There are some pretty damn powerful electric locos out there that with a 6 car bilevel consist could provide nearly the same acceleration profile as an EMU. I wouldnt be surprised if thats the route GO takes at first. Then, as the bilevels reach their EOL, swap them out for EMU's. The purchased electric locos would then replace diesel fleet to the outer fringes of the network like Barrie, as the electrification will be expanded. Its not like they will electrify the entire network all at once.
Power usually isn't the limitation with electric locomotives, it's traction. Pretty much any electric locomotive nowadays will have enough power to spin the wheels while accelerating at low speeds. It's moreso at higher speeds when the full power can actually be opened up. But the first in line for electrification are GO's local services, which will rarely benefit from that high-speed performance. Electric locomotives will definitely be an improvement relative to diesel locos, but I don't think they would come close to EMU's in the local service use case. I hope they can start ordering EMUs as soon as possible, to shift those electric locomotives onto the express services where they much better suited.
From what I've measured here in the Netherlands, the locomotive-hauled trains (consisting of 2 Bombardier Traxx locos + 7 to 9 single-level coaches) accelerate noticeably less quickly from a standstill than the rest of the NS fleet (all EMUs), despite being the most powerful trainsets (15 000 hp). It's only above about 80 km/h that they actually outperform the other rolling stock.
Actually that raises a question, what section does everyone think they will electrify first? My money is on Union to Bramalea.
What do you mean by first? For On Corr contact, are you suggesting there would be staged/phased opening dates for the various lines?
I think it would indeed make sense for the OnCorr consortium to stage the rollout of electrification. Initially focusing resources on a smaller area means that the first electrified segment can start service earlier. The sooner the first segment comes online, the sooner they can stop buying diesel trains and start buying electric trains.
I think the selection of an initial operating segment would have the following criteria:
- It needs to contain an electric train maintenance facility
- It should be as short as practical while still supporting a reasonable service pattern (preferably avoiding turnbacks at Union).
- It needs to include an initial test segment, ideally adjacent to the yard. This would be completed as much as a year earlier than the rest, to enable rolling stock and electrical systems to be tested in practice.
We currently only have one electric-ready maintenance facility, which is Whitby. So the most obvious initial segment would be from Oshawa to Oakville or Burlington, with Pickering-Oshawa serving as the initial test segment.
If they can build the proposed Etobicoke North maintenance facility really quickly, it might be possible to have an initial segment from Pearson to Union, subsequently expanding to Bramalea-Unionville once a second maintenance facility joins the electric network.
I suspect that retrofitting Willowbrook for electric trains will be a fairly lengthy process, so I don't think it would serve as the home base for the first electric trains.
