First of 13 power stations ready to go on $1.4-billion Mississauga light rail line

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Published March 30, 2023 at 1:17 pm

Image shows the first of 13 power substations to be installed along the Hazel McCallion Line. (Image: Metrolinx)

Motorists travelling along Hurontario St. south of Derry Rd. in Mississauga the last few weeks may have noticed what appears to be a large black train car that has been erected just to the west of the busy commuter route.

The rectangular structure, which sits at Hurontario St. and Skyway Dr., is the first of 13 traction power substations (TPSS) that will pop up in the coming months along the $1.4-billion Hazel McCallion light rail transit (LRT) line.

It was installed on March 8.

Essentially, the “power boxes” will supply power to make the trains run along the 18-kilometre Hazel McCallion Line, scheduled to open to passengers in fall 2024 and run between Port Credit GO station in south Mississauga and Brampton.

“Each TPSS will be connected to utilities and convert alternating current into 750-volt direct current that will run through the overhead wires and power the line,” officials with Metrolinx, the provincial agency overseeing the huge transit project, said this week in an online project update.

They add that installation of the remaining dozen stations will happen gradually along the line in the coming months, with priority given to the heart of the route from Matheson Blvd. to the Operations, Maintenance and Storage Facility (OMSF) located on the Mississauga/Brampton border.

The first power substation after it was installed in early March. (Photo: Metrolinx)

The OMSF will be the hub of the new transit line, featuring a repair shop, vehicle cleaning facility, and material storage and capacity for 42 light rail vehicles.

Project leaders say the TPSS structures are air-conditioned and, therefore, emit a low humming noise similar to a residential air conditioner.

“They are designed to fit in seamlessly with the surrounding environment and can be found in neighbourhoods throughout the GTA and North America,” Metrolinx officials say, adding the stations will be regularly monitored by trained professionals once they’re up and running.

The next two power substations are expected to be installed by this summer, at Hurontario St./Britannia Rd. and Hurontario St./Topflight Dr.

When completed, the 19-stop Hazel McCallion Line will link to GO stations at Port Credit and Cooksville, the Mississauga Transitway, Square One GO Bus Terminal, Brampton Gateway Terminal, and key MiWay and Brampton Transit routes.

An important and “very cool” part of the LRT taking shape near Mississauga’s downtown core was the subject of an earlier project update.

Officials overseeing the massive transit project describe what’s happening just east of Square One Shopping Centre as “a very cool piece of urban infrastructure.”

Technically, it’s known as the elevated guideway, which will eventually connect the LRT route to the City Centre stop near Square One.

Meanwhile, City of Mississauga officials remain hopeful that a downtown core loop that would conveniently connect Hazel McCallion Line trains with the many condos in Mississauga’s downtown will once again be part of the huge project.

It was initially part of the plan before being cut from the project by the provincial government three years ago as a way to save money.

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