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Railway electrification in Canada

From EverybodyWiki Bios & Wiki


CN electric multiple units in Montreal, 1987.

Railway electrification in Canada began at the turn of the 20th century and comprised many different systems in many different geographical areas, few of which were connected. Despite this situation, these systems shared a small number of common reasons for electrification.

Most of the systems discussed in this article are either no longer electrified. Most rapid transit, streetcar and interurban systems were electrified very early—many from the beginning—but are not within the scope of this article.

Impetus for Electrification

Long tunnels

Long, deep tunnels provide poor ventilation for steam and diesel locomotives, to the point where crews would have to wear oxygen masks to avoid asphyxiation. The problem of poor ventilation also limited the frequency of trains through these tunnels. The Mount Royal Tunnel in Montreal is a good example.

Mountains

An electric locomotive has many advantages in mountainous terrain, including better traction, greater power at low speeds, no requirements for fuelling or watering, and regenerative braking. BC Rail's Tumblr Ridge subdivision, for example, required electrification to achieve acceptable speeds through the Canadian Rockies.

Traffic density

Extremely high-traffic lines can readily recoup the high capital investment of electrification by the savings accrued during operation. The savings typically result from improved utilization of trains, and lower maintenance costs.

Short-distance commuter operations

Suburban commuter trains are an ideal subject for electrification since electric multiple units possess rapid acceleration, fast braking (sometimes regenerative braking) and the ability to change direction without running a locomotive around. It also reduces diesel locomotive emissions in relatively high-density areas.

Freight operations

Heavy freight trains are ideally suited to electric traction due to the greater pulling power of an electric locomotive.

Overview of electrification in Canada

Current systems

System Route length Electrification Notes
Exo 37.5 km (23.3 mi) 25 kV 60 Hz overhead line Includes
Iron Ore Company of Canada Unknown 25 kV 60 Hz overhead line isolated freight operator
GO Transit Regional Express Rail (future) 262 kilometres (163 mi)* 25 kV overhead line Includes
  • Lakeshore East Line
  • Stouffville Line
  • Barrie Line
  • Inner portions of the Lakeshore West Line and the Kitchener Line

History of electrification projects in Canada

Canadian Northern Railway

Mount Royal Tunnel entrance, 1918.

The Canadian Northern Railway (CNoR) was a railway company founded in 1899 that owned and operated railway lines throughout Canada. In 1908, Canadian Northern began building several lines east from a connection at Capreol, eastward toward Ottawa and then on to Montreal. However, while other railways including Canadian Pacific (CP) and Grand Trunk Railway (GTR) already had prime downtown locations for their terminal stations and mainlines in downtown Montreal, Canadian Northern did not, having only a station out of the way on Moreau Street in Hochelaga.[1]

In 1910, it was decided that the best way for Canadian Northern to get downtown was to drill their way downtown — through Mont Royal — to a new terminal station in the heart of Montreal. Between 1912 and 1918, construction of the double-tracked tunnel started at both ends and met halfway through with only a couple of centimetres difference.

The electrified (2400 V DC catenary), double-track 3.2 mi (5.15 km) tunnel was dubbed Montreal's first subway upon completion in 1918. Because the tunnel is on a steep grade and inadequately ventilated, it was decided from the very beginning that the locomotives would be electric. The ventilation shaft is located SW of the intersection of Édouard-Montpetit Boulevard and Vincent-d'Indy Avenue very close to the Édouard-Montpetit Metro Station. The first train was pulled by electric locomotive #601 (retired as #6711), which left Tunnel Terminal at 8:30 a.m. on 21 October 1918.[2][3][4]

In 1923, Canadian Northern went bankrupt and was absorbed into Canadian National Railways.

Grand Trunk Railway

Electric-powered St. Clair locomotive, 1908.

