GO Expansion To Transform Mobility In Toronto

On 19 April 2022, Alstom announced that ONxpress Transportation Partners, a consortium comprising Alstom, Aecon Group Inc., Deutsche Bahn International Operations GmbH (DB IO) and FCC Construcción S. A., has signed the project agreement for the On-Corridor Works Project of the GO Expansion program following a procurement process led by Metrolinx and Infrastructure Ontario. The multibillion-dollar On-Corridor Works Project will transform collective mobility in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA), totalling 450 km of lines, making it faster, more reliable, and more sustainable.

Alstom’s scope within the consortium is anticipated to include the supply of new electric locomotives, train control systems, a new traction power system and network electrification via an overhead catenary system, as well as the integration of its scope. Alstom will also upgrade the existing GO Transit BiLevel rolling stock, signalling systems, telecommunications systems, and other digital equipment, and maintain the new locomotives and signalling system for a period of 25 years. Alstom’s turnkey approach and integrated offering capitalises on its global system knowledge and portfolio of solutions to offer state-of-the-art solutions, such as Alstom’s ERTMS , which will be introduced for the first time to the North America market.

GO Expansion will transform the GO rail network from a commuter service into an all-day rapid system, converting the network from a diesel-powered commuter railway to a primarily electric regional express system and will include system-wide upgrades, to deliver all-day service every 15 minutes on the core rail network. The On-Corridor Works Project, Ontario’s largest capital infrastructure project, is an innovative, fully integrated contract that will not only deliver fast, more frequent and improved rail services within the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA), but also cleaner and more environmentally-friendly service.

The multi-billion-dollar value of the On-Corridor Works Project commences with a safety signalling upgrade work package and a two-year collaborative development phase between ONxpress Transportation Partners and Metrolinx to refine the scope, progress with the design and plan the operational improvements to the system. The scope of work and corresponding contract value will be finalised between ONxpress Transportation Partners and Metrolinx upon completion of the development phase.

The project is expected to generate significant employment opportunities in the GTHA during the design and construction phases. Certified Top Employer in Canada two years in a row, Alstom currently employs over 4,200 employees across the country, including more than 2,300 in Ontario. Hundreds of employees will be recruited by Alstom in the GTHA for the On-Corridor Works Project, including over 300 highly skilled professional and engineering positions to be filled during the first year alone.

Alstom has been present in Canada for 80 years and is a long-term and dedicated partner of the country’s public transit development. Alstom designs, builds, and modernises rail cars in Canada for cities including the GTHA, Montreal, Edmonton, Ottawa, and Vancouver. The company also designs and delivers integrated signalling and control centre solutions for Canada’s busiest rail corridors, hubs and agencies, including Toronto’s Union Station Rail Corridor, Metrolinx, the Société de transport de Montréal and the Toronto Transit Commission, operates trains and rail networks for exo in Montreal, and UP Express and Metrolinx in Toronto, and is currently delivering a turnkey automatic and driverless light metro system for Réseau express métropolitain (REM) in Montreal.