Metrolinx says it is working on a plan to potentially renovate a historic train shed at Union Station because it is too small to accommodate new electric GO cars.
The train shed’s ceiling behind Union Station that houses trains is too low and can’t store the new electric trains, which require overhead gear to operate.
The steel arches are too low for the new trains and engineers can’t remove them because the station has been designated a national historic site.
Metrolinx, which operates GO Transit, said Friday it is working on a yet-to-be-unveiled plan to renovate the station in the most “cost-efficient” way possible.
Metrolinx spokesperson Anne Marie Aikins said there are a “variety” of options, including raising the roof a few inches or lowering the rail.
“It’s not a problem, it’s a project that we have to implement, and every project comes with its challenges,” Aikins said. “We did foresee that this was eventually going to come, so much of the renovations we have done at Union Station have incorporated electrification.”
Aikins said Metrolinx “remains committed” to the goal of not shutting down Union Station to passengers during the electrification process. She added that none of the work that has already taken place “has to be undone.”
No cost figures were available yet for the additional renovation project. Aikins said a plan will be unveiled to the public in a few weeks’ time.
The scheduled completion date for electrification of all GO Transit lines is 2024.