The Grand Trunk Railway (GTR) was a railway company that owned and operated railways throughout Eastern Canada between 1865 and 1923. In 1891, the GTR and its American subsidiary the Grand Trunk Western Railroad constructed the St. Clair Tunnel. The 1.84 km tunnel ran beneath the St. Clair River, linking the communities of Sarnia, Ontario and Port Huron, Michigan.

Steam locomotives were used in the early years to pull trains through the tunnel, however concerns about the potential dangers of suffocation should a train stall in the tunnel led to the installation of catenary wires for electric locomotives by 1907.[5] The first use of electric locomotives through the tunnel in regular service occurred on 17 May 1908. The locomotives were built by Baldwin-Westinghouse.[6]

In 1923, the GTR was nationalized by Canada's federal government, which then merged the bankrupt railway into the recently formed Canadian National Railway.

Canadian National Electric Railways

CN Boxcab Electric pulling several CN electric multiple units into downtown Montreal, 1979.

Canadian National Electric Railways (CNER) was a subsidiary of Canadian National Railways formed in November 1923 to operate a few electric lines CNR inherited from Canadian Northern and the Grand Trunk Railway. CNER inherited significant portions of the Canadian Northern Railways network, most notably the Mount Royal Tunnel in Montreal and the suburban line between Tunnel Terminal in downtown Montreal and Deux-Montagnes, as well as Canadian Northern's fleet of General Electric boxcab electrics that were used to traverse the Mount Royal Tunnel.[7][8][9] CNER also inherited the St. Clair Tunnel and several Baldwin-Westinghouse electric locomotives from the Grand Trunk Railway. CNER continued operations along all of these lines as normal.

In 1943, Canadian Northern's Tunnel Terminal was replaced by Montreal Central Station. CNER also added several electric multiple units from the Canadian Car and Foundry to their fleet in 1952, were often used to pull VIA Rail's trains, including its diesel-electric locomotives, to and from Montreal Central Station.[10][11]

Following the retirement of the electric locomotives used to traverse the short St. Clair Tunnel in 1958 in favour of newer diesel-powered locomotives, electrification across Canada was restricted to Montreal. The electrified railways of the city extended from Montreal Central Station to Saint-Lambert (south), Turcot (west), Montréal-Nord (east) and Saint-Eustache-sur-le-lac, later renamed Deux-Montagnes, (north). But as steam locomotives gave way to diesels, engine changeovers were no longer necessary, and catenaries was eventually pulled from the west, east and from the south, leaving their supports to rust.[12]

By the 1980s, CN's services in Montreal dwindled down to one route. The Société de transport de la communauté urbaine de Montréal (STCUM), or Montreal Urban Community Transportation Corporation (MUCTC), which already managed Metro and bus services across the Island of Montreal, assumed management of CN's Deux-Montagnes commuter service in 1982 as the two railways began scaling back their services.

The last 2,400 V DC CN electric locomotive ran on 6 June 1995, the very same locomotive that pulled the inaugural train through the Mount Royal Tunnel back in 1918. CN dissolved its electric railways subsidiary that same year.[13] CN continued to own all trackage and infrastructure along the Deux-Montagnes line, as well as the Mount Royal Tunnel, until 2014.[14]

Iron Ore Company of Canada

Since 1962, the Iron Ore Company of Canada (IOC) has operated a short electrified railway that hauls raw iron ore from their Carol Lake mine near Labrador City to a processing plant. The company owns nine GMD SW1200MG electric locomotives and operates them to this day.[15][16]

Tumbler Ridge

A retired BC Rail GMD GF6C. Note the extended pantograph on the roof of the locomotive.

In 1983, BC Rail began operating an electrified railway to serve the Quintette and Bull-Moose coal mines along its Tumbler Ridge subdivision. Electrification was chosen because of the subdivision's long, non-ventilated tunnels, steep grades, and sharp curves. Coal was hauled from these two mines to an interchange with CN, where diesel power took over to haul the coal to Prince Rupert where it was loaded onto deep-sea coal carrier ships.[17] BC Rail ordered seven GMD GF6C electric locomotives for the railway, which were delivered between 1983 and 1984.[18]

A combination of the declining coal market, and lack of coal being produced from the Quintette mine led to the electric system being shut down due to low traffic, and high maintenance costs. The system transferred over to diesel hauled trains after the last electrically hauled train left the Teck loadout (Bull-moose mine) on 1 October 2000.[19]

Exo

Exo MR-90 train arriving at Montpellier station, 2008.

