immediate conversion of the Airport Rail link from diesel to electric power.
TTCriders supports conversion to electric power as a way of
addressing the health and air quality concerns associated with diesel emissions.
Electrification is also an important first step toward transforming the Air Rail
link into a multi-stop rapid transit service.
TAKE ACTION
1. Call or write to the Premier of Ontario, Minister of Transportation and
Infrastructure or your local MPP, and tell them that you do not support the use of diesel powered trains.
Tell them you support conversion of the Airport Rail link to electric power.
Dalton McGuinty, Premier of Ontario - 416-325-1941 or
[email protected]
Bob Chiarelli, Minister of Transportation and Insfrastructure - 416-327-9200
or [email protected]
Your MPP -
Contact Information
2.
Join TTCriders
WHY ARE WE CONCERNED?
The rail line leading towards the airport is one of Toronto’s most important
transportation routes. GO Trains utilizing the line, pass through many different
Toronto communities including Liberty Village, Parkdale, Dundas West, The
Junction, Weston, and Rexdale. In the very near future, the line will host rail
traffic associated with Metrolinx’s Airport-Rail link connecting Union Station
to Pearson International Airport. TTCriders has
two major areas of concern regarding present and future service
along the rail line.
- The Environment and Public Health
GO Transit’s Georgetown trains are already powered by diesel. The addition of
the diesel powered Air-Rail link, running at the frequency of one train every
20 minutes, means more than 400 diesel-powered trains will eventually run
along the line daily. Residents living close to the line are concerned about
the health risks associated with emissions coming from an extraordinary high
volume of diesel trains.
Studies across the globe have pointed to emphysema, asthma, and even lung
cancer as potential adverse effects of excessive exposure to diesel exhaust.
Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health is on record as stating that diesel
exhaust contains toxic chemicals including acetaldehyde, acrolein, benzene,
and 1,3-butadiene. Diesel exhaust also contains a variety of greenhouse gases
such as nitrogen oxide and sulphur oxide. Accordingly, the Medical Officer of
Health suggests that, “electrification of the proposed rail line continues to
be the mitigation option that most clearly addresses the predicted air quality
and health impacts.”
- Improving Transit Service
From a transportation planning perspective, TTCriders is concerned about a
lack of rapid transit in the area. We feel that Metrolinx’s present design for
the Airport-Rail link, with just four stops at Union, Dundas West, Weston and
Pearson Airport, misses a significant opportunity to provide a more
far-reaching transit option.
The communities adjacent to the line including Liberty Village, The Junction
and Rexdale are some of the least serviced in Toronto. TTCriders supports the
alternative vision proposed by City Council for an electrically powered
11-stop rapid transit service. The rapid transit envisioned by council
includes stops in Liberty Village, The Junction, Carleton Village, the 401,
Rexdale, Humber, and Pearson Aiport with important transfers to both the
Bloor-Danforth subway and the future Eglinton Crosstown LRT.
Multi-stop rapid transit service along the rail line would provide fast,
reliable transportation to under-serviced communities and would offer better
connections to both existing and planned transit services. Multi-stop transit
is also expected to be fully integrated with and have comparable fares to the
TTC. More importantly, this alternative would still provide a vital connection
between Pearson International Airport and Union Station, and multiple stops
would benefit a larger majority of Torontonians the currently proposed diesel
plan.
The important first step in mitigating both pollution and insufficient
transit service is the immediate electrification of the Airport Rail
link. This is why TTCriders supports the present private member’s bill asking the
Government of Ontario and Metrolinx to refrain from using diesel. TTCriders
feels that the Government of Ontario should be commended for its commitment to
commuter rail and for exploring alternatives to automobile travel to and from
Pearson International Airport, however the present Airport Rail link plan
requires significant improvement in order to truly meet the needs of the City of
Toronto. We hope that the Government of Ontario recognizes the desire of
Torontonians for better transit and the health hazards associated with excessive
diesel emissions.