The year 2024 is east of Montreal

A version of the 13 billion streetcar has been confirmed in the east of Montreal Press, to replace the proposed $36 billion underground light rail last summer. The project will be three times cheaper, but above all, it will be “faster to deliver,” says the Regional Urban Transport Authority (ARTM), which is already considering expansion to Lanaudière and Riviere des Prairies.

“We propose to deliver the new project three times cheaper, more efficiently and faster, and at the same time we will improve the development of the city. It is a project based on the needs of the current and future population,” ARTM CEO Benoit Gendron said on Friday.

In a preliminary report on the Eastern Structural Project (PSE), it Press obtained, his team notes, “the mileage and maximum hourly load data weigh heavily in favor of the surface rail mode.” “The capacity of the bus-only mode, which is equally competitive at commercial speeds, SRB (Service rapide par bus), could not adequately meet the travel needs given the expected number of passengers moving during the peak period,” it said. .

According to the report, whose final version will be presented in the coming weeks, passenger comfort “suffers in the capacity tire mode” as in the SRB, while “in contrast, the rail mode offers more space and its capacity can be increased by adding cars if needed.” The ground system also allows us to better establish ourselves in neighborhoods, we believe.

Extensions to be studied

As we reported at the beginning of January, the total cost of choosing a tram line is about 13 bln. The proposed tram line will have 31 kilometers of tracks and 28 stations, which will be spaced an average of 1.1 kilometers apart.

The target schedule is around 2035 or 2036. The commercial speed of the future tram will be between 27 and 31 km/h, which is higher than planned on the Quebec tramway, which is back on the drawing board. In comparison, the SRB would travel at a speed of only 22 km/h. Other modes such as tram-train or light rail system (LRT) are also analyzed but do not seem to be suitable.

PSE chief Marc Dionne explained on Friday that top-of-the-line speeds are based on “less frequent and widely spaced stops.” “The insertion is completely on its own site, so there is no obstruction of traffic directions,” he said.

The route remains similar to the original scenario, along the axis of Boulevard Lacorder and Rue de Sherbrooke East, between Ségep Marie-Victorin and Pointe-au-Trembles station, along the green metro line. Extensions to Riviere des Prairie and Repentigny are also planned at L'Assomption MRC. Without these two expansions, the length of the project is 21 kilometers, 22 stations and 10 billion.

Initially, extensions to Lanaudière could go by bus or even SRB. Additionally, adding a rapid bus connection using reserved lanes on Highway 25 would “potentially increase ridership by approximately 14% for the project studied,” according to ARTM.

In short, the tram line will connect to the Montreal metro on two lines: first, with the future Lacordaire station, which is included in the expansion of the blue line, which should be completed in 2030, and then with Cadillac and Honore-Beaugrand, on the green line.

26,300 peak users

Over 12 years, in 2036, this tram would have “approximately 26,300 users during the morning peak”, which equates to 850 passengers per kilometre. The margin of error allows riders to oscillate between 23,300 and 27,300 trips, for a total of about 86,000 trips per day.

The peak hourly load, i.e. the maximum number of passengers at the busiest station, will be 3,650 passengers per hour on the northern branch and 4,200 passengers per hour on the eastern branch. The modal shift from car drivers to public transport will be around 17%. “That means one in six users will leave their car, so 4,500 fewer cars in the morning,” Mr Dionne said.

The distance between Pointe-au-Trembles and Honore-Beaugrand station will take approximately 16 minutes by tram, a saving of 10 minutes compared to the current situation. On the northern branch, we would go from 42 minutes to 20 minutes, an increase of 22 minutes, between Cadillac station and Marie-Victoria CEGEP.

In the office of Transport Minister Genevieve Guilbeau, we are cautious. “We are waiting to receive the report and analyze it before commenting on it. However, we reiterate our commitment to the east of Montreal: we want a structured transportation network to ensure its development,” said communications director Maxime Roy.

In September, Prime Minister Francois Legault committed to bringing REM de l'Est to Lanaudière before an audience of business people from the region.

“We will take the time to analyze the report and have the necessary discussions with the government before commenting on it,” said Sophie Mauzerolle, head of mobility at Montreal's executive committee, reiterating her desire to see the birth of a structured transport project. “In order to ensure the development of Montreal East”.