West Gatineau Tramway & Downtown Loop | Proposed

[Multi-modal]

I agree with Alymer. If we are taking this project in isolation, then the tunnel makes more sense, surface rail is a vanity project, and the loop doesn't have enough of a use-case to warrant its development.

However, if you take a long-term perspective on this, the loop effectively doubles capacity and provides a number of tie-in points for future surface LRT lines to integrate the downtown core. Potential projects could be a converted Rapibus via Allumettières/Alexandra, Bank Street, Rideau-Montreal, or Carling via Queen Elizabeth/Elgin. None of these projects are politically or financially feasible within the next 30 years or so, but they become much more attractive as potential projects with a downtown circulation system already built and ready to support additional demand.

As for why not surface on Sparks or Queen?

- Surface sparks is a challenge to get from the Portage/Wellington intersection to at-grade at Bay Street. You have to destroy Sparks Street west of Bay and/or the Garden of the Provinces and Territories. You could also go Wellingto -> Lyon -> Sparks, but that involves a back-to-back 90 degree curves that would be loud and have maintenance issues.

- Surface Queen Street would also have issues with getting to it at-grade, but it has additional challenges with maintaining access to multiple parking garage entrances, as well as the fact that we JUST rebuilt it.