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January 28, 2025|Commuter/Regional

Ontario Northland Secures Bilevel Overhaul Contract for GO Transit

Written by Marybeth Luczak, Executive Editor
“We were pleased to host Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria MPP Minister Victor Fedeli, Mayor Peter Chirico and Rob Sherrin at Ontario Northland’s Remanufacturing and Repair Centre to announce a new contract to refurbish 121 Go Transit bi-level rail cars,” Ontario Northland reported via LinkedIn on Jan. 28. (Ontario Northland Photograph)
“We were pleased to host Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria MPP Minister Victor Fedeli, Mayor Peter Chirico and Rob Sherrin at Ontario Northland’s Remanufacturing and Repair Centre to announce a new contract to refurbish 121 Go Transit bi-level rail cars,” Ontario Northland reported via LinkedIn on Jan. 28. (Ontario Northland Photograph)
The Ontario, Canada government on Jan. 27 reported that it is investing more than C$350 million to refurbish 121 GO Transit bilevel commuter railcars at Ontario Northland’s Remanufacturing and Repair Center in North Bay.

The investment is said to support the province’s GO Expansion program, which aims to deliver two-way, all-day service to Oshawa, Burlington, Kitchener, Stouffville and Barrie.

This is the second contract awarded this month for GO Transit bilevel refurbishment, which will extend each car’s service life by 20 years. Alstom on Jan. 15 reported signing a framework agreement to overhaul 181 bilevels for GO Transit, a division of Metrolinx, at its Thunder Bay, Ontario facility. That contract is valued at approximately C$500 million.

All 302 refurbished cars will be equipped with new interior finishings, such as seating, flooring, walls, and ceilings, as well as upgraded washrooms, electrical outlets with USB ports, and new doors and HVAC control systems.

GO Transit has a total of 979 bilevels, which were manufactured in Thunder Bay between 1978 and 2021.  

(Ontario Northland Photograph)

“Metrolinx and Ontario Northland are strong partners with shared ambitions to progress transit for the province,” Metrolinx interim President and CEO Michael Lindsay said. “We are fortunate to work with Ontario Northland and build on that exceptional partnership through this initiative, which will benefit GO riders for years to come and support the growth of our future rail capacity.”

Ontario Northland is already refurbishing 13 F59 locomotives that the province said it recently purchased from Metrolink in Southern California. These 13 additional units are slated to provide GO Transit with operational support and spare parts for the existing fleet.

 Metrolink 865 (SPTX) enroute to Ontario Northland North Bay for refurbishing for Metrolinx (operator of GO Transit). Photographed in Milton, Ontario, Dec. 28, 2024. (Caption and Photograph Courtesy of Stephen C. Host)

“We look forward to continuing to work with the government of Ontario and Metrolinx on these important refurbishment projects,” Ontario Northland CEO Chad Evans said. “Our commitment to excellence continues to attract business to our Remanufacturing and Repair Center that has resulted in job creation and job stability for our employees and continues to drive economic growth throughout the region.”