‘A way of the future’: Metrolinx green lights electrifying GO trains

Metrolinx has finally green-lit an idea that is critical to its being “a way of the future.”

Electrifying all its GO trains by using a tried and true method — a big step forward in a massive expansion plan for Metrolinx and GO transit.

The idea was originally pitched in November 2018 to use an overhead wire system, just like a streetcar, for the GO trains.

“This is really the way of the future and it’s pretty exciting that it’s a big step for us,” says spokesperson, Anne Marie Aikens.

“The way the street cars are electrified was the best way to move forward,” Aiken says, “It will allow us for faster, quieter, cleaner, cheaper trains.”

But this means all 680 kilometres of GO train tracks will have to be strung up with overhead wiring.

Aikens says how long that will take and how expensive that will be, depends on the bids coming in from the contractors.

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“It costs a lot of money, but we’re doing that in conjunction with our expansion underway now, so right now we have a contract, so I can’t talk about money yet until we have a contract awarded,” she says, “each train operates about 60 per cent cheaper every hour.”

“It’ll be like going for a subway, you don’t really have to think about what the time is, you know the train coming pretty soon,” she adds.

Aikens says the cost and timeline of building an overhead power system depends on the bids that come in.

A third-rail electric system was determined to be unsafe with so much of their train tracks out in the open, and hydrogen fuel cells would not be feasible for the entire GO train fleet.

Metrolinx announces it will go with an overhead contact system to electrify its roughly 680km of train tracks. The report says electric vehicles can run about 30% faster while being 60% cheaper per kilometre. @680NEWS pic.twitter.com/0L0tzHutGW

— Mark Douglas (@DouglasCityNews) February 10, 2021