No 24-hour weekend metro service
City hall opposition made a bid for 24-hour metro service in summertime, but the STM said no, holding to its view that, not having dual tracks like many subway systems, our metro has to fully close for a few hours in the cycle for cleaning and maintenance. I like how Plante scoffs here at Ensemble making the suggestion before even inquiring whether it would be possible.
Another idea Plante has brushed off – for the moment – is an access toll like New York City plans for 2021, or London’s congestion charge.
Faiz Imam 21:37 on 2019-04-02 Permalink
They do do it a couple times a year, and it would be useful if the STM can see if it makes sense to expand it to a select few more key days a year where people would most benefit from it. Formula 1 weekend? jazz fest or JFL weekends?
like, can we go from 364 days a year to 360? 350?
Also could it make sense to keep some lines active while others are shut down instead of closing the whole system? We already have night buses that cover most of the routes the lines run.
I roll my eyes hard at the opposition making senseless proposal’s, but Some creative thinking might find some wiggle room.
Kate 06:56 on 2019-04-03 Permalink
Every time they do it, it costs money in overtime, and probably means extra cleaning the next day. I’m not sure it’s where the STM ought to be putting its funds.
JaneyB 09:38 on 2019-04-03 Permalink
Maybe they could double the night bus service instead on Fri and Sat night. Not as wonderful as a 24 hour metro but I’d go for that.
Faiz Imam 15:16 on 2019-04-03 Permalink
That’s very true. The current night bus is decent, and there is capacity to make it much better, especially since at night there is zero congestion.
ant6n 16:38 on 2019-04-03 Permalink
The 4-track argument is BS. There exist few subway systems that make heavy use of 4 tracks – basically only New York. And NYC has 24h service even on 2-track sections.
Maintenance is a big issue for a 24h system, as is the running cost. Some systems offer service at night on the weekends (e.g. Fr, Sa), organizing the maintenance on the remaining days. This should be doable even in Montreal, and still quite useful.