urbancog
Active Member
Construction start 2022, taking two years. So, likely to open after the Eglinton LRT.
|
|
|
GO Transit Electrification | Metrolinx
- Thread starter innsertnamehere
- Start date
Construction start 2022, taking two years. So, likely to open after the Eglinton LRT.
Allandale25
Senior Member
Maybe once the third track through downtown Brampton and the Silver Grade Separation are done it will be more of a possibility. Maybe CN would be okay if the wire was under only one dedicated track for GO between Bramalea and Georgetown?
That was my thinking too. The Bombardier Bi-Level is such a great design that it has become almost the defacto rolling stock choice for new commuter rail services in North America. I'm sure a metro area looking to either start a service or expand upon a minimal service (thinking SunRail or something like that) would be eager to scoop up some of the coaches that GO no longer needs. Commuter rail outfits in their infancy, especially in the States, look to do stuff on the cheap, so saving a few million bucks in rolling stock cost could cover an additional station or two for them.
Refurb them now to extend their lifespan, and then sell them to recoup a good chunk of that refurb cost once they're no longer required as part of GO's fleet.
Bureaucromancer
Active Member
The other option, that admittedly starts to cut into the performance of EMUs would be to look at bilevel power cars. It seems like two trailers to each power car is probably reasonable if space can be found at all, and we’re accepting locomotive like performance anyway.
As much as the bilevel is a standard we’ve got a huge fleet, that’s aging but a long way from worn out. There’s really not a market that would dispose of much more than a rounding error in terms of the overall fleet. It would be nice if we could convince Metra to take them en masse I suppose, but it also seems like the FRA isn’t enamoured with bilevels anymore.
As much as the bilevel is a standard we’ve got a huge fleet, that’s aging but a long way from worn out. There’s really not a market that would dispose of much more than a rounding error in terms of the overall fleet. It would be nice if we could convince Metra to take them en masse I suppose, but it also seems like the FRA isn’t enamoured with bilevels anymore.
nfitz
Superstar
Good grief - why the delay?
Just over 4 years ago, the GO Station was to open in 2021.
cplchanb
Senior Member
I wonder if the actual bid package from Alstom will be released to the public realm. What made them the winning bid? Are they technically better or they just undercut the loser on price?
Darwinkgo
Active Member
May get a short form of non-commercially sensitive info - operational, maintenance, and performance standards, plus outlining any at risk revenue.
I don't think that will contain what you want.
What you might be able to get with a target: the final score sheets with $ amounts redacted. How Metrolinx weighted performance standards, risk, cost, etc.
ssiguy2
Senior Member
I don't see the problem with electric locomotives to start. For RER sections they should be single level EMUs but those can be phased in. The DD trains right now are in great shape and it would be a scandalous waste of precious transit dollars to ditch them. Thou they will be slightly slower than EMUs, they will still be MUCH quieter, have less vibrations, and still have de/acceleration levels that would blow the current diesels out of the water. Electric loco also enjoys the same benefits of EMUs in terms of no emissions, cheaper to maintain, and cheaper to run.
When the EMUs begin to arrive they should still keep their DD trains. Let's be serious, many EMUs {especially that are acting more like subways in places like Toronto} are just glorified Metro trains. They are built for efficient urban transit which is great but due to this they are usually designed the same way. I wouldn't want to spend 90 minutes on one of those things lest it kill my ass and God forbid I need to go to the bathroom. This is where DD are ideal, they offer more of the comfort needed on longer haul routes.
The ONLY thing that ML should consider buying right now in term of coaches is each train having a low-boarding single level connecting cars of probably 2 to 3 cars depending on the length of the train. These allow for very fast boarding for the mobility impaired or for people who are just going a couple of stops as opposed to them hanging around the doors like they always do. Dallas DART did this for their LRT system.
When the EMUs begin to arrive they should still keep their DD trains. Let's be serious, many EMUs {especially that are acting more like subways in places like Toronto} are just glorified Metro trains. They are built for efficient urban transit which is great but due to this they are usually designed the same way. I wouldn't want to spend 90 minutes on one of those things lest it kill my ass and God forbid I need to go to the bathroom. This is where DD are ideal, they offer more of the comfort needed on longer haul routes.
The ONLY thing that ML should consider buying right now in term of coaches is each train having a low-boarding single level connecting cars of probably 2 to 3 cars depending on the length of the train. These allow for very fast boarding for the mobility impaired or for people who are just going a couple of stops as opposed to them hanging around the doors like they always do. Dallas DART did this for their LRT system.
Allandale25
Senior Member
New GO Expansion agreement with ONxpress Transportation Partners ushers in exciting future of faster, greener, more frequent GO Train service - Metrolinx News
GO Expansion is moving forward to the next stage of development and will transform the region in ways greater than previously imagined. GO Expansion will include infrastructure and operational plans that reduce journey times even more, add more capacity, improve on-time performance, and customer...
blog.metrolinx.com
Includes a short video with people from the consortium speaking.
Images in the post:
Reecemartin
Active Member
Contracts are signed and Toronto is getting electric regional rail with European signalling and it’s even better than we expected! Check out my latest video!
DavidH
Senior Member
New GO Expansion agreement with ONxpress Transportation Partners ushers in exciting future of faster, greener, more frequent GO Train service - Metrolinx News
GO Expansion is moving forward to the next stage of development and will transform the region in ways greater than previously imagined. GO Expansion will include infrastructure and operational plans that reduce journey times even more, add more capacity, improve on-time performance, and customer...
Includes a short video with people from the consortium speaking.
This article gives details on where they see schedules and travel times going and is clear about electric locomotives - there's no mention of EMUs. If you haven't read it, I think you'll want to.
superelevation
Active Member
Those speed ups are huge
innsertnamehere
Superstar
it's much better travel time improvements than what they were thinking of in the business case by the sounds of it too - making allusions that Oakville GO will be about 25 minutes from Union for example, compared to the expected 31 minute travel time in the business case.
This is a substantial improvement in essentially every way, and is very, very exciting.
What is odd though is that Pickering GO is alluded to also be 25 minutes from Union, despite that being the projected travel time in the Business Case. So the travel time savings clearly aren't universal across all lines.
Things like frequent, sub-1hr travel times to Hamilton, 1.25hrs to Barrie, etc. will also be revolutionary in easing travel around the region.
generalcanada
Senior Member
About pickering, trains run express from it, so other than top speed, i dont see how much it could change. even EMUs shouldnt affect it that much
i bet they changed around the schedules. the GO business case was quite complex in the scheduling of express services for LSW
cplchanb
Senior Member
I'd reserve judgment on the travel times until actual track testing. So many things need to go right in order for these better than business case scenarios to work. There's a few low hanging fruits like ROWs. I wonder if it'll mean running 6 or 8 car trains during rush on the lakeshore