What is involved in electrifying the GO Rail system?
A. To upgrade the existing railway from conventional diesel to electric, a series of activities need to be undertaken: • Conducting an extensive study to examine the implications and requirements of electrifying all of GO’s corridors that are both shared and owned by others • Designing and building infrastructure to support electric trains (e.g. overhead wires, power substations, maintenance facilities, track insulations, signalling systems) • Purchasing property for expansion of corridors • Manufacturing and purchasing new equipment • Opening more train storage areas, building new train maintenance and repair facilities • Retrofitting existing equipment and facilities, including Union Station, while continuing to operate GO service • Developing new operating and maintenance practices for the service • Investing billions of dollars in capital costs.
