The fast rail link between Pearson Airport and Union Station will go ahead - but without SNC Lavalin.
The Ontario government has instead ordered Metrolinx, which had been charged with building and maintaining the rail link itself, to also take over operations from the Union Pearson Air Link Group. That group is a subsidiary of SNC-Lavalin, which had originally been slated to operate the shuttle service between the downtown and the airport. But negotiations between the province and the Union Pearson group failed to bear fruit.A news release from Infrastructure Ontario said that "financial market conditions prevented acceptable terms."As a result, every aspect of the link will be in the hands of Metrolinx and its subsidiary GO Transit. According to Metrolinx spokesperson Vanessa Thomas, it's uncertain exactly what this will mean in terms of cost of operations, but the province will be able to make use of the design and development work already done by SNC Lavalin. "From what I understand there is an opportunity for the province to really capitalize on design and development work that UPALG have undertaken to date," she said. "And it's important to note that we remain committed to delivering a dedicated rail connection between Pearson Airport and Union Station in time for the Pan Am Games. We're excited about this opportunity and we're committed to taking cars off the road and providing customers with another option to driving their car to the airport."One thing that remains unclear is whether this shift will make the prospect of electrification along the line any more likely.Community groups, local politicians and city health officials have raised concerns the frequency of diesel-powered trains travelling along the route will cause health problems for those who live near the tracks.Thomas said Metrolinx is continuing to study electrification and other alternatives. She pointed out that electrification is a complicated process."All those things would have to be worked out," she said. "It would ultimately be up to the province to decide whether to electrify or not."