TOareaFan
Superstar
It's possible it could be done by then.
If the funding report is on time this summer and if that new revenue stream is approved of quickly (Spring 2014 budget) then the ARL could be electrified by 2017. It wouldn't take more than a year to ground everything in the corridor and union station and put up overhead.
The question is, do all the bridges between the airport and Union have the necessary clearance? Bathurst and Highway 427 are the only 2 I can think of which haven't been touched recently and both appear from a distance to be fine.
Kitchener would require a lot more work but ARL electrification could be completed in 3 years.
If the Liberals and NDP vote in the new revenue stream then they will both want as many contracts as possible active during the election both to make themselves look good and to make it much more difficult for the opponent to remove them as part of the election.
If they wait for new taxation to be their mandate (voted in by public) then yeah, it's not happening by 2017.
So, are you suggesting that all this talk of revenue streams being needed to expand the public transit system for the benefit of the citizens of Toronto/GTA and the first thing they will do is electrify the ARL (not the GO train sharing part of the corridor but the ARL)?
That will be a sure fire way to get all the citizens of Toronto/GTA fired up about the new expense streams they have to support transits new revenue streams