GO-ALRT

GO ALRT (Government of Ontario Advanced Light Rail Transit)[2] was a light rail system proposed by GO Transit in 1982. The ALRT system would have been implemented along two new lines in the Greater Toronto Area. It would have used a new electric train to provide interurban service, also then referred to as "inter-regional rapid transit", along the existing and new GO corridors. The system was based on an enlarged UTDC ICTS vehicle that was designed to offer a good compromise between passenger capacity and the level of infrastructure needed to support it. The project was cancelled due to budget cuts of the Tory government in 1985, although a number of the proposed lines were later implemented using conventional heavy rail systems, including the eastern portion of the Lakeshore East GO train service route from partly west of Pickering GO station, to partially east of Whitby GO station, in Durham region. Such of this portion of the Lakeshore East line was essentially the partly built portion of the GO ALRT guideway, with the initiation of construction work embarking in 1984, whilst the inter regional rapid transit project was still in effect, which subsequently included the post program cancellation modification work - in order to accommodate conventional GO train service - leading up to the extension of Lakeshore East GO train service to Whitby in 1988. With the proposed electrification of Lakeshore GO train service and the planned deployment of electric multiple unit commuter rail vehicle technology to the route, the originally built portion of the modified GO ALRT guideway will come one step closer to realization, with the planned GO electrification targeted for the mid-2020s.

GO-ALRT
Overview
Type	Rapid transit
System	GO Transit
Locale	Greater Toronto, Ontario
Termini	Hamilton Oshawa
Stations	25+
Services	2
Daily ridership	25,000 (avg. weekday)[1]
Operation
Owner	GO Transit
Operator(s)	GO Transit
Rolling stock	modified S-series (articulated)
Technical
Line length	200 km (approximate)[2]
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in)
Operating speed	120 km/h

Fleet

No fleet details were provided as the system and the cars were prototype only, so GO Transit had not made a final decision on the size of the ALRT fleet.

Cars

Inter Regional Rapid Transit Vehicle Mark --
Manufacturer	Urban Transportation Development Corporation
Constructed	1980s
Number built	None
Formation	2 car trains (1 set permanently mated articulated pair)
Capacity	124 or 147 seated, 42+ standing
Operator(s)	GO Transit
Line(s) served	ALRT
Specifications
Car body construction	Aluminum
Car length	36.0 m (118 ft 1 in) or 47.5 m (155 ft 10 in)
Width	2.8 m (9 ft 2 in)
Height	3.9 m (12 ft 10 in)
Doors	8 or 12 per married unit
Maximum speed	Design: 120 km/h (75 mph), Service: 70 km/h (43 mph)
Weight	57,050 kg (125,770 lb)
Acceleration	1.3 m/s^2 (4.3 ft/s^2)
Electric system(s)	25 kV AC
Current collection method	Overhead catenary
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in) standard gauge

The proposed line would have used a modified version of the Urban Transportation Development Corporation's ICTS car, which would undergo about two additional railcar vehicle redesigns over the course of the program's iteration. This proposed ALRT car was a two-car articulated vehicle, as opposed to individual cars with articulated bogies. The original vehicle design consisted of a unit of three married articulated ICTS cars forming a single train. As time progressed, however, the dimensions of the cars increased, mainly in length, until they reached the same length as a regular passenger rail coach. Also, the GO-ALRT cars were to have used an overhead catenary for power pickup instead of an alternating current third rail, and conventional traction motors were to have been used instead of a linear induction motor. The decision to launch the program was made after a study was published examining several options including the use of electric multiple units, standard diesel trains, electric trains, and ALRT.

• Design 1: 124 passengers - 36.0 m articulated car set
• Design 2: 147 passengers - 45.6 m articulated car set

Stations

List of the planned stations on the ALRT routes (stations listed west to east):

• Western section: Hamilton, Aldershot, Burlington, Appleby, Bronte, Fourth Line, Oakville
• Eastern section: Pickering, Ajax, Whitby, Hopkins, Stevenson, Harmony

Cancellation

The GO-ALRT program died at the hand of the Peterson government in 1985, but there are other factors that were considered:

• Unproven technology and concerns over problems with the same ICTS on the Scarborough RT[3]
• Access to right-of-way on the southern route[4]

Since the cancellation, there has been no similar plans for GO in Toronto. GO Transit does operate bus service along Highway 401 that parallels the northern ALRT route. Expansion of the Lakeshore line also provides similar servicing offered in the southern ALRT route.

As for ICTS technology, it was acquired by Bombardier Transportation when it acquired UTDC and is now showcased in the Bombardier Advanced Rapid Transit platform, or as the transit vehicle technology is referred to as now as the Bombardier Innovia Metro 300, as part of a grouped transit vehicle technology lineup of the Bombardier Innovia product line.

References

1. "Subway Ridership, 2008-2009", TTC
2. ""GO-ALRT Electrification System Study"" (PDF). GO Transit. 29 July 1983.
3. Steve Munro (2007-05-24). "Forty Years of GO Transit". Archived from the original on 2015-03-03. Retrieved 2015-03-02.
4. Peter Drost, "The GO-ALRT Program", Transit Toronto, 10 November 2006

External links

• GO ALRT