ouest-de-lîle Échangeur Dorval

[jesseps]

Public transit authorities are making a big deal about synchronizing bus and commuter-train timetables on the West Island to make it easier to switch from one mode of transport to the other.

 

But a lot of money is being spent to separate a major West Island bus terminus from an adjoining suburban train station, meaning train users will have to walk farther to reach buses.

 

The changes are part of a $224-million Dorval Interchange makeover to improve access to Trudeau airport via Highways 20 and 520.

 

Currently, the Dorval bus terminus, served by 12 Societe de transport de Montreal bus lines and used by about 1,500 people daily, is close to the Agence metropolitaine de transport's Dorval train station, served by the Vaudreuil-Hudson commuter line.

 

Under the new configuration, expected to be in place in 2015, the STM terminus is being moved east, to an area across the new interchange. Some train riders will have to walk up to 184 metres further to reach buses, almost the length of two football fields.

 

About 420 trips per day involve transfers between buses and trains at the Dorval transit hub, the STM says.

 

"That's not enough, and the harder you make it the less people are encouraged to transfer from bus to train" and vice versa, said Avrom Shtern, transportation spokesperson for the Green Coalition, an environmental group. "The result is people take their cars."

 

If you "want smooth transfers, increased ridership, and an integrated system, the bus terminal should be attached to the train station. Passengers should associate both modes as one system, not as two disparate services."

 

The Dorval transit hub could become much busier if the AMT goes ahead with a plan to more than triple the number of trains on the Vaudreuil-Hudson line. There are currently 26 trains on that line, mostly during rush hours.

 

The new Dorval Interchange configuration, including the public-transit modifications, was put together by Transport Quebec.

 

"Our reflex was to say (the train station and the bus terminus) should be moved closer together but when you look at the measurements the difference in walking distances isn't significant," said Benoit Gendron, the STM's director of network planning.

 

Currently, depending on which bus they are headed for, train riders must walk between 156 and 232 metres to reach their bus stops, Gendron said. The average distance: is194 metres.

 

After the bus terminus is moved, train riders will have to walk between 230 and 340 meters to reach their buses, he said, for an average of 285 meters.

 

The bottom line: on average users will walk an extra 91 metres, with some walking up to 184 extra metres.

 

For passengers switching from bus to train, the walking distance will be about the same, Gendron said. That's because all bus passengers will disembark at the same place, near a tunnel that will take them to the trains.

 

The new STM terminus will be more comfortable, Gendron said. There will be more enclosed shelters, some of which will be heated.

 

Transport Quebec spokesperson Mario St-Pierre said the new terminus's benefits outweigh the "minimal increase" in walking distance.

 

He said the new STM terminus will be bigger and have room to expand if need be. The current one is hemmed in by a neighbouring Hydro-Quebec facility. The new facility will also include an elevator, something missing from the current one.

 

Currently, only nine to 12 per cent of train users reach West Island stations by bus. Hoping to boost that, in September the STM and the AMT announced they had synchronized schedules for buses serving two AMT stations, with more to come. Gendron said by next September, some of the bus routes serving the Dorval terminus will also be synchronized with trains.

 

The STM terminus will be moved because of the intersection's new configuration.

 

Part of the land where the current terminus sits will be used by new Highway 20 ramps. The remaining section of the current STM terminus land will be used by a Via Rail station. The site of Via's current Dorval station and parking lot will become the new STM bus terminus.

 

The AMT hopes the new configuration can be improved, chief executive Joel Gauthier told a meeting of Vaudreuil-Hudson train users last week. "We're concerned about the (location) of the bus terminus," he said.

 

AMT spokesperson Martine Rouette yesterday said the AMT is to meet with Via Rail next week to discuss possible changes to ensure bus/commuter train transfers "are more efficient." She would not specify how the configuration might change.

 

(Courtesy of The Montreal Gazette)

[Cyrus]

An extra... 91 metres

[Né entre les rapides]

An extra... 91 metres

 

Well, on top of the current average 194 m, it may be too much for some. So as a user either you are already in good shape, or going to get in good shape, or will simply collapse. Wish "we" could afford better, albeit perhaps more costly infrastructures. First World City, where are you? I thought that Montrealers, as major contributors to the (two) governments' coffers, deserved better.

[Cyrus]

I've done exchanges between the train to the bus terminal, it isn't that bad on foot. The tricky part is getting into the AMT train parking lot by car, it's on the other side of the tracks off Cardinal and the STM lot is just right there on the 20 west service road. Of course, the STM lot is always completely full and the AMT lot is usually fine (but half of it was gravel... at least when I was there).

 

For my trips though getting off at Dorval to switch to bus didn't make sense, as the bus lines were too roundabout and slow, I could catch the same bus of 30 min earlier at one of the later train stops (obviously this doesn't apply to every situation).

 

There is an underground tunnel under the tracks that links the two areas right now, maybe a simple and cheap solution would be to install a "flat escalator" magic carpet like in airports?

Modifié 21 novembre 2010 par Cyrus

[jesseps]

I drove by today and noticed that there a huge hole in the ground with a ton of concrete ?!

[Cyrus]

support? to me it looks like nothing has happened since last year, but maybe I haven't been paying attention...

[Kotar]

I drove by today and noticed that there a huge hole in the ground with a ton of concrete ?!

 

I think it might be a retention basin for rainwater. They have been working on and off on it all winter, but as far as overpasses are concerned, nothing new to note, that I know of.

[Alexcaban]

Photo by caribb, YulAvation.

 

http://www.yulaviation.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=21178

[monctezuma]

Construction routière

Chantier paralysé à l'échangeur Dorval

Agence QMI

22/06/2011 21h11

 

MONTRÉAL - Le réaménagement du nouvel échangeur Dorval, près de l’aéroport Montréal-Trudeau, dont la fin des travaux avait été prévue pour 2013, est au point mort.

 

Selon ce que TVA Nouvelles a appris, l'échangeur ne sera pas fin prêt avant 2017, soit quatre ans de plus que prévu par le ministère des Transports. Le chantier, évalué à 224 millions de dollars, fait présentement l'objet d'une poursuite par l'hôtel Fairfield Marriott.

 

La direction de l’hôtel allègue qu’avec le nouvel échangeur, le chemin de fer sera déplacé pour se trouver à 10 mètres des murs de l’établissement, et ce, sans consultation préalable au début des travaux.

 

«On parle de travaux majeurs. Il est important que ces travaux soient bien faits et que les solutions soient trouvées avant [le début des travaux]», a déclaré Sylvain Bélair, avocat du Fairfield Marriott.

 

De plus, le propriétaire du Marriott n'exclut pas d'exiger du gouvernement provincial le rachat total de l'hôtel de neuf étages, plutôt que de risquer sa réputation en étant au beau milieu du chantier et ensuite assujetti à l'achalandage ferroviaire.

 

Par ailleurs, les automobilistes locaux se disent inquiets et découragés d'un chantier qui ne progresse pas, ce qui ajoute à la grogne grandissante des résidants et commerçants.

[LaRonde]

Wooooooooowwwwwwwwwwww ils ont vraiment pas de vie eux (Hotel Fairfield Marriott).

Au pire la, il y a deja un hotel directement relié à l'aéroport Trudeau...ils pourraient fermer celui là.