More Bi-level Train Cars Coming to Go Transit Fleet

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Published September 10, 2019 at 6:04 pm

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Mississauga GO Transit users will gain a little legroom as the transit provider will be beefing up its bilevel train car fleet in the coming years.

The Ontario Government announced on Tuesday (Sept. 10) that Metrolinx, the province’s regional transportation agency, has agreed to buy 36 more BiLevel cars from Bombardier Transportation.

Metrolinx will be adding 31 standard and five accessible cars to its existing order, which will provide more than 6,000 additional seats for GO Transit customers.

“I work every day to expand transit in the GTHA and across Ontario,” said Caroline Mulroney, Minister of Transportation in a press release. “Buying more GO Transit BiLevel vehicles is important as we continue to rapidly increase service.”

The cars will be manufactured by workers at Bombardier’s Thunder Bay plant.

The new cars include Bombardier’s Orbita system that will allow Metrolinx staff to see real-time performance data and pinpoint issues relating to things like doors, the HVAC system, and electrical equipment, to give commuters a better, safer journey.

“More BiLevel cars allow us to add seat capacity as we continue to rapidly expand GO train service,” said Phil Verster, president and CEO of Metrolinx. “In addition, trains with improved on-board diagnostic tools allow us to improve customer experience and generate savings on maintenance.”

Since June 2018, Metrolinx has grown its passenger train services by 18.2 per cent representing 359 new weekly train trips on Lakeshore East, Lakeshore West, Barrie, Kitchener and Stouffville lines.

EDITOR’S NOTE: A previous version of this story reported that Go Transit would be adding more buses to its fleet when in fact it is bilevel train cars. We apologize for the confusion.

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