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Originally Posted by a very long weekend
^ not so great. taking that tunnel away from the other commuter trains and any eventual hsr is pretty unfortunate. also, unlike every other p3 i can think of, there is no term of years so far indicated, so that this train project is looking like it will be private forever, instead of reverting to the public after 30 or whatever years. this is especially disturbing considering that the public will be turning over the autoroute rights of way, the tracks, the bridge right of way, and the tunnel, in addition to contributing 3 billion dollars.
if i were archon of quebec, i'd approve the project as proposed, but sunset it to public ownership after 30-35 years. and if the caisse balked, i'd build the portion south of bonaventure station on public money and drop everything else.
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The only commuter trains using that tunnel are Deux-Montagnes (converted to REM) and Mascouche (transfer at A40). As we know, transfers aren't ideal but they're not the end of the world either, people using the Mascouche line will actually have more destination options now with the Edouard-Montpetit and McGill stations.
As for the HSR, TGF, whatever you wanna call it by VIA, it's a pipe dream. There's nothing concrete in that project, and VIA is dependant on the federal government's money because they have none. If it is completed, the TGF people will need to transfer at the A40 Station to get downtown. Let's face it, it's not ideal, but this is something that is done in many places in Europe and works. Paris has like what, 5 different terminal stations?