DB bags Canadian contract worth tens of billions

Image: Wikimedia commons/By GTD Aquitaine - Own work, Public Domain

Deutsche Bahn International Operations (DB IO) will plan, operate and maintain the GO regional rail public transportation network in Toronto and the wider province of Ontario. The contract has a duration of 25 years and carries a value of “tens of billions” of euros, DB announced on Wednesday.

For the job, DB IO will head the ONxpress Transportation Partners consortium, which also includes Alstom, the Aecon Group and FCC Construcció. The consortium will be responsible for a complete overhaul of the GO rail network in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA), which has a total length of 450 kilometres.

The revamp, dubbed the GO Rail Expansion – On-Corridor Works project, is intended to make the network faster, more reliable and more sustainable. To that end, the network will be shifted from a mostly diesel-powered railway to a primarily electrified one.

“The transportation project is considered the most significant in Canadian history. Rail traffic around the metropolis of Toronto is being redesigned from the ground up. This order is unique. There is nothing comparable in Germany and Europe”, DB Infrastructure board member Ronald Pofalla said of the plans.

New electric locomotives, updates for existing rolling stock

Alstom, on its part, will deliver new electric locomotives, train control systems, a new traction power system and an overhead catenary system. Additionally, the existing Co Transit-designed Bombardier BiLevel Coaches will receive an upgrade. The same applies to the signalling systems, telecommunications systems and other digital equipment.

With an estimated project value of close to 16 billion dollars (14,74 billion euros), the GO Rail Expansion – On-Corridor Works project is the second-most expensive project in Canada at the moment.

GO Rail’s electrification status. Image: Ontario Government

Further reading:

Author: Nick Augusteijn

Former Chief Editor of RailTech.com

Add your comment

characters remaining.

Log in through one of the following social media partners to comment.