Ontario Minister of Transport Steven Del Duca announced that the Province is elaborating a feasibility study on the use of hydrogen fuel cells as an alternative technology for electrifying GO rail service and the UP Express. Recent advances in the use of hydrogen fuel cells to power electric trains in other jurisdictions makes it important that Ontario consider this clean electric technology as an alternative to conventional overhead wires. As part of the study, this fall the province will bring together industry leaders in fuel cell technology for a symposium to explore the potential application of hydrogen fuel cell technology to electrify the GO rail network.
Currently Ontario is carrying the modernisation of GO Regional Express Rail (RER), and the Minister said that the province has commenced the GO Rail Network Electrification Transit Project Assessment Process. The process builds on public consultations held last year and will assess the environmental impacts of converting core segments of the GO rail network, including the UP Express, from diesel to electric. This is a critical step towards enabling the province to begin the procurement process to select a vendor to electrify the system.
“Our work on GO RER is about transforming transit in the GTHA by creating a sustainable, integrated, regional transit network that connects people and communities to jobs, services and activities in their everyday lives. Electrified service as part of GO RER will allow us to run faster, more frequent rail service across core sections of the GO rail network, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions by removing diesel service where possible. Electrification is an important step forward for regional rail in Ontario. It is critical that we get it right,” the Minister said.
Ontario is undertaking a CAD 21.3 billion (EUR 14.4 billion) transformation of the GO network, which is the largest commuter rail project in Canada. The Province is on track to electrify and expand the rail network and it has committed CAD 13.5 billion (EUR 9 billion) to implement GO RER project, that involves more than 500 separate projects across 40 municipalities. Improvements to over 30 GO stations are currently in procurement and planning work is underway with municipal partners on 12 new GO RER stations across the network.
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