In 1997, management and financing of both lines was transferred to the newly created Agence métropolitaine de transport (AMT), which had been established to distribute funding and coordinate transportation planning among the numerous transit operators throughout Greater Montreal. Later that year, the AMT inaugurated service between Blainville and Jean-Talon (now Parc) train station in Montreal's Park Extension district, connecting to the Metro at Parc . Originally, the service was designed to provide a temporary alternative for motorists from Laval and the North Shore of Montreal, while the Highway 117 Dufresne Bridge was being repaired. The service proved to be so popular that the AMT continued to fund it, and even extended a number of trains to the Lucien-L'Allier station downtown in 1999, and continues to provide off-peak daytime weekday service on this line. The service was extended further north to Saint-Jérôme in 2007.

In 2008, Exo ordered a fleet of 20 new ALP-45DP dual-modal locomotives and were delivered between 2011 and 2014. The locomotives are for use on the Vaudreuil-Hudson line, Saint-Jérôme line, Mont-Saint-Hilaire line, and  Mascouche line to Montreal Central Station via the 25 kV AC electrified Mount Royal Tunnel.

In 2014, the AMT acquired the entire Deux-Montagnes line from CN, including the right of way, infrastructure, trackage, other railway equipment, grounds, curb lanes, rights in the Mount Royal tunnel and air rights, in a $97 million transaction.[14]

On 1 June 2017, the AMT was disbanded to become Exo, the new agency in charge of operating commuter rail and metropolitan bus services, while the Autorité régionale de transport became in charge of managing, integrating and planning public transportation in Greater Montreal.

On December 31, 2020 the Deux-Montagnes line was closed to be converted into an automated light rail system, effectively ending Exo commuter rail service through the Mount Royal Tunnel. The Mascouche, which uses the tunnel, now instead terminates at Ahuntsic and run off diesel for the entirety of its length. The transition marked the end of electrified passenger rail service in Montreal.[20]

Future

GO Transit Regional Express Rail

Map of proposed GO Transit RER services.

Regional Express Rail (RER), also known as GO Expansion, is a project to improve GO Transit train service by adding all-day, two-way service to the Barrie line and the inner portions of the Kitchener line and the Stouffville line, and by increasing frequency of train service on various lines to as often as every 15 minutes on five of the corridors. This would be achieved with the full electrification of the Lakeshore East line and the Barrie line and the electrification of the inner portions of the Lakeshore West line, the Kitchener line, and the Stouffville line. RER is one of the Big Move rapid transit projects.[21]

RER goals would be achieved with the electrification of core sections of the GO Transit train system, as follows:[22]

RER will operate 4-car, bi-level electric multiple unit (EMU) sets which would be coupled to form 8- and 12-car trains. To reduce operating costs, smaller 4-car trains will run during periods of lighter demand, such as on weekends. GO Transit's existing fleet of unpowered bi-level cars will be used to operate many peak services, but will be pulled by electric locomotives, in a similar manner to SEPTA Regional Rail. EMUs cost less to operate than 12-car diesel trains and have faster acceleration. Journey times can be reduced significantly with electric traction depending on the route, stopping pattern and equipment.[23]

