Canadian Railway Observations - AMT & GO Commuter

September 2011

AMT - Agence Metropolitaine de Transport

AMT news editor Jean-Francois Turcotte:

amtnews@canadianrailwayobservations.com

In August, AMT donated GP9RM 1311, (ex-CN 4307), EGU 603, (ex-VIA/CN 15402), and former GO Transit Coach 1101 to the CRHA Exporail Museum in St-Constant, QC. (Photo by William Baird)

Richard Marchi submitted his shot of Agence Metropolitaine de Transport (AMT) GP9RM 1311, taken in Montreal near St-Luc Yard, now delivered with the AMT EGU and GO Coach to their new home at the (CRHA) Exporail Museum.

http://harleyrick.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2083727

Alex Tipaldos caught the first AMT ALP-45-DP and Bombardier set following testing under wire and resting at Roxboro on the Deux-Montagnes Line August 18th.

On August 10th, Quebec’s Minister of Transportation (MTQ) slammed a red light in front of AMT’s Train de l’Est, citing massive cost overruns. The project was initially budgeted at 300 million dollars when announced and later reviewed at 435 million dollars after environmental audiences. However, the expected price tag has now skyrocketed to 665 million dollars, prompting the minister to postpone the remaining calls for tender until further notice.

AMT initially announced its intent to add a commuter rail line to Mascouche in the early 2000’s. It would have branched off the Blainville line at St-Martin Jct and used an upgraded Quebec-Gatineau railway line to Mascouche. This simple and direct route was shelved in 2006, with AMT pushing a longer, roundabout route first going through Montreal’s eastern suburbs to Repentigny, then reaching Mascouche by a new rail line running in highway 640’s median.

It appears most of the overrun is related to building this new rail line and its rather problematic insertion onto the highway 640 median, and near a General Dynamics ammunition plant. Had the initial project held through, Mascouche would already be on AMT’s rail map and a separate Train de l’Est line would have served Repentigny, avoiding this expensive and perhaps unneeded rail line built on 640’s median.

The AMT Train de l’Est project will still likely be completed on its current route, as it already is far too advanced to be cancelled outright, but it is now expected to not begin service until 2013 at the earliest.

GO TRANSIT

(GO news Editor Daniel Dell’Unto)

On August 5th, ten GO F59PH’s were moved from GO Willowbrook to VIA TMC (Toronto Maintenance Centre). The ten units, 543, 544, 545, 548, 549, 550, 552, 553, 555, and 556, have been purchased by AMT for Montreal commuter service. All ten have had the GO lettering covered over and number boards removed and these will likely retain the same numbers on the AMT roster.

These 10 locomotives are the first AMT has ever acquired directly from GO. AMT rosters several ex-GO F59PH’s obtained in a long-term lease contract through RB Recycling (CAD), as well as some rebuilt and leased from Railworld These ex-GO (units from Railworld, SLC 526, 530 and 532 are painted in AMT colours).

As well, AMT owns a fleet of the newer EMD F59PHI’s, so adding standard-model F59PH’s acquired from GO will further standardize the AMT motive power roster. With these 10 units now sold, there will be only eight remaining GO F59PHs in this number series (GO 557-564 inclusive). They are in the process of being rebuilt for service expansion duties.

GO is also receiving the last of its recent order for bilevels, cars 2755-2770. They are delivered by CP from Bombardier's Thunder Bay ON plant to CN in Toronto for final delivery to GO. As of late July, deliveries were up to car 2765.

As well, GO is considering purchasing more MP40s (possibly 6) and bilevels (possibly 50 for late 2011) as new trips are being added starting September 8 and the Kitchener service is slated to start up around January 3 with 2 trains in each direction in rush hour service. This will grow to 4 trains when the layover in Kitchener has been completed. In addition, another Barrie train (additional AM run and PM run) will be added September 8 as well.

GO TRANSIT F59PH 559 is one of the few in active service and has left the photographer (Steven Host) in a cloud of diesel exhaust as it races towards Willowbrook yard for layover, after the morning commuter rush at Union Station.

Geezer GO Trip

(Walter E Pfefferle)

August 10th the Geezer Club took its annual GO trip from Aldershot to Toronto Ontario to ride and photograph GO trains. We started in Aldershot and then got off at Danforth to take some photos before re-boarding and heading to Pickering Ontario.

In Pickering we have lunch at Timmies and hang around for a couple hours hoping to catch some CN action off the York sub. There is a new pedestrian bridge being built as can be seen in this photo. New signals have been mounted on it and the old signals will be coming down soon.

We then again boarded GO and headed to the Toronto Roundhouse Museum to catch the trainset used in Railway Children production. It was another enjoyable excursion with good friends and even the weather co-operated.

(All photos Walter E Pfefferle)

Additional photos of the trip can be seen at http://railfan.thegrebs.com/Geezer-Club-GO-Trip

GO TRANSIT VIGNETTE:

On March 1st 1967, CN GP40TC 606 is departing Hamilton Yard for Toronto, ON on a CN freight. As GO trains were not in service yet the 7 GP40TC units painted black with small CN noodle on the cab (whixh would become GO 601 to 607). GO GP40TC 600 was painted in GO colors and was not leased to CN. At the time, CN was leasing them from GO Transit for freight service until the commuter service started in the spring of 1967. (Doug Wingfield Collection with thanks).