The Great Canadian Transit Thread - Page 435

p_xavier · #**8681** Posted **Oct 1, 2016, 1:19 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by hipster duck

$10 to ride a city bus with a luggage rack is kind of a rip off. For that price, I expect a coach and a driver who takes your bag for you.

In Toronto, the opening of UPX also coincided with the TTC sprucing up their 192 Airport Rocket. It goes to the nearest subway station rather than downtown, but it also costs the same as a regular bus fare.

It's a day pass and not a bus ticket for Montreal. It allows you to travel for 24h on the network.

Rico Rommheim · #**8682** Posted **Oct 1, 2016, 4:52 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by d_jeffrey

No, but a 20 minutes longer trip to Central Station if you don't transfer at a REM station.

I wonder which route is VIA planning to use to get to Central Station then? Based on a quick analysis the only way I see are the tracks going through the port and the old port, which seems like a disaster.

VIA route?
by Rommheim, on Flickr

Seriously, I wish all levels of government and the CDP invested (the necessary billions I'm sure) to widen the Mont-Royal tunnel. It may have been forgotten for a while, but it is becoming a crucial part of the city's infrastructure.

swimmer_spe · #**8683** Posted **Oct 1, 2016, 5:08 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rico Rommheim

I wonder which route is VIA planning to use to get to Central Station then? Based on a quick analysis the only way I see are the tracks going through the port and the old port, which seems like a disaster.

Seriously, I wish all levels of government and the CDP invested (the necessary billions I'm sure) to widen the Mont-Royal tunnel. It may have been forgotten for a while, but it is becoming a crucial part of the city's infrastructure.

Inner city train travel has been an after thought, if any thought for decades now. I highly doubt that will change anytime soon.

Nouvellecosse · #**8684** Posted **Oct 1, 2016, 5:11 PM**

With the amount of money it would cost to add extra tracks to the tunnel, wouldn't it just be better to build a new tunnel elsewhere? Maybe a tunnel under Parc? It may cost a little more to work under a city street, but if it was bored, it shouldn't be that bad, and would also give the option for intermediary stations to serve a dense area, and wouldn't require the existing tunnel to be shut down for a long period of time.

And that's what would be required to widen the tunnel, which would basically require a rebuild, unless you just twinned it with a second bore. But then the case for putting it elsewhere would be even stronger.

As far as the tracks route, I wish they would just kick Via and Amtrak out of Central, and reserve it for metropolitan-area service for REM and AMT, and buy back Parc station and change it back into a train station for out of town service. Parc is in a very central part of town and on a metro line. Not to mention the proposal for a Parc LRT. This is exactly where a number of trips on the St. Jerone line already terminate. And with all the new REM traffic, Central may become a bit congested anyway. Traffic through the station will be more than doubling.

p_xavier · #**8685** Posted **Oct 1, 2016, 5:24 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rico Rommheim

I wonder which route is VIA planning to use to get to Central Station then? Based on a quick analysis the only way I see are the tracks going through the port and the old port, which seems like a disaster.

VIA route?
by Rommheim, on Flickr

Seriously, I wish all levels of government and the CDP invested (the necessary billions I'm sure) to widen the Mont-Royal tunnel. It may have been forgotten for a while, but it is becoming a crucial part of the city's infrastructure.

There are already two trains that go up the North Shore from Central Station and it's through the St-Luc railyard. That route will cross path with the REM, since you'll be able to connect faster than to go to the Central Station. Still, VIA Rail is in early planning.

Aylmer · #**8686** Posted **Oct 1, 2016, 6:02 PM**

They should just widen the tunnel. It's already 100 years old and in need of extensive repairs and renovations in order to bring it up to code (emergency exits, structural integrity, etc. etc.). So if it has to be essentially rebuilt anyways, let's put a few extra $100Ms to add a third track for mainline rail operation. It would allow for both intercity and regional rail (Mascouche and eventually St. Jérôme lines), eliminating the need for cumbersome (and seemingly problematic) transfers for both.

Nouvellecosse · #**8687** Posted **Oct 1, 2016, 6:24 PM**

If it's going to need to be rebuilt, are they planning to do this as part of the REM construction? I sure hope this isn't going to require the system to be shut down for an extended period after it opens.

1overcosc · #**8688** Posted **Oct 2, 2016, 3:58 AM**

It's starting to look like a lot of the REM plans are being pushed through a little too aggressively without enough thought going into them...

