The Great Canadian Transit Thread

[Rico Rommheim]

I never realized the edmonton LRT wasn't ABOVE GRADE! What's the point of building a RT system thats on street level?

[Black Star]

Originally Posted by Rico Rommheim

I never realized the edmonton LRT wasn't ABOVE GRADE! What's the point of building a RT system thats on street level?

Don't get me going lol. Argh.

[CanadianCentaur]

Originally Posted by Rico Rommheim

I never realized the edmonton LRT wasn't ABOVE GRADE! What's the point of building a RT system thats on street level?

Simple reason - Edmonton city council was too cheap. And they didn't even bother to do any traffic impact studies whatsoever prior to the line's construction, or so I've heard.

[GlassCity]

Originally Posted by Rico Rommheim

I never realized the edmonton LRT wasn't ABOVE GRADE! What's the point of building a RT system thats on street level?

It's the in thing right now..."urban integration" and all that.

[milomilo]

Apparently reducing the number street crossings and cramming in a railway down a road improves walkability. At least that's what we're told.

[ainvan]

[zahav]

Originally Posted by ainvan

Some of these routes seem odd for BLine service. The Richmond to Metrotown as a BLine route for example. Are these all formally expressed by Translink already?

[Metro-One]

Since when has the technology for the Langely Line been decided?

Seriously this is getting annoying.

[GlassCity]

Originally Posted by Metro-One

Since when has the technology for the Langely Line been decided?

Seriously this is getting annoying.

I know it said "rapid transit" in a lot of documents, but in a lot of other ones, I've seen "light rail" or "LRT" specified as well. I'll say that to me, the increased use of LRT hasn't been a surprised. It's been there all along in various parts, along with the more generic "rapid transit."

[Aylmer]

Originally Posted by Rico Rommheim

ALSO, what good is a blue line extension that will bring tens of thousands of new commuters into the orange line when it is already MASSIVELY packed every rush hour?

They're banking that most of them will opt to continue to Édouard-Montpetit and transfer to the REM to get downtown. Given the right fare integration, they'd likely be right about that since it would be a whole lot faster than taking the Orange Line.

[begratto]

Originally Posted by Aylmer

They're banking that most of them will opt to continue to Édouard-Montpetit and transfer to the REM to get downtown. Given the right fare integration, they'd likely be right about that since it would be a whole lot faster than taking the Orange Line.

The blue line extension and REM also increase the "network effect" : more people will be able to get to more places more efficiently, increasing the metro network's appeal.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by begratto

The blue line extension and REM also increase the "network effect" : more people will be able to get to more places more efficiently, increasing the metro network's appeal.

On TVA last night the mayors of suburban municipalities north/east of Montreal like Repentigny and Terrebonne were talking about fighting some changes that the REM will bring to their existing commuter rail service (known as Le Train de L'Est).

At the moment the Train de L'Est goes directly from NE of Montreal into downtown via the Mont-Royal tunnel under the mountain.

But the REM project will apparently take away the Train de L'Est's ability to use the tunnel, as the tunnel will be reserved exclusively for REM trains.

I don't believe there are plans to twin the tunnel, build a new one or build a new line somewhere else so the Train de L'Est can continue to go directly to downtown Montreal.

So the mayors are upset that riders from their area will likely have to transfer to get downtown, and say that this could cause the Train de L'Est to lose as many as half of its passengers.

[begratto]

Originally Posted by Acajack

On TVA last night the mayors of suburban municipalities north/east of Montreal like Repentigny and Terrebonne were talking about fighting some changes that the REM will bring to their existing commuter rail service (known as Le Train de L'Est).

At the moment the Train de L'Est goes directly from NE of Montreal into downtown via the Mont-Royal tunnel under the mountain.

But the REM project will apparently take away the Train de L'Est's ability to use the tunnel, as the tunnel will be reserved exclusively for REM trains.

I don't believe there are plans to twin the tunnel, build a new one or build a new line somewhere else so the Train de L'Est can continue to go directly to downtown Montreal.

So the mayors are upset that riders from their area will likely have to transfer to get downtown, and say that this could cause the Train de L'Est to lose as many as half of its passengers.

