Here’s an update I received about electric trains in Toronto. This is a group dedicated to having the proposed new rail link in Toronto be electric trains, not diesel. This is important, as the proposal calls for over 400 trains per day to roar through Toronto!

-Dave

more info/comments: info@cleantrain.ca

ATTEND: THE CLEAN TRAIN DEMONSTRATION

We demand that Metrolinx NOT purchase diesel trains for the air-rail link to Pearson Airport.

Wednesday, January 26 at 8:30 a.m.

Central YMCA, 20 Grosvenor St

2 blocks north of College St, west of Yonge St

CALL: 416 205 5807 TO LEAVE A MESSAGE FOR CBC RADIO ON THE ELECTRIFICATION.

VOLUNTEER: send your name to info@cleantrain.ca to help deliver flyers in your area.

Policy shift on electric trains is a giant step forward– and the fight is far from over

We just won an INCREDIBLE victory yesterday in the battle for electric trains and healthy transit. The Air Rail Link is now top priority for electrification, and the Georgetown and Lakeshore routes are being recommended to the Province to become the regional electric rail corridors.

Everyone who is part of the Clean Train Coalition should feel proud at the fact that Metrolinx is now admitting that we have been right all along: Electric Trains are the way to GO!

The Electrification Study that CTC compelled them to undertake will set transit policy across Canada, and will advance the case for healthy and sustainable urban transit. These policy discussions will continue into the future, and CTC will be part as the dialogue continues in days to come.

But today our struggle continues. Their plans still include using diesel trains to launch expanded service for the ARL and GO. They are still negotiating the order for buying Diesel Multiple Unit trains for the Air Rail Link, and say these will be converted sometime after they get running. There are serious concerns about noise as well as air pollution: diesel ARL trains would be much louder than electric trains and they would blast their way through our communities every 15 minutes for 20 hours a day!

Do you trust the promise by Metrolinx, when there is no actual plan for conversion of the ARL diesels once they buy them, when the cost of converting from Diesel to Electric is more than buying electric trains up front, and when the only reason driving this is to meet commitments for a 2 week tourist event that adding more bus and train service to the existing GO schedule could handle as effectively? The Pan Am Games are no excuse for inflicting diesel trains on our communities for decades.

We MUST get them to build it right, from the start!

On January 26th the CTC is holding a demonstration in front of the Central YMCA on 20 Grosvenor Street, starting at 8:30 AM. It is an important opportunity to let the Metrolinx Board of Directors and the Provincial Government that there is a gap between words and deeds. We will not stand by silently while the Provincial Government hopes they can sound good for the next election. Talking electric while buying diesel is not good enough, and we vote for electric trains.

CBC radio is taking calls on the electrification, so please call them! Topics can include why diesel, even tier 4 is bad for our health, why diesel trains to the airport pollute more than cars, how incredibly noisy the ‘latest, most modern’ diesel trains are since GO put them online last year, why the Pan Am games ‘green and sustainable’ shouldn’t be the excuse for diesel, why does it now take 22 years to do what in 2001 experts said would take 33 months. Tell your friends. Make this the most called item ever on CBC.

Our Next Steps:

PLEASE ATTEND the CTC Demo, January 26th 8:30am at the Central YMCA before the Metrolinx Board Meeting to demand that Metrolinx purchase electric and not diesel trains for the air-rail link to Pearson Airport. Bring a sign with a positive message, like “GO ELECTRIC NOW!”

PLEASE CALL 416 205 5807 to leave a message for CBC radio on the need for electrification.

PLEASE TELL YOUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBOURS. Delivering flyers locally ensures people in your community get informed and are encouraged to take action. Register at info@cleantrain.ca to help connect your local area.

The Clean Train Coalition is a non-partisan volunteer group that represents the communities along the rail corridor. We believe that a healthy environment and vibrant neighbourhoods depend on smart investment in public transit infrastructure. Build it once, build it right! For more information please see www.cleantrain.

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