East-end tram proposed
A tramway for the east end, projected to cost $4 billion, is being proposed by a collective of experts and residents.
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Forgetful 15:55 on 2023-08-30 Permalink
THE GOOD
The group is right to say that the ARTM mandate for the PSE was initially too limited. The provincial and municipal governments probably didn’t want to put to waste years of work from CDPQ Infra, so I can understand why they asked the ARTM to piggyback on the REM de l’Est for the PSE. But the PSE is simply not working within the same legal and financial parameters as the Caisse REM de l’Est, and is more susceptible to reactionary opposition and political interference.
THE BAD
The proposal is just egregious. They severely underestimate costs, and that’s not even accounting for the inflation cycle we’re in. $4B just doesn’t line up with similar projects in North America. Even with its own right-of-way and signal priority, the speed estimates seem delusively optimistic. I feel that like groups such as the CEM-E either don’t understand trams, or simply are against metros, especially if not buried, but don’t want to appear strictly oppositional (there’s a lot of overlap with people protesting social housing, or density around rapid transit stations for… environmental reasons).
LRT is either unfairly derided or touted as some kind of transit wunderkind interchangeable with metros, buses, and regional rail, when it’s really not. It’s a little infuriating that we have people pushing for tram where trams are likely not a good option, and people railing against or stalling really good tram projects.
vasi 16:36 on 2023-08-30 Permalink
Does anyone know if a copy of the proposal is online? It’s super unclear to me whether they’re envisioning a separates right of way, or if it’s run-of-traffic.
Orr 13:28 on 2023-08-31 Permalink
As a cyclist I really don’t like the idea of rail tracks embedded in city streets.