Tomorrow, 16 November 2011, the Metrolinx Board will receive updates on the GO Transit Electrification Study and on the status of the Air Rail Link to Pearson from Union Station.

The Electrification Study has been underway through 2010 and it has produced a number of options for the Go Transit network – from running electric trains only on Georgtown and Air Rail Link lines to the electrification of the entire network.

Meanwhile tomorrow’s Air Rail Link Update report will confirm that Metrolinx is looking at buying Tier 4 diesel trains similar vehicles to be built for the Sonoma-Marin “SMART” proposal in California by Sumitomo. Conversion to electric propulsion said to be possible.

The Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) agency, which is building a 70-mile commuter service north of San Francisco, is expected to order nine two-car trains from Sumitomo for about $60 million next month. Gary McNeil of Managing Director of Go Transit said, “They were actually looking for a vehicle exactly like us. They have an option for buying additional vehicles. So we were looking at tying on to their request for proposals,”
The Sumitomo trains have relatively small engines that are on the vehicles themselves, unlike GO trains, where the locomotive pulls unpowered coaches. The single-level trains would run with two cars, each with 64 seats.

Metrolinx is expected to finalize a 36-month delivery of vehicles by 6 February 2011.

The airport shuttle will see about 140 trains running between Union Station and Pearson for about 20 hours each day, at 15-minute intervals. It is scheduled to begin service in spring 2015 in anticipation of the Pan American Games that summer.

The premium rail service will be aimed for business travellers and tourist with the one-way trip time of 25 minutes and 5,000 passengers per day projected ridership by year 5.

The airport train will travel up the Georgetown GO line and off on a 3-kilometre spur that will run into the airport and connect directly with the Pearson people-mover. A design, build and finance contract is expected to be awarded for the spur and T1 station by fall 2011.

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