REM de l’Est: it’s not just a downtown problem
The REM de l’Est is not only worrying people about what it will do to downtown Montreal, but how it will disfigure Sherbrooke Street East all the way out to Pointe-aux-Trembles.
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dhomas 05:13 on 2021-08-31 Permalink
Sherbrooke Street from Honoré-Beaugrand to Georges-V is actually a pretty lively street with lots of businesses and some homes. It would need some work to make it a bit more pleasant to the locals, but the potential is there as it’s really a commercial artery with lots of residential surrounding it. An elevated train is NOT what it needs. Sherbrooke street itself is already pretty hostile (it’s basically a 6-lane highway with stoplights) and, before the REM, I was hoping something would be done to discourage motorists from using it as an alternative to the Met and Notre-Dame.
East of Georges-V, you’ve got Montreal-East which is all refineries, so put it in the air, who cares. Actually, there’s a pipeline company that runs aerial pipes perpendicular to Sherbrooke, so they might care. It will be interesting to see how they get around that.
Starting around St-Jean-Baptiste it turns back into a commercial artery, similar to how it is in Tétreaultville. They’ve actually made a lot of progress in greening up the street in this area, with lots of large-ish trees growing on the median (which will need to be cut down to make way for the REM).
Everyone worries about downtown because that’s where the money is. They don’t seem to care about the impact this will have on the actual people living in Tétreaultville and Pointe-aux-Trembles. Why is it that they can build it underground up to Montreal-North from l’Assomption metro, but not out East?
Ephraim 05:22 on 2021-08-31 Permalink
Why didn’t they just use Soligny, which already has a train line running on it, they could lay it to the side of the train line, if they can’t buy the land. Runs from Dickson going east. Then goes up to Sherbrooke street near the refineries (or continues along Prince Albert, since it’s a branch).
dhomas 06:01 on 2021-08-31 Permalink
That’s a good point, Ephraim. They’re already going along Souligny where it’s a pseudo-highway/bretelle to the 25. I wonder if they’re using the existing train line or if they’re building alongside the highway infrastructure.
But I think they really wanted that intermodal station at Honoré-Beaugrand. Plus, they would miss out on the Contrecœur station this way.
Still, they would have room to build here. A station at Souligny / Honoré-Beaugrand and another close to the Annie Pelletier pool. Buses could start at the REM station and swing by Honoré-Beaugrand so they service both.
DeWolf 09:16 on 2021-08-31 Permalink
What was CDPQI’s rationale for rejecting a tram-train approach? Since the REM de l’Est would be a completely separate system from the original REM, I don’t see why they need to use the same technology. It seems like such overkill, especially since they’re planning to run tiny little two-car trains.
Kate 10:11 on 2021-08-31 Permalink
CDPQ Infra doesn’t have to give a rationale, DeWolf.
Ephraim 12:27 on 2021-08-31 Permalink
CDPQ Infra doesn’t want the expense of drivers. Being at street level would mean that it would cross traffic and need a driver.
david255 14:27 on 2021-08-31 Permalink
Not just the cost of drivers. Running these surface rail trams are slow, inefficient, and they don’t pull in the fare revenue to justify themselves.
As I wrote elsewhere, I was recently down in Arizona for a while, and I rode the Phoenix and Tucson surface light rails – which are great and efficient as far as they go – and the Waymo One driverless taxi service. That Waymo, or any other similar service – Uber/Lyft/whatever – is going to totally destroy the market for these surface-level trains there.
Basically, it’s just a waste of money for us to invest in those. At the cost and farebox recovery, only buses could match the coming revolution that the automated taxes will bring.
So, yeah, the smart transit money is on speed, and I think also on pleasantness of the trip – elevated is much quieter, quite a bit more enjoyable to ride, and has safer stations. Which is what the REM people are shooting for.
Kate 20:19 on 2021-08-31 Permalink
david, once again you’re blithering. Nobody is talking about driverless taxis here and what, safer stations? Safer compared to what?
DisgruntledGoat 03:02 on 2021-09-01 Permalink
Grade-separation (running elevated rail rather than at traffic level) has advantages including increased capacity for both the rail and for the roadways and approaching roads at intersections, decreased interruptions in flow for everyone including pedestrians (think of the Mo West rail crossing as an example of the alternative), less vehicle-rail and pedestrian-rail interactions (safer).
Ground-level trams or trains like the existing rail we have do not have these advantages.
ant6n 07:58 on 2021-09-01 Permalink
The drivers represent a small amount of the cost for a metro. The. Again, the REM 2.0 would involve tiny trains which have to run very often, so there the cost may be relatively bigger
JaneyB 20:09 on 2021-09-01 Permalink
I can’t help but wonder what the CDPQI really wants. The elevated train is getting such flack from so many quarters. It’s an eyesore on R-L, it will wreck the lively main streets of the East etc. The plan looks like a trial balloon of some kind – just there to absorb fury while the CDPQI prepares a less contentious but still somewhat irritating alternative. Am I just jaded lol?