New idea might fly
AÉROPORTS DE MONTRÉAL ready to co-operate on rail shuttle plan
Atentative bravo goes to the authorities who run Trudeau International Airport.
In a startling outbreak of common sense, they’ve abandoned their original plan to build a shuttle train to downtown. That plan would have served airport users exclusively; this meant that for West Island commuters to get a frequently running new train, Canada’s most indebted province would have to pay for an entirely separate new line, much of it passing over the same territory as the airport train. Airport authorities insisted for years that the same rail infrastructure could not possibly accommodate both markets – airport users and commuters.
Oops. The head of the airport body, Aéroports de Montréal’s James Cherry, indicated Thursday that this dogma is no longer operative.
Turns out that, among other problems, the original airport plan would be far more costly than the original $600-million price tag.
Cherry’s more reasonable new plan