transit RER map.png
Map of proposed GO Transit Regional Express Rail services

GO Expansion will see many sections of GO train lines receiving two-way all-day service. [19] Sections proposed to get two-way all-day 15-minute or better are:

Sections proposed to get two-way all-day 30-minute service are:

Sections proposed to get two-way all-day 60-minute service are:

Peak direction service

Go Expansion will also see more frequent weekday, peak-direction service on the following routes: [19]

Express service

Stations between Oakville and Hamilton on the Lakeshore West line, between Bramalea and Kitchener on the Kitchener line, and between Pickering and Oshawa on the Lakeshore East line are proposed to receive express service to and from Union Station. [19]

Signalling

As part of GO Expansion, Metrolinx will deploy ERTMS level 1 in order to provide more frequent service, marking the first implementation of ERTMS in North America. [25]

New stations

Metrolinx plans to build several new stations as part of GO Expansion, including Breslau, Innisfil, Kirby, Mulock, and Spadina–Front. [13] [26]

SmartTrack

SmartTrack started out as a proposed Regional Express Rail surface service to run mostly within the City of Toronto. It was proposed by John Tory during his successful mayoral campaign in 2014. The SmartTrack proposal depends on electrification of the Stouffville and Kitchener corridors where SmartTrack service would run. [8]

As a part of the agreement reached between Metrolinx and the City of Toronto, five stations will be built within the City of Toronto and are expected to open by 2026; these are St. Clair–Old Weston, Bloor–Lansdowne, King–Liberty (Liberty Village), East Harbour, and Finch–Kennedy. [27]

See also

Related Research Articles

<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">Lakeshore West line</span> Commuter rail line serving Toronto, Canada

Lakeshore West is one of the seven train lines of the GO Transit system in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada. It extends from Union Station in Toronto to Hamilton, along the shore of Lake Ontario. Some train trips extend past Hamilton to St. Catharines and Niagara Falls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milton line</span>

Milton is one of the seven train lines of the GO Transit system in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada. It extends from Union Station in Toronto to Milton, by way of Mississauga.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kitchener line</span> Passenger rail service in Southern Ontario, Canada

Kitchener is one of the seven train lines of the GO Transit system in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada. It extends westward from Union Station in Toronto to Kitchener, though most trains originate and terminate in Brampton in off-peak hours.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barrie line</span> Commuter rail line in Ontario, Canada

Barrie is one of the seven train lines of the GO Transit system in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada. It extends from Union Station in Toronto in a generally northward direction to Barrie, and includes ten stations along its 101.4 kilometres (63.0 mi) route. From 1982 to 1990 and again from 1993 to 2007, it was known as the Bradford line, named after its former terminus at Bradford GO Station until the opening of Barrie South GO Station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richmond Hill line</span> Commuter rail service in Ontario, Canada

Richmond Hill is one of the seven train lines of the GO Transit system in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada. It operates between Union Station in Toronto to Bloomington GO Station in the north in Richmond Hill. Trains on the line operate only during weekday peak hours, while off-peak weekday times are served by the GO bus route 61.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stouffville line</span> Commuter rail line serving Toronto, Canada

Stouffville is one of the seven train lines of the GO Transit system in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada. Its southern terminus is Union Station in Toronto, and its northern terminus is Old Elm in Whitchurch-Stouffville. There are connections from almost every station to Toronto Transit Commission or York Region Transit bus services.

<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">Union Pearson Express</span> Airport rail link in Ontario, Canada

The Union Pearson Express is an airport rail link connecting Union Station in Downtown Toronto to Toronto Pearson International Airport. The UP Express began operation on 6 June 2015, in time for the 2015 Pan American Games. The UP Express travels between Union and Pearson in 25 minutes departing every 15 minutes, seven days a week. At the launch announcement, it was stated that the UP Express was projected to carry 2.35 million passengers annually and eliminate approximately 1.2 million car trips in the first year. As of 2019, it carried 4.5 million passengers annually.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unionville GO Station</span> Railway station in Markham, Ontario, Canada

Unionville GO Station is a train and bus station in the GO Transit network located in Markham, Ontario, Canada. It is a stop on the Stouffville line. The station is also served by Highway 407 East Express buses, which run westbound to Highway 407 station, northbound to Mount Joy GO Station, and eastbound to the Oshawa GO station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oshawa GO Station</span> Railway station in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada

Durham College Oshawa GO station is a station for commuter rail, passenger rail and regional bus services in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. It is the terminal station for the Lakeshore East line of GO Transit and serves Via Rail's Corridor service, which travels from Toronto to both Ottawa and Montreal. The bus terminal is served by bus routes of GO Transit and Durham Region Transit.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quebec City–Windsor Corridor (Via Rail)</span> Via Rail passenger train service area in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario

The Quebec City–Windsor Corridor, also known as simply the Corridor, is a Via Rail passenger train service in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario. The Corridor service area has the heaviest passenger train frequency in Canada and contributes 67% of Via's revenue.

GO ALRT 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.

