Montréal Transit Developments

[SFO-YYZ]

YUL Airport garage demolition well underway, to make way for future integrated transportation hub (underground REM station), all part of the $2.5 billion airport expansion project. There's a reason why the YUL REM station costs $600 million, as you can see here from the scale of this project - as it's not just a garden variety LRT station, but a full scale transportation hub and integrated terminal building:

 

[chronicsurfer]

REM Train Being Tested in Brossard​

 

[CharmAlarm]

Interesting post on simulated and real-world winter testing the REM trains:

The REM and winter | REM

rem.info

 

[p_xavier]

Funny to have the subtitles to light rail metro when the designer says metro all the time.

 

[NoahB]

Hanes: Caisse should reconsider some of its REM heavy-handedness

The Caisse's objective of maximizing a return on its investment might not always be what's in the public's best interests.

montrealgazette.com

 

[SFO-YYZ]

Hanes: Caisse should reconsider some of its REM heavy-handedness

The Caisse's objective of maximizing a return on its investment might not always be what's in the public's best interests.

montrealgazette.com

Slow news day? They've been harping on about how REM-B will be a scar and creating doomsday end of the world scenarios since REM-B's announcement.

Also, most of the opposition seem to be emanating from architectural / urban planning associations and firms, because they were not involved by CDPQi in the original proposal or commissioned to do endless studies.

 

[Coolstar]

The REM de L'est risks delaying the Blue Line extension.

Le REM de l’Est risque de retarder le prolongement de la ligne bleue

Le PM admet qu’une réflexion est engagée sur le prolongement du métro. Il craint un dédoublement de services.

www.ledevoir.com

 

[nfitz]

Also, most of the opposition seem to be emanating from architectural / urban planning associations and firms, because they were not involved by CDPQi in the original proposal or commissioned to do endless studies.

Seems to be more about transparency and public process to me.

The heavy-handedness of the process there reminds me of looking at how TTC consults compared to Metrolinx. Look at the Ontario line, where there's a massive community uproar about the alignment change, which the community had pretty much agreed to after years of consultation, before Metrolinx arbitrarily changed it without any local input.

 

[asher__jo]

Seems to be more about transparency and public process to me.

The heavy-handedness of the process there reminds me of looking at how TTC consults compared to Metrolinx. Look at the Ontario line, where there's a massive community uproar about the alignment change, which the community had pretty much agreed to after years of consultation, before Metrolinx arbitrarily changed it without any local input.

I understand the frustration of how long it takes to plan/consult/build, but those processes have been put in place for a reason. Shortcuts become painfully evident once a project has been completed, simply look at the Canada line with small stations and disruptive construction.

 

[SFO-YYZ]

Testing for 3-set REM trains in South Shore:

 

[Towered]

I know it's not Montreal, but I kind of remember reading somewhere that Quebec City was planning to re-introduce streetcars - can anyone confirm that?

 

[ARG1]

I know it's not Montreal, but I kind of remember reading somewhere that Quebec City was planning to re-introduce streetcars - can anyone confirm that?

Sort of, there's a new tram project that's current being planned, its more of an Eglinton Line/Confederation Line type thing where a few central stations are underground meanwhile the rest is on medians in its own ROW (yes I know Confed is fully grade separated but I was mostly bringing attention the the whole centre city tunnel idea).

 

[nfitz]

Article at CBC about the the politics and lack of community support of the next phase of the light rail in Montreal

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/montreal-rem-lrt-analysis-profit-politics-1.5955811

 

[p_xavier]

Article at CBC about the the politics and lack of support of the next phase of the light rail in Montreal

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/montreal-rem-lrt-analysis-profit-politics-1.5955811

Lack of support? Politicians and future potential mayors are for it, even urbanists say that more transit is needed. The opposition is mostly about the lack of a tunnel downtown.

IMO, it's more about transit planners and architects are not making money by studying 20 years the same projects...

 

[nfitz]

Lack of support? Politicians and future potential mayors are for it, even urbanists say that more transit is needed. The opposition is mostly about the lack of a tunnel downtown.

The lack of community support was a key feature of that article.

And not surprising, given that the original line was primarily along an existing rail line they'd been studying for 70 years, and down the centre of a highway, where they'd been studying the alignment for 20 years, with the only new portions being the uncontentious spur into West Island along the Trans Canada (whose major failing is it doesn't get all the way to St. Anne de Bellevue) and the partially underground spur into Trudeau airport (whose major failing is that it doesn't get to Dorval circle).

Like the changes planned in Riverdale, I suspect the community felt ambushed.