GO Transit’s Pickering station has attained LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) gold certification in the category of New Construction and Major Renovations. It is the first passenger station in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area to achieve this rating.

“GO Transit is making a conscious effort to go green,” says the transit system’s president, Gary McNeil. “We are pushing ourselves to reach higher levels in environmental sustainability when it comes to the design, construction and operation of our new station buildings and facilities.”

The certification follows the completion of the station’s rehabilitation. New passenger amenities and eco-friendly features, which will result in a 60 per cent savings in annual energy consumption, were added as part of the project. These include a ground source heat pump, a heat recovery unit and low-flow plumbing fixtures. During construction, a waste management plan was implemented that resulted in diverting 80 per cent of construction waste from landfill.