In what appears to be a first, the Lisgar GO station in Mississauga is going green.
As of about April 1, if plans stay on track, about 80 per cent of the busy train station's electrical needs will be powered by the wind, courtesy of a brand new turbine that will generate roughly 56,000 kilowatts a day.
GO Transit spokeswoman Jessica Kosmack suggests the turbine's $620,000 price tag will prove a bargain and perhaps become a prototype for other eco-oriented initiatives across the 8,000-kilometre GO network, which comprises 59 rail stations and numerous bus routes.
"Looking at green technology is part of our strategic plan for the next 10 to 15 years," she said.
"We're looking at what makes sense in terms of sustainability and renewable energy."
The turbine is not GO's first venture into the green field.
Earlier this month the doors opened at a new, $45-million bus facility in Streetsville, where about 200 GO buses are serviced and stored.
Billed as the first piece of green transit infrastructure anywhere in the Greater Toronto Area, the bus station contains an automated bus-washing station, 100-plus bus bays, a dispatch depot and a bicycle-storage space, to encourage drivers to cycle to work.
Heated by a geothermal system, it also has a green roof - literally, with plants and grass that both aid the insulation process and generate oxygen.
But the turbine windmill appears to mark the first time any transit system in North America is relying on wind power to service part of its heating and lighting needs.
And there will be no mistaking it: The centre pole stands about 31 metres tall, while the blades are about 15 metres in diameter.
Why Lisgar?
It's all in the wind blowing in from the west, Ms. Kosmack says.
"They did a study of wind levels and wind patterns and that was one of the stations they identified as an excellent location."
The station sits at the intersection of Tenth Line and Argentia Road, near the intersection of Highway 401 and Highway 407. Less than two years old, it serves as a conduit for about 1,300 trips each day, as commuters arrive and depart, with parking space for almost 800 vehicles.
As to its green new face, "It's an obvious fit and it's giving a positive environmental message for people who drive up here," Mississauga Ward 9 councillor Pat Saito told a local newspaper.
No argument there from Ms. Kosmack.
"Mississauga's pretty thrilled and it's good news for GO," she said.
"It's a change in direction."
CORRECTION
A wind-powered turbine that is to supply the Lisgar GO station in Mississauga is expected to produce 56 kilowatts of energy a day. Incorrect information appeared on March 30.