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Discussion of Canadian Passenger Rail Services such as AMT (Montreal), Go Transit (Toronto), VIA Rail, and other Canadian Railways and Transit

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 #1111913  by 25Hz
 
The MP40 commuter locomotives manufactured by Motive Power Inc. are ideally suited to the mass transit, high frequency routes operated by GO Transit, and are capable of pulling up to 12-car double-deck sets with capacity for over 300-passengers. The QSK60 twin-engine configuration offers a highly flexible power-on-demand advantage for the MP40 locomotive, resulting in major fuel savings and a corresponding reduction in CO2 emissions.
~300 per car, for a total of ~3200. That is a seriously large amount of people. They should specify the 300 is per car. Makes it look like only 20 people per car can fit, like the darjeeling mountain railway or something. ;)
 #1220981  by Fan Railer
 
http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/news ... tives.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Greater Toronto transport authority Metrolinx has signed a US$63m contract for MotivePower to supply 10 diesel-electric locomotives for use on commuter services from 2016....

The contract announced on October 8 follows on from an August 2012 order for MotivePower to repower 11 Metrolinx MPXpress locomotives using two Cummins QSK60 engines in the same configuration.
And: http://www.railwayage.com/index.php/mec ... tives.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
MotivePower subsidiary has signed a US$63 million contract with Canada's Metrolinx to build 10 new, low-emission locomotives. The locomotives, featuring new engines that meet Tier 4 emission standards, will be designed and manufactured by MotivePower at its Boise, Idaho, facility and are expected to be delivered beginning in 2016, Wabtec said.

The project follows a previous order from Metrolinx to repower 11 locomotives (such as pictured above left) with the same advanced configuration, Wabtec noted.
 #1349839  by dowlingm
 
MotivePower has reassembled 647 after a long holiday in Idaho.
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.p ... 3&nseq=154" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Rumour on the urbantoronto forum claims that it may be a one of a kind locomotive as the repower from 1 x EMD710 to 2 x QSK60 (even with a longer body) resulted in too much lost space. No word as yet as to whether the HEP engine was retained or discarded in this configuration.
 #1362079  by Fan Railer
 
Spec sheet is out. Looks like a LOT was changed aside from the prime mover repower.

Official Spec Sheet for the GO Transit MPxpress Repower: https://www.wabtec.com/uploads/MP54_QuickSpec_B.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

New features include inverter driven HEP (720 kW capacity), leaving 4600 nominal traction HP with a nominal HEP load of 450 - 500 kW (5400 gross HP). AC traction equipment has been equipped.

Tractive effort is fairly high for a passenger locomotive, (82,000 lbs starting and 50,700 lbs /continuous), and top speed has been raised to 110 MPH, with 62:15 gearing and 40" wheels.

Fuel consumption on these brutes is likely to be very high (given the specifications I was able to pull up for the QSK60; http://www.wpowerproducts.com/prodImage ... 0sheet.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;). With both engines on, notch 8 fuel consumption is around 270 gph.

Contrary to stuff I've been hearing about "lengthened carbodies", overall length remains at 68 feet over coupler faces.
 #1362612  by dowlingm
 
Apparently in addition to 14 bilevel test trains (simulating 12 fully loaded) there will also be 7 car test trains with one of the two QSK60s turned off. If this bears out maybe GO is looking at getting rid of the last few F59s.
 #1391430  by Jeff Smith
 
Service extension: Progressive Railroading
Ontario to extend GO Transit rail service to Niagara Falls

Starting in 2021, Ontario will bring new weekday GO Transit rail service between the future Confederation Station in Hamilton and the Niagara region. By 2023, the province will establish service to Niagara Falls.

Subject to a final agreement with CN, GO Transit parent agency Metrolinx will start the consultations, planning and design work required to implement the service.

To make way for the new service, Metrolinx will perform track improvements, provide new and upgraded rail stations, build a new layover facility in Niagara Falls, add new GO Transit rail units along the corridor and lay more than 18 miles of new track.

Three other stations are proposed along the corridor in addition to the Confederation Station and upgraded VIA Rail Canada Inc. stations in St. Catharines and Niagara Falls, according to a press release issued by Ontario's Ministry of Transportation.
...
 #1391515  by deathtopumpkins
 
2023!?!?

7 years to extend service over existing rails to existing stations that they already serve seasonally!?

Can't they just start running trains in a year or two and then incrementally make the improvements - a new station here, new siding there, etc.?
 #1395762  by Jeff Smith
 
In spite of the difficulties in delivering LRV's, this: Reuters
Bombardier wins Ontario order for 125 commuter rail cars

Aug 2 Bombardier Inc has won an order for 125 commuter rail cars from an Ontario regional transportation agency, the company said on Tuesday, even as a separate order from the agency for light-rail vehicles has suffered delays.

The latest order from Metrolinx, the provincial agency in charge of transportation in and around Toronto, is valued at C$428 million ($327.29 million), with final delivery expected during the first quarter of 2020, the Montreal-based manufacturer said in a news release.

The 125 rail cars are options exercised from a 2013 contract for a total of 200 Bombardier bi-level heavy rail cars, a model that has historically been produced "on time," Metrolinx spokeswoman Anne Marie Aikins wrote in an email.

Bombardier last year began delivering the first 75 bi-level vehicles for Toronto's commuter rail system, the country's largest, said Bombardier spokesman Marc-Andre Lefebvre.

"We are delivering on time right now," he said. "Our actions are our word."
 #1395846  by dowlingm
 
to be fair, the CEM bilevels cab order which will be leading these cars and their older cousins has been rolling along fairly nicely, and the subway order is mostly delivered, albeit with some gripes.

The streetcars are arguably the most complex of the three lines, but where BBD Thunder Bay have mostly faceplanted is in their outrageous production estimates, and now the 1435mm/750V cars are to be built in Millhaven instead.

There is speculation about what this means for electrification which was based on an EMU fleet plus residual diesel for the bits shared with freight - presumably that can has been kicked another couple of years down the road.
 #1395849  by electricron
 
I thought it was obvious they would continue to use the Bombardier BiLevel cars, the only changes to their trains will be the locomotives pushing or pulling them, i.e. replacing diesels locomotives with electric ones.
 #1395885  by electricron
 
The only non compliant double deck EMU manufacturer that submitted bids to Caltrain was Stadler Rail, with their KISS trains.
http://sf.streetsblog.org/2016/07/07/it ... ification/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stadler_KISS" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Latest customer from Russia
https://wwwstadlerrailcom-live-01e96f7. ... 0513_e.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
The longest unit consists of just 6 cars, although they can be multiple up to 4 units.
The entry and exit doors to the cars can be either at a low or high platform level, the Russian trains are at a high platform level.
Here's a Swiss example with low platform level entry and exit doors
https://wwwstadlerrailcom-live-01e96f7. ... z0908e.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I'm aware that other European manufactures build similar double deck EMUs, just that none of them submitted bids to Caltrain, so I would be surprised if they did so for GO.
 #1395930  by bdawe
 
Why's that? They're different countries, different contracting rules, different specs in some likelihood, different domestic content provisions
 #1396871  by dowlingm
 
GO has pinch points on the Kitchener and Lakeshore West where CN continue to own the track and therefore diesel will be needed for now. The Caltrain units will be higher floor units than Bombardier's Caltrain and GO bilevels equipment due to interoperability with California HSR.

We in Canada don't have Buy Canada legislated for transit equipment but some individual RFPs do require it. This allowed Metrolinx to take some SMART DMU options without any fuss or waiver.