Regional Express Rail (RER) is a project to improve GO Transit train service by adding all-day, two-way service to the Barrie line and the inner portions of the Kitchener line and the Stouffville line, and by increasing frequency of train service on various lines to as often as every 15 minutes on five of the corridors. This would be achieved with the full electrification of the Lakeshore East line and the Barrie line and the electrification of the inner portions of the Lakeshore West line, the Kitchener line, and the Stouffville line.
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RER is one of the Big Move rapid transit projects.
With RER, GO Transit will increase the number of train trips per week from 1,500 (as of 2015) to about 2,200 by 2020. Most of the extra trips will be in the off-peak hours and on weekends. By the time its electrification program is completed around 2024, there will be 6,000 weekly trips. The 10-year regional express rail plan will cost $13.5 billion, and will require 150 kilometres (93 mi) of new track including new bridges and tunnels.
Electrification
RER goals would be achieved with the electrification of core sections of the GO Transit train system, as follows:
RER will operate 4-car, bi-level electric multiple unit (EMU) sets which would be coupled to form 8- and 12-car trains. To reduce operating costs, smaller 4-car trains will run during periods of lighter demand, such as on weekends. GO Transit's existing fleet of unpowered bi-level cars will be used to operate many peak services, but will be pulled by electric locomotives. EMUs cost less to operate than 12-car diesel trains and have faster acceleration. Journey times can be reduced significantly with electric traction depending on the route, stopping pattern and equipment.
The electrified network will ultimately extend to 262 route-km (163 route-miles) with six traction substations and 11 traction distribution facilities (switching or paralleling stations).
Proposed frequencies
Metrolinx proposes the following service levels along the GO train network:
Two-way, all-day 15-minute service:
Two-way 60-minute service:
Peak period, peak direction service on weekdays:
Express service:
Background
GO Transit has historically offered two-way, all-day service along its Lakeshore East and Lakeshore West lines, while only providing peak rush hour service on its other lines. The Big Move outlines the building of express and regional rail service improvements across the existing GO Transit network. Other improvements included extensions to Hamilton and Bowmanville, as well as new GO Transit corridors to Bolton, Seaton and Locust Hill.
As part of the Ontario general election, 2011, Premier Dalton McGuinty also made a campaign pledge to provide two-way, all-day train service on all corridors. The vision of two-way, full-day train service on all corridors eventually included electrification of the system, and was renamed Regional Express Rail.
As part of the Phase 2 announcement, Metrolinx stated that the Kitchener and Lakeshore lines would be electrified, as well as the Union Pearson Express.
With RER, Metrolinx expects to nearly double ridership to 127 million riders per year by about 2029 from 65.7 million in 2015.
SmartTrack
SmartTrack is a proposed Regional Express Rail surface line to run mostly within the City of Toronto. It was proposed by John Tory during his successful mayoral campaign in 2014. The SmartTrack proposal depends on electrification of the Stouffville and Kitchener corridors where SmartTrack service would run.