mdrejhon
Senior Member
Another theoretical scenario is fleet commonality.
The elephant in the room is election 2018.
Is the public ready to swallow electrification of UPX?
This is the first EA-complete route AND the most controversial service ("That airport train boondoggle", as many still say, alas) is already head of line. I'm definitely cheerleading for electrification, but I can see the worries on the wall...
They need to toot massively increased ridership, and try to market UPX sufficient enough in order to break the 10,000 average -- A five figure number are always a nicer boast for any public transit line. Win over the electorate, and succeed in beginning to electrify GO.
So, my vision is they HAVE to rebrand UPX slightly for a more palatable GO electrification begin.
They may try to rebrand it (ala SmartTrack or a renamed GO RER service) as a 2018 ploy.
As one possible option of many, it's technologically feasible to merge SmartTrack + GO RER + UPX into a unified EMU. When Metrolinx orders EMU (possibly Stadler KISS), they can order some models that can do both high/low floor doors -- just like the Caltrain order. So that a 3-coach or 4-coach Stadler KISS consist can service both UPX and GO platforms.
-- The midlevels would have the baggage racks, and accessible seating.
-- The upper/lower passenger seating levels would be for regular seating.
-- The trains can shorten to 3 or 4 coach for UPX stations
-- The trains can be reallocated elsewhere on GO even as part of a 12-coach consist (only low-level doors open)
Look ma, high doors! For UPX stations!
This allows compatibility with both RER, SmartTrack & UPX simultaneously.
Most EMUs that GO orders would be low-door only.
But a few EMU sets would have both levels, in order to service UPX stations.
This specific trainset is available in low-door-only config (GORER compatible) & dual-level door config (GORER+UPX compatible); Metrolinx could order both -- and order only enough dual-level to completely satisfy UPX demand, plus a few extras for total fleet flexibility.
Boarding speed of a bilevel is compensated by slightly longer dwell made available by EMU's quicker acceleration ability (Despite being bilevel, the KISS EMU can accelerate slightly faster than UPX -- 4kph/second acceleration rate -- and without overheating).
It would be only one 3-coach or 4-coach consist that services (slightly modified) UPX stations, but the UPX-compatible consists can just join into a regular GO train at other times when not in use. Which means GO can afford to purchase a few extra UPX-compatible EMU's and run unused UPX consists as part of regular GO trains (leaving high doors unused when servicing low platforms). Bilevel + 4-coach would massively increase the passenger capacity of UPX stations too.
The Georgetown corridor is capable of allowing 7.5 minute service interspersing the Bramalea-Unionville (formerly SmartTrack) service with the Union-Pearson (formerly UPX) service. The trains of the merged UPX+SmartTrack+GORER would look exactly the same (except for the appearance of high doors on the Pearson trains). The different final destinations will be displayed on info-displays ("Pearson" vs "Bramalea") at stations and onboard the train. So people commuting Union-Bloor-Weston gets 7.5 minute service, and people commuting either Union-Pearson or Union-Bramalea would get 15 minute service.
This could go a long way of allaying the fears of alienating 2018 electorate of "Why electrify that UPX boondoggle" if it's merged UPX+GORER+SmartTrack in one EMU train.
This might end up becoming necessary if they want GO electrification to survive election 2018 without the UPX first-mover "EA already done, it's first" black cloud hovering above it.
....and fleet efficiency for the win!
Only a small section of the RER EMU fleet would need to be dual height, just enough trainsets to handle UPX spur service. 7.5 minutes thru Weston/Eglinton, 15 mins beyond Pearson spur, 15 mins to Pearson, etc. While double decker isn't ideal, the majority of the boardings and alightings are at the terminuses rather than centres, so it would be acceptable in this situation. See my post about how UPX and RER might be merged, using 4-coach Stadler KISS trainsets with the dual-door-height option.