MoveOntario 2020 was a 2007 plan proposed by the Government of Ontario that would fund 52 rapid-transit projects throughout the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area in Ontario, Canada. It was succeeded by The Big Move and GO Transit's Go 2020.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Harbour GO Station</span> Railway station in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

West Harbour GO Station is a regional rail station in the North End neighbourhood of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The station has been served by GO Transit's Lakeshore West line since July 9, 2015. There is hourly service between West Harbour and Toronto's Union Station, seven days a week. Via Rail service may eventually be provided.

SmartTrack is a municipal proposal to enhance GO Transit rail service within Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It takes advantage of the province's existing GO Transit Regional Express Rail plans. SmartTrack has evolved since it was originally proposed by Toronto mayor John Tory as the centrepiece of his 2014 mayoral election campaign.

The Big Move is a regional transportation plan (RTP) published in 2008 and consisting of 62 rapid transit projects to be implemented across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA). These rapid transit projects are intended to form a seamlessly integrated regional rapid transit network, which is the first priority action in the regional transportation plan. These projects form two long-term templates with 15 and 25 year horizons. These templates outline broad projects; specific details about technology, alignment, stations and service levels for each project are subsequently determined though a cost–benefit analysis or an environmental assessment process.

<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.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "GO Expansion Full Business Case" (PDF). Metrolinx (2018). Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Ontario government awards $1.6B contract for first phase of GO Transit train electrification". CityNews . April 19, 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "GO Expansion explained – What it means for you". Metrolinx. April 13, 2022. Archived from the original on April 13, 2022.
  4. 1 2 "World standard signalling system to improve GO Train service". www.metrolinx.com. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  5. ↑ "GO Expansion". Metrolinx.com. Retrieved November 25, 2018.
  6. ↑ Toigo, Derrick (January 12, 2022). "Update on the Metrolinx GO Expansion Program – First Quarter 2022" (PDF).
  7. ↑ "New GO Expansion agreement with ONxpress Transportation Partners ushers in exciting future of faster, greener, more frequent GO Train service". Metrolinx Blog. Metrolinx. April 2022. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
  8. 1 2 Kalinowski, Tess (April 17, 2015). "GO to add almost 50 per cent more trains in next 5 years". Toronto Star . Retrieved March 30, 2016.
  9. ↑ Moore, Oliver (March 14, 2016). "Toronto's grand transit plan (maybe, hopefully)". The Globe and Mail . The Globe and Mail Inc. Retrieved August 12, 2016.
  10. ↑ Ontario Liberal Party (2011). "The Ontario Liberal Plan 2011-2015" (PDF). OCLC   760993664. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 12, 2012.
  11. ↑ Metrolinx (2016). "Metrolinx Regional Express Rail". Metrolinx.
  12. ↑ GO Transit (2012). "Electrification Study Highlights" (PDF). GO Transit . Retrieved November 30, 2012.
  13. 1 2 Spurr, Ben (March 31, 2017). "Ottawa to invest $1.9B in GO Transit's regional express rail project". Toronto Star . Retrieved March 31, 2017.
  14. ↑ "GO Expansion program takes next step in procurement journey". Metrolinx. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
  15. ↑ "GO Expansion set to electrify the region – With rapid all-day service and new electric trains". Metrolinx. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
  16. ↑ "Alstom and consortium partners selected for GO Expansion to transform collective mobility in Toronto, Canada". Alstom (Press release). Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  17. ↑ "Metrolinx - Advanced signalling will allow more frequent GO Train service". www.metrolinx.com. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  18. ↑ "Metrolinx partners with ONxpress to transform GO Transit service in the region". Metrolinx. January 25, 2024. Archived from the original on January 26, 2024.
  19. 1 2 3 4 Metrolinx (2015). "GO RER Initial Business Case Summary" (PDF). Retrieved April 3, 2016.
  20. ↑ Metrolinx (2015). "GO RER Initial Business Case - Full Report" (PDF). Retrieved April 4, 2016.
  21. 1 2 "New GO Expansion agreement with ONxpress Transportation Partners ushers in exciting future of faster, greener, more frequent GO Train". Metrolinx. April 21, 2022. Archived from the original on April 21, 2022.
  22. ↑ Barrow, Keith (February 11, 2016). "Metrolinx sets Toronto RER options". Railway Age. Simmons-Boardman Publishing Inc. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
  23. 1 2 3 "First phase of work to expand Kitchener GO Line service kicks off". Metrolinx. May 3, 2022. Archived from the original on May 3, 2022.
  24. ↑ "Ontario Introduces Hourly GO Train Service Between West Harbour GO Station and Union Station". news.ontario.ca. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  25. ↑ David Briginshaw (April 20, 2022). "Consortium wins GO Transit expansion project contract". International Railway Journal . Retrieved August 7, 2022.
  26. ↑ Metrolinx (2018). "GO Expansion Moves Ahead" (PDF). Metrolinx.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  27. ↑ "New agreement with City of Toronto helps bring new SmartTrack stations closer to reality". Metrolinx. August 17, 2021. Archived from the original on August 18, 2021. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
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