Type Rapid transit Termini HamiltonOshawa Services 2 | Stations 25+ | |
Locale Greater Toronto, Ontario | ||
GO ALRT (Government of Ontario Advanced Light Rail Transit) was a light rail system proposed by GO Transit in 1982. The ARLT 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 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.
Contents
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
The proposed line would have used a modified version of the Urban Transportation Development Corporation's ICTS car. 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 of 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.
Stations
List of some the planned stations on the ALRT routes:
Cancellation
The GO-ALRT program died at the hand of the Peterson government in 1985, but there are other factors that were considered:
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.