Grand Déblocage is vastly superior to REM project

Parti Québécois’s plan offers different vision for Montreal, Alison Hackney, David Eaves and Laurel Thompson write.

The Parti Québécois’s Grand Déblocage has upset promoters of the Réseau Express Métropolitain (REM). It challenges their vision of what is best for Montreal. But before we politicize a debate that should be about what sort of future we want, it makes sense to jot down a few comparisons.

The REM would be majority-owned by a subsidiary of the Caisse de Dépôt and subsidized with public dollars; that majority share eventually could be sold. The Grand Déblocage would see transit remain publicly owned and would solve many more of our problems for roughly the same cost.

The Déblocage would budget more than $1 billion to improve existing rail service. By adding double-decker cars, it would provide 45 per cent more seats than are now available on the Deux-Montagnes train. In contrast, REM service will be more frequent, but the number of seats per trip will be reduced by 35 per cent.

The REM completely ignores eastern Montreal and makes it tougher to use the Train de l’Est, as riders heading downtown will be obliged to transfer. The Déblocage offers the Tram de la Main to relieve the crowded Orange Line, several Bus Rapid Transit lines, a tram to Pointe-aux-Prairies regional park, and, it is to be hoped, these would be complemented by the Pink Line.

The Déblocage proposes a tram directly from downtown to the Dorval airport. The REM would make a loop north of Highway 40 then south to the airport, passing under the Technoparc. North of Highway 40, the REM threatens Montreal’s last large natural space.

The REM also seems likely to kill the Vaudreuil train, to which thousands of commuters now walk. The Déblocage would beef up the Vaudreuil line, adding stations and departures.

The REM is a step backward when it comes to controlling global warming.

Unlike the REM, the Déblocage would not build new stations and a large parking lot (on agricultural land) on the South Shore. Nor would commuters have to do a bus-to-train transfer.

Under the REM plan, the Deux-Montagnes line will be shut down for testing on weekends. When construction gets underway, it will be closed even longer. The Déblocage does not seem likely to require any interruption in service. The REM will be majority-owned by CDPQInfra, a company owned by the Caisse. The government has promised CDPQInfra will have first call on the profits, until its return reaches eight per cent.

Besides the direct investment of $1.3 billion by the Quebec government, the RTM is to subsidize the CDPQInfra at a rate of 72 cents per passenger per kilometre. CDPQInfra will not pay municipal taxes and is receiving $512 million from the RTM for the presumed increase in value of all property on account of the train’s presence. Quebec will pay another $221 million for access roads, terminuses and other infrastructure.

For a family of two adults and two children, this could mean paying what one researcher has estimated as $1,500 more annually in property taxes, transit fares, electricity rates, gas taxes and other fees.

Perhaps most critical of all, the REM is a step backward when it comes to controlling global warming. In addition to the emissions produced from making a million tons of cement, an estimated 60,000 to 80,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases will be emitted annually through urban sprawl. The Déblocage is projected to reduce emissions by 280,000 tonnes.

Montrealers have an important choice to make. Do we want to reduce congestion and greenhouse gas emissions by fixing up the system we already have using public dollars? Or do we want to let a Caisse subsidiary use those same public dollars to try to make a profit off an expensive train that only serves part of the city and reduces commuting time if you are lucky enough to get a seat.

Before we let the choice become politicized, let’s think about what we want for the future. Alison Hackney is a car-free retired biologist and farmer. David Eaves is a public transit user who lives in Laval. Laurel Thompson is a member of Trainsparence and LEAP.