GreaterMontréal · #**8689** Posted **Oct 2, 2016, 4:14 AM**

the REM will need a new electric system, different than what the AMT uses right now. All the electric system will have to be replaced in the tunnel.

p_xavier · #**8690** Posted **Oct 2, 2016, 12:01 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreaterMontréal

the REM will need a new electric system, different than what the AMT uses right now. All the electric system will have to be replaced in the tunnel.

A third rail was also studied for the tunnel, but that would prevent connexions to the blue and green line to be made. Anyhow, VIA is waiting for the REM to be in construction before continuing their planning.

MalcolmTucker · #**8691** Posted **Oct 2, 2016, 1:52 PM**

Was VIA planning to introduce a north shore route to Quebec City? Or is this the future nice to have? The corridor trains go on the south shore, and neither route looks to feature no backtracking.

MalcolmTucker · #**8692** Posted **Oct 2, 2016, 1:55 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by d_jeffrey

A third rail was also studied for the tunnel, but that would prevent connexions to the blue and green line to be made. Anyhow, VIA is waiting for the REM to be in construction before continuing their planning.

Can you touch on this more? Why would it prevent an intermodal connection? Maybe I'm just not on the same page ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Rico Rommheim · #**8693** Posted **Oct 2, 2016, 2:31 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MalcolmTucker

Was VIA planning to introduce a north shore route to Quebec City? Or is this the future nice to have? The corridor trains go on the south shore, and neither route looks to feature no backtracking.

VIA was talking about a Quebec-Montreal HSR with a stop-over in Trois-Rivieres (which is on the north-shore). Then it had to back track with REM's tunnel monopoly.

Beedok · #**8694** Posted **Oct 2, 2016, 2:47 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rico Rommheim

VIA was talking about a Quebec-Montreal HSR with a stop-over in Trois-Rivieres (which is on the north-shore). Then it had to back track with REM's tunnel monopoly.

Well they could still have it as HSR outside of the Montreal core no?

GreaterMontréal · #**8695** Posted **Oct 2, 2016, 3:59 PM**

They could stop at the A-40 intermodal station. Where the Mascouche Line connects with the REM.

MalcolmTucker · #**8696** Posted **Oct 2, 2016, 4:38 PM**

It is pretty typical to have a bit of slow circuitous track near stations even on highspeed lines. Finish the service to with as much high speed exclusive track as possible, prove the route, then sell the public on the capacity and speed benefits of building the last mile infrastructure.

caltrane74 · #**8697** Posted **Oct 2, 2016, 5:57 PM**

I noticed what I think is the beginning of the old Yonge-Eglinton Bus Terminal. They are destroying it because, I believe they will use this area to extract the tunnel boring machines used to build the tunnel for the new Metrolinx Crosstown Line. I believe the area will also be a big part of the construction of the new LRT-Subway Interchange Station at Yonge Eglinton. Right now there is an immense amount of construction at Yonge and Eglinton, a combination of condos and transit.

caltrane74 · #**8698** Posted **Oct 2, 2016, 6:51 PM**

Another tidbit of Transit info is last night the TTC ran the subway system for basically 24 hours. It was for the Nuit Blanche Celebration, and I don't know how often they were running the trains at 3 or 4 in the morning, but I was out on the street at 4am and there were still traffic jams on Queen and Spadina some of which were for construction I suppose, but the amount of people on the street was incredible. So I hope the TTC can figure out a thing where they can test out running the subways 24/7 on special events or summer weekends.. That would be awesome.

lrt's friend · #**8699** Posted **Oct 2, 2016, 11:39 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreaterMontréal

They could stop at the A-40 intermodal station. Where the Mascouche Line connects with the REM.

For intercity travellers, requiring a transfer to local transit to get downtown is a real turn off. When I went to Montreal in July, the train to Central station was the determining factor. Otherwise, I would have driven. Remember, that hauling luggage between transit vehicles is a royal pain, especially when local transit is really not that accommodating for luggage. This is why I say that Ottawa's plans for airport rail service will be a waste of money, with potentially two transfers required to reach downtown.

GreaterMontréal · #**8700** Posted **Oct 3, 2016, 12:13 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

For intercity travellers, requiring a transfer to local transit to get downtown is a real turn off. When I went to Montreal in July, the train to Central station was the determining factor. Otherwise, I would have driven. Remember, that hauling luggage between transit vehicles is a royal pain, especially when local transit is really not that accommodating for luggage. This is why I say that Ottawa's plans for airport rail service will be a waste of money, with potentially two transfers required to reach downtown.

The VIA project is just a dream, at the moment.