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Toronto's Metrolinx recently announced plans to study the electrification of the entire GO Transit rail system.

Metrolinx will establish an external advisory committee comprising community representatives, including riders and independent technical experts, to help the agency address the staging of electrification, performance improvements, power supply and distribution, Union Station capacity, rail corridor ownership, urban planning benefits, vehicle technology options, physical constraints, and impacts on property and GO Transit's capital and operating costs.

"The [long-range transportation plan] recommends future Express Rail service throughout the greater Toronto and Hamilton area, for which electrification is an important element," said Metrolinx Chairman Rob MacIsaac in a prepared statement. "This study is the critical next step."

The study could begin in summer and be completed by winter 2010.

Created in 2006 by the Ontario government, Metrolinx is charged with developing and implementing an integrated multi-modal transportation plan for Toronto, Hamilton and four surrounding municipalities. The government plans to merge GO Transit and Metrolinx to help the agencies more quickly expedite a regional transportation plan.