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Originally Posted by Kitchissippi
I'm not getting your point. The distance between Tremblay and the old Union station is virtually parallel to an LRT system we've already spent billions on. Do you think it's worth throwing billions more and expending massive amounts of carbon and diesel to build a duplicate rail line just to save some passengers a 5-minute, 4-station ride worth $4 on the O-Train? It makes zero environmental or economic sense. I would rather the HSR ticket include a day pass on OC Transpo and the city be given the billions in exchange to expand the reach of the O-Train to more parts of the city.
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We could argue the same with Montreal or Toronto. HSR will run parallel to the REM. Why bother when the REM and the Orange line are right there? Just stop in Laval and continue east without the detour through Montreal.
In Toronto, maybe the end of the Ontario Line or a GO Line would suffice.
Quebec City? "Last stop. Ste-Foy! Take the Tram-Cité to Vieux-Québec".
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Originally Posted by acottawa
The senate isn’t even a particularly convenient location for most people. There is limited parking, there is limited room for pickups and drop-offs, there are no inter model connections. Unless you are staying at the Chateau Laurier or Westin then it isn’t particularly convenient.
It would be nice if they built a covered connection between the LRT and the train station instead of sending people outside.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by phil235
I think it is unlikely that Union will be chosen due to cost, but is parking really the big consideration in terms of convenience? A Union location would bring business visitors right into the heart of the city, which would be a big competitive advantage over other modes of transportation. It would also be great for tourists and better than Tremblay.
As for intermodal connections, there is literally an LRT station across the street and the biggest concentration of buses in the city within a block. If you are digging a tunnel for HSR, you could pretty easily add a connection directly to Rideau Station if warranted, but the walk to LRT is shorter than the walk at Tremblay.
Auto access is definitely a challenge, as the site is limited and you’d really have to cut into public space to build a drop off for private cars. There’s probably room for a taxi loop either in front by repurposing a lane of Wellington or behind. Private car drop offs would need to be on a reconfigured Daly as suggested earlier or on Elgin connected by a new bridge over the canal. Either is perfect, but they might make sense to gain the other advantages of being right downtown.
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Don't forget the STO tram that could stop right in front of Union when the loop is built.
For the same reason why Downtown is considered essential for Montreal, Toronto and Quebec City, Union would be ideal.
Parking is the only challenge, but how much parking do we actually need? Union would be easily accessible by transit for a lot of people. Maybe Alto could work with CF to dedicate some Rideau Centre parking to Alto, or malls on the O-Train Line. Maybe they can work with the City do dedicate some Park and Ride space for Alto long term parking. There are out of the box ways to provide parking without it being at the station.
Union is no longer just the dream of a bunch of train nerds. It is very much in play according to Alto themselves. I hope that cost is not the only factor as it's clearly not in other cities. If it was, we wouldn't be building HSR in the first place.
I still expect Tremblay to be chosen fwiw, but I think Union will always be in the back of people's mind, even at Alto.
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