The train de l'Est only carries 3,500 passengers per direction, per day. Less than countless bus circuits. As a comparison, Bus 121 - Sauvé /Côte-Vertu carries 31,000 people per day. And most of them have to transfer and take a métro.

REM trains will be waiting for train de l'est passengers when their train arrives - and there will be other REM trains following every 2 minutes 1/2. These people coming from the east will also have access to more destinations than they do now, like Université de Montréal, the St-Laurent industrial park, Trudeau airport.

Honestly it isn't worse than anyone taking the métro at St-Michel on the blue line who would want to go downtown. He has to transfer at Jean-Talon to the orange line.

These mayors are exagerating the effects of the transfer, IMO.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by begratto

The train de l'Est only carries 3500 passengers per direction, per day. Less than countless bus circuits. As a comparison, Bus 121 - Sauvé /Côte-Vertu carries 31,000 people per day. And most of them have to transfer and take a métro.

REM trains will be waiting for train de l'est passengers when their train arrives - and there will be other REM trains following every 2 minutes 1/2. These people coming from the east will also have access to more destinations than they do now, like Université de Montréal, the St-Laurent industrial park, Trudeau airport.

Honestly it isn't worse than anyone taking the métro at St-Michel on the blue line who would want to go downtown. He has to transfer at Jean-Talon to the orange line.

These mayors are exagerating the effects of the transfer, IMO.

I agree with you.

BTW one of the mayors was talking about 12,000 users on the Train de L'Est.

[begratto]

Originally Posted by Acajack

I agree with you.

BTW one of the mayors was talking about 12,000 users on the Train de L'Est.

He's wrong. It's 7,400 per day, so 3,700 per direction.

The numbers are available in the AMT's 2016 annual report, p 43.

[Rico Rommheim]

Train de l'Est, REM, VIA rail, for years now we've all been ignoring the elephant in the room: it is time to expand the mont-royal tunnel. Everyone's been calling it too expensive, well it's over 100 years old, it will have to be widened sooner or later, renovated eventually.

I think it's time for all the involved actors to get real about that tunnel.

[1overcosc]

Originally Posted by begratto

The train de l'Est only carries 3,500 passengers per direction, per day. Less than countless bus circuits. As a comparison, Bus 121 - Sauvé /Côte-Vertu carries 31,000 people per day. And most of them have to transfer and take a métro.

REM trains will be waiting for train de l'est passengers when their train arrives - and there will be other REM trains following every 2 minutes 1/2. These people coming from the east will also have access to more destinations than they do now, like Université de Montréal, the St-Laurent industrial park, Trudeau airport.

Honestly it isn't worse than anyone taking the métro at St-Michel on the blue line who would want to go downtown. He has to transfer at Jean-Talon to the orange line.

These mayors are exagerating the effects of the transfer, IMO.

The bigger concern is that the REM plans prevent VIA Rail from using the tunnel as well, which prevents future HFR/HSR service between Montreal and Quebec City from servicing Gare Centrale.

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by 1overcosc

The bigger concern is that the REM plans prevent VIA Rail from using the tunnel as well, which prevents future HFR/HSR service between Montreal and Quebec City from servicing Gare Centrale.

And you are assuming that Union Station in Toronto will be used for HSR? HFR, maybe, but not HSR if they go with certain technologies. The area sin''t built for it.

But, then, why can't a new tunnel be built for Via?

[Rico Rommheim]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

But, then, why can't a new tunnel be built for Via?

The main argument against widening the mont-royal tunnel has always been financial. It would cost billions of dollars.

To which I say so what? Sooner or later it will have to be done. There are presently no discussions on widening it.

[p_xavier]

Originally Posted by Rico Rommheim

Train de l'Est, REM, VIA rail, for years now we've all been ignoring the elephant in the room: it is time to expand the mont-royal tunnel. Everyone's been calling it too expensive, well it's over 100 years old, it will have to be widened sooner or later, renovated eventually.

I think it's time for all the involved actors to get real about that tunnel.

The ARTM will look into it and the most sensible solution right now is to make the detour around the mountain more fast and efficient.

They are studying 3 scenarios :
- Elarging the tunnel
- Building a new tunnel
- Adding new tracks and junctions to go around the mountain faster