Aecon Group Inc. announced that ONxpress Transportation Partners has been identified by Infrastructure Ontario (IO) and Metrolinx as the First Negotiations Proponent to design, build, operate and maintain the GO Rail Expansion - On-Corridor Works project in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). The project will electrify and transform the GO rail network into a system that will deliver two-way, all-day service. ONxpress Transportation Partners is a consortium comprised of Aecon, FCC Construcción S.A. (FCC), Deutsche Bahn International Operations GmbH and Alstom.

Aecon holds a 50% interest in a civil joint venture with FCC, which is undertaking the construction, and a 28% interest in a 25-year operations and maintenance partnership with Deutsche Bahn International Operations. Identification of the First Negotiations Proponent is the first step in the negotiations process. Upon successful conclusion of the process, ONxpress Transportation Partners would proceed towards Commercial Close, which is expected in the coming months.

Early works and a two-year collaborative development phase are expected to commence in the second quarter of 2022, with operations and maintenance anticipated to commence in the second quarter of 2024.