Overview
Buildings & Fleet
Programs & Community
Overview
Being a responsible corporate citizen is an essential part of the
business of Metrolinx. Following the three pillars of our guiding plan –
a strong economy, a cleaner environment and healthier communities – we
are designing and building LEED certified facilities, adopting new,
cleaner technologies, reducing resource use in our own operations,
offering the community environmentally friendly transportation
alternatives and conducting fundraising activities for community
organizations.
Not content to rest on past successes, we are also setting the bar
even higher for ourselves in the future. By 2016, we will have
implemented a Sustainability Framework. As part of this, we will track
our energy and water use, our emissions and waste generation and set new
and ambitious targets to reduce our environmental footprint. By
committing to LEED certification for all our new facilities,
retrofitting our existing facilities, increasing our production of
renewable energy, and identifying new ways to reduce fuel use from our
fleets, we will continue to reduce our emissions, energy and water use
from facilities and per passenger carried.
We are also working towards becoming full signatories of the
International Association of Public Transport’s Charter for Sustainable
Development and plan to attain Gold status under the American Public
Transportation Association’s Sustainability Commitment.
Building & Fleet
GO Transit is moving towards using Tier 4
diesel trains, which will be the cleanest
standard in the industry. It is anticipated they
will be in use by 2015.
Also within our train services, the Air Rail Link (ARL) between
Toronto Pearson and Union Station will connect the busiest airport in
Canada with the busiest rail and transit hub, carrying two million
passengers each year. Not only will the service reduce car trips – the
equivalent of taking 1.2 million car trips off our roads in the first
year of operation – but the ARL vehicles will be convertible to electric
locomotives in the future.
Not only are we “greening” our fleet, we are also making our
buildings more environmentally-friendly each year.
Pickering Station was designed and constructed to meet Silver LEED
certification and includes features like geothermal heating.
Our maintenance facilities – Streetsville, Halton Hills and Brampton
– were all constructed to a Silver LEED standard.
We have been including environmentally-friendly design features in
our parking structures too, such as white reflective roof membranes; LED
lighting; light harvesting; storm water management systems with
infiltration chambers and bioswales.
Programs & Community
Metrolinx is providing alternative transportation and commuting
options for people in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA).
We estimate that by 2016, 18 million GO passengers will access
stations by local transit, walking and cycling. One way we are helping
is by making it easier than ever for passengers using GO Trains or GO
Buses to ride their bikes. Many stations have facilities for locking up
bikes. And the entire GO Bus fleet is equipped with bike racks so our
passengers can ride to and from the stations.
Metrolinx also helps local employers and commuters explore different
choices like carpooling, cycling and transit through the Smart Commute
program. Our goal is to ease gridlock, improve air quality and reduce
greenhouse gas emissions while making commutes less expensive and more
enjoyable. To date, 255 employers with more than 608,000 employees have
signed on to the program.
The Stepping It Up project encourages the use of active and
sustainable travel options at schools, such as walking, cycling, and
carpooling for students and staff. Metrolinx plans to broaden the
program to offer it to all Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area school
boards in the future.
We also have a proven record of supporting important community
organizations through an annual United Way campaign and corporate
fundraising for the Canadian Red Cross’ disaster relief efforts.