GO to study electrifying its rail lines

GO Transit will begin a study this summer on electrifying its entire train system.

Metrolinx says the study, to be complete by winter 2010, will be overseen by an external advisory committee including community representatives, technical and environmental experts. It's likely a member of the Clean Train Coalition would be invited to join the committee, a source told the Star.

That group, composed of residents, community associations and businesses living along the Georgetown line – in the path of a huge expansion of GO service – has been pushing the province to go to cleaner electric trains rather than diesel.

GO had been planning to electrify the busy Lakeshore West corridor by 2020, but converting the Georgetown line was supposed to be at least 15 years away.

The coalition says Georgetown should happen first, because it will see 300 to 500 trains a day once GO starts all-day two-way service to Brampton and Georgetown and a high-speed rail service to the airport begins.

"Any move toward electrification is good, but I don't want them to be studying this while they're installing diesel," said Mike Sullivan, a representative with the coalition.

"The diesel plans have to be put on hold while the electrification plans proceed. If they need to be preceded by a study, let's have the study. Let's not continue with the wrong plan while we study how to do the right plan," he said.

Sullivan believes it would cost about $5 million a kilometre, or about $150 million total, to electrify the line between Brampton and downtown.

New trains will be needed anyway, and electric trains are less expensive, he said.

Related News

Chief Peter Collins, Fort William First Nation

Ontario First Nations urge government to intervene in 'urgently needed' electricity line

OTTAWA - Leaders of six First Nations are urging the Ontario government to "clean up" the bureaucratic process that determines who will build an "urgently needed" high-capacity power transmission line to service northern Ontario.

The proposed 450 kilometre East-West Transmission Project is set to stretch from Thunder Bay to Wawa, providing much-needed electricity to northern Ontario. NextBridge Infrastructure, in partnership with Bamkushwada Limited Partnership (BLP) — an entity the First Nations created in order to become co-owners and active participants in the economic development of the line — have been the main proponents of the project since 2012 and were awarded…

READ MORE

Why the Texas Power Grid Is Facing Another Crisis

READ MORE

alaska nuclear plant

US looks to decommission Alaskan military reactor

READ MORE

How Ukraine Unplugged from Russia and Joined Europe's Power Grid with Unprecedented Speed

READ MORE

power plant

UK breaks coal free energy record again but renewables still need more support

READ MORE