reecemartin

Posted in the other thread but its even more relevant here, must there be a super long post pinned to the top? It's like 70% of the page.

Ok, so just a comment because I use lots of forums - pinning that map to the top is really annoying if you want to read more than a page at a time.

I appreciate the CDPQ is choosing options which are technically superior. Third rail is unsafe and unreliable. New lines which do not interact with traffic should clearly run automated - it provides a more consistent service.

Visiting the deepest station in Canada on the REM was an incredible experience - Come along for the ride!

Visiting the deepest station in Canada on the REM was an incredible experience - Come along for the ride!

Posted in the E-M thread already but thought I would share here too! My Twitter thread has some more pictures expect a video Friday at 9AM sharp! https://twitter.com/RM_Transit/status/1463512075821535240?s=20

My Twitter thread has some more pictures expect a video Friday at 9AM sharp! https://twitter.com/RM_Transit/status/1463512075821535240?s=20

Lol, the suggestion that we would be able to through run intercity trains onto the Montreal Metro is not happening so that has plenty of legs. You can run trains through tunnels in the city center absolutely, but wouldn't work on the metro for numerous reasons.

Hard to implement with rubber tire trains

For it to be killed it would have needed to exist

I really appreciate the thought here, but for a number of reasons larger sets won't work. Afaik the Champlain Bridge can't handle much more weight from rail vehicles and I am sure the same would be true for the guideways designed for the Metropolis trains - furthermore there are loading gauge issues. I think realistically for the REM A capacity expansion progression will be like this (for the core): Initial Capacity Total: X -> Capacity when frequency is maxed out (150 seconds to 90 seconds) (1.6x capacity) : 1.6X -> Single Four Car Trains with 2 more doors (1.1x ca[acity) : 1.76X -> slight platform extensions add one more car (should be possible at many stations, selective door opening can be used for those which do not support it) (1.25x capacity) -> 2.2X So you can more than double the capacity on the system without any massive capital works assuming you get to the point where the 4 car trains from day one do not have room and are packed. That should make the capacity comparable to Metro Lines, at that point the solution is to add another trunk through the city to provide more capacity and deinterlace some of the branches.

I like that it is different, the REM has a very different identity

Randstad Rail does this fine Ah yes, the massive Gardiner, taller, and with cars - just like the REM This station in Vancouver is not too imposing This project is mostly complete!

Vancouver seems to have plenty

If I may opine (I gave a talk on this very subject at Transit Con) where I compared the GO RER project to REM. 1) GO RER as a whole will cost something like $40B - acquiring track is very expensive (think about the value CN and CP see in their tracks and corridors - and Montreal given the geography should be even more constrained than Toronto) 2) Grade separation for heavy rail trains is far more expensive than for a metro, and you will want a number to operate high frequencies, if you are fully grade separating at the prices which we typically pay it's easily billions alone. 3) Station upgrades are expensive, if you are operating frequent services many stations need to be rebuilt with level platforms, elevators, etc. etc. 4) Rolling stock is very expensive, especially for a network that large! You will easily need >1B in rolling stock alone probably much more. Montreal has the unique advantage of being able to see Toronto, the time it takes to fully upgrade the network to something like an S-Bahn is very long, especially if you want to keep running trains at the same time (and if you do it will easily take 15+ years to do the whole network because you cannot get enough workers to do everything at once as Toronto has found). My view is that the REM is a far better model when we have so little track and row ownership. With REM Montreal will get regional electric trains 5 years sooner than Toronto (despite starting 10 years later), the stations will be universally higher quality, services will be much more frequent as well. This means in the first 10-15 years I expect REM to easily outpace GO for ridership. Once the initial REM fills up another line can simply be built, and if the CDPQ makes it rich on the first - they'd probably fund it.

Tunnel costs won't be lower but, I do think 40m trains like the Canada Line are ok - when automated they can still carry many passengers. Tunnel costs won't be lower but, I do think 40m trains like the Canada Line are ok - when automated they can still carry many passengers.

The point is total capacity, of course if you hit max capacity all day you can move more people, but as 9-5 commuting is likely slowly dying after pandemic this matter much more.

Crossposting . . . Montreal is officially Canada's Transit Leader:

Montreal is officially Canada's Transit Leader:

Montreal just unveiled the first Alstom Metropolis train that will be used on the REM, and I got the chance to check them out in person! Enjoy this first hand look. https://youtu.be/tmPXUmV822U

The miracle with the Evergreen Line is station cost, this station cost only around $30 Million despite being a full high platform metro station.

https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/montreal-s-irish-community-disappointed-new-rem-station-in-griffintown-will-be-named-after-former-premier-bernard-landry-1.4994864

Haha, shes my partner! We make all the videos together!

The Future of Rapid Transit in Montreal