Environment Minister John Gerretsen is attaching 18 strict conditions to the approval for new rail services planned by Metrolinx in the Greater Toronto Area.

Metrolinx has been given the green light for expansion of the GO Transit Georgetown South rail corridor and new rail service between Union Station and Pearson International Airport, as part of the Regional Transportation Plan for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA).

This project would improve air quality by shifting people from cars to state-of-the-art diesel trains.  The engines on these trains would meet the toughest emission standards when new technology is expected to be commercially available.

This means that the trains that will go through Weston each day would have the newest technology, resulting in approximate reductions of 90 per cent particulate matter and 80 percent nitrogen oxides over current engines.    

The Georgetown expansion is part of the GO Transit Rail Improvement Program (GO TRIP), a $1-billion expansion initiative funded by the federal and provincial governments and local municipalities through the Canada Strategic Infrastructure Fund.

To ensure the rail line expansions are operated in a way that protects human health, the 18 conditions on its approval require Metrolinx to:

• Conduct further studies regarding predicted human health risks from train traffic, develop mitigation measures for unacceptable risks that are identified, and implement those measures after they are approved by the Ministry of the Environment (MOE).

• Develop and implement an ambient air monitoring and reporting plan in consultation with the public.  Metrolinx will be required to report the results to the MOE and make the data publicly available.