The electrified network will ultimately extend to 262 route-km (163 route-miles) with six traction substations and 11 traction distribution facilities (switching or paralleling stations).[24]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "The CNoR in Port Hope". www.porthopehistory.com. Retrieved 2019-09-19.
  2. ↑ "Une virée dans le puits de ventilation du tunnel Mont-Royal". www.emdx.org. Retrieved 2019-09-19.
  3. ↑ "Le tunnel, à l'arrivée du puits de ventilation et explication historique". www.emdx.org. Retrieved 2019-09-19.
  4. ↑ Magder, Jason; October 21, Montreal Gazette Updated; 2018 (2018-10-20). "100th anniversary: Fulfilling the dream of the Mount Royal Tunnel | Montreal Gazette". Retrieved 2019-09-19.
  5. ↑ "Wayback Machine". 2007-08-09. Archived from the original on 2007-08-09. Retrieved 2019-09-19.
  6. ↑ American Railway Association, (Division V - Mechanical) (1922). Wright, Roy V.; Winter, Charles, eds. Locomotive Cyclopedia of American Practice (6th ed.). New York, NY: Simmons-Boardman Publishing. p. 923. OCLC 6201422. Search this book on
  7. ↑ John M. Mills (1967). Niagara, St. Catherines & Toronto. Upper Canada Railway Society & Ontario Electric Railray Historical Association. pp. 14: Canadian National Electric Railways. Search this book on
  8. ↑ "The Doorway to Canada - Railway Wonders of the World". www.railwaywondersoftheworld.com. Retrieved 2019-09-19.
  9. ↑ Brown, Ron (2008-04-21). The Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore: An Illustrated History of Railway Stations in Canada. Dundurn. ISBN 9781550027945. Search this book on
  10. ↑ Murray, Tom (2011-03-07). Rails Across Canada: The History of Canadian Pacific and Canadian National Railways. Voyageur Press. ISBN 9781610601399. Search this book on
  11. ↑ "Items of interest" (PDF). Canadian Rail (28). September–October 1952. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2019-12-16.
  12. ↑ Magder, Jason; October 21, Montreal Gazette Updated; 2018 (2018-10-20). "100th anniversary: Fulfilling the dream of the Mount Royal Tunnel | Montreal Gazette". Retrieved 2019-09-19.
  13. ↑ Murray, Tom (2011-03-07). Rails Across Canada: The History of Canadian Pacific and Canadian National Railways. Voyageur Press. ISBN 9781610601399. Search this book on
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 L’AMT FAIT L’ACQUISITION DE LA LIGNE DE TRAINS DE BANLIEUE DEUX-MONTAGNES Archived 2014-03-04 at the Wayback Machine (In French)
  15. ↑ "IOC GMD SW1200MG Technical Leaflet (Fr)" (PDF). epfl.ch. Retrieved 2019-09-19.
  16. ↑ "The Iron Ore Company of Canada through the Years - Compagnie minière IOC". www.ironore.ca. Retrieved 2019-09-20.
  17. ↑ Marre, Louis A, & Pinkepank, Jerry A. (1989). The Contemporary Diesel Spotter's Guide. Kalmbach Publishing Co., Milwaukee, WI. ISBN 0-89024-088-4 Search this book on ..
  18. ↑ Marre, Louis A, & Pinkepank, Jerry A. (1989). The Contemporary Diesel Spotter's Guide. Kalmbach Publishing Co., Milwaukee, WI. ISBN 0-89024-088-4 Search this book on ..
  19. ↑ Dale Sanders (December 2000). An Electrified Finale. CTC Board. p. 29. Search this book on
  20. ↑ Magder, Jason; February 28, Montreal Gazette Updated; 2019 (2019-03-01). "REM mitigation measures for two years of closing Mount Royal Tunnel | Montreal Gazette". Retrieved 2019-09-20.
  21. ↑ "GO Expansion". Metrolinx.com. Retrieved November 25, 2018.
  22. ↑ Metrolinx (2015). "GO RER Initial Business Case Summary" (PDF). Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  23. ↑ Metrolinx (2015). "GO RER Initial Business Case - Full Report" (PDF). Retrieved 2016-04-04.
  24. ↑ Barrow, Keith (February 11, 2016). "Metrolinx sets Toronto RER options". Railway Age. Simmons-Boardman Publishing Inc. Retrieved 2016-04-02.

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