Alstom funding announcement for GO coaches refurbishment - (CJ Goater/Acadia Broadcasting)
More Go Transit bi-level rail coaches are officially being modernized at the Alstom Plant in Thunder Bay.
The provincial government is investing just under $500 million to refurbish 181 coaches.
“As Ontario continues to grow, our government is investing in made-in-Ontario solutions to ensure our public transit network grows with it,” said Minister of Transportation, Prabmeet Sarkaria. “The refurbishing of the bi-level 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.”
The refurbished coaches will be equipped with new seating, doors, flooring, walls and ceilings, upgraded newly accessible washrooms, updated electrical outlets with USB ports and new HVAC control systems.
The province says this will extend the service life of the coaches by 20 years which will help support the planned expansion at GO.
Alstom is thrilled with the funding, as it will allow them to do more.
“Fleets are aging across Canada and asset life management capabilities are going to be critical in order to reach all of the transit goals across Canada,” explained Alstom North America, Vice President of Services, Josée Ouellet. “This extra volume gives us the line of sight that we need to be able to invest in the tools, and the processes to raise the size expertise to really become the number one choice for all transit agencies in Canada who are facing challenges to maintain their ageing fleets in a state of good repair.”
Go Transit owns 979 coaches that were made in Thunder Bay between 1978 and 2021.
“Thousands of these cars were built in this facility by this workforce or maybe their parents and these cars have been out there for 50 years,” added Ouellet. “It’s great to see them now return and to be able to give them a second life. Over the last 25 years, we’ve also maintained and operated the complete GO Transit fleet and there’s 1200 employees that work each day to deliver a high level of customer service for Metrolinx and its passengers.”
