CANADA: Greater Toronto area transport agency Metrolinx has awarded Alstom a C$500m framework agreement for the mid-life overhaul and modernisation of 181 BiLevel Series VIII coaches used on GO Transit services.
This will include new seating, doors, flooring, walls and ceilings, upgraded toilets, updated electrical outlets with USB ports and HVAC control systems, and energy-saving LED lighting.
The refurbishment will provide a further 20 years of service life and support the GO Expansion programme to provide two-way, all-day services to Oshawa, Burlington, Kitchener, Stouffville and Barrie.
‘As Ontario continues to grow, our government is investing in made-in-Ontario solutions to ensure our public transit network grows with it’, said the province’s Minister of Transportation Prabmeet Sarkaria on January 15. ‘The refurbishing of the BiLevel rail coaches will inject millions of dollars into creating and maintaining good jobs in northwestern Ontario, while supporting the largest transit expansion in Canadian history.’
Work will begin by 2026 at Alstom’s Thunder Bay site where the coaches were built in 2008-15. This will support 250 jobs until at least 2030.
Lana Payne, National President of the Unifor union, said ‘at a time when Canada is under attack from [US President-elect] Trump’s tariff threats, investment in Canadian made products, including transit vehicles becomes even more significant and necessary.’
GO Transit has 979 BiLevel rail coaches manufactured in Thunder Bay between 1978 and 2021.
