Ricardo Certification named safety assessor for GO Expansion works
Metrolinx has appointed Ricardo Certification, a company based in England, to serve as the independent safety assessor for the GO Expansion project in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.
As the project’s safety assessor, Ricardo will provide independent scrutiny of the program’s safety documentation during its design phase, ensuring it is in full compliance with relevant standards.
Doing so, the company says, will reduce the risk of delays or costly rectification works during the construction, installation and testing phases.
“We are delighted to be awarded this important safety role by Metrolinx,” said certification director Richard Gibney. “This is a complex, multi-faceted program of works, with new rolling stock, a new traction system and extensive infrastructure upgrades which must be designed to the highest safety standards. Using experience of similar projects around the world, we will provide independent assessment to help ensure safety remains at the forefront throughout the key design stages.”
GO Transit's rail network consists of seven lines operating out of Union Station in Toronto, and which is served by an aging fleet powered by diesel locomotives. Infrastructure limitations have imposed a variable timetable across the network, with traffic oriented towards peak rush hour direction. However, rail passenger numbers on GO Transit have steadily risen in recent years: in 2020 the network was carrying over 57 million passengers a year.
The GO Expansion program aims to deliver a faster and more frequent service using modern electric-powered rolling stock. The program also includes new track, signalling and more than 650 kilometres of electrification. The outcome will be a significant increase in services from 3500 trains per week in 2019 to more than 10,000, with services operating at least every 15 minutes. The new fleet is also forecast to cut per-kilometre operating costs in half.
Ricardo teams have been hired to assess whether Metrolinx and ONxpress Transportation Partners have developed relevant safety documentation – including the system definition, system safety plan and safety case – in full compliance with accepted safety standards.
Ricardo Certification is also the first organization to be accredited to ISO/IEC 17020:2012 under Canada’s new Independent Safety Assessor for Railway Systems Accreditation Program.