It was Premier Wynne out front Friday to announce a $13.5-billion expansion of the Toronto-region GO rail system, an investment which Globe and Mail writer Oliver Moore says “leaves little money for other transit projects around the region.” As to specifics, it appears it may take seven or eight years before Mayor Tory’s Smart Track system will be electrified. It could still run with the present diesel units but there would not be any point in buying new such engines. During the campaign last year Tory promised to have his proposal running within seven years but frankly this far out it is foolish to argue about a year or two. According to Mr.Moore’s story at the end of five years there will be nearly 700 more trains running each week. That translates into a roughly 40 per cent increase in the number of trains on weekdays, the bulk of it at off-peak times. Service on the weekend will jump by more than 140 per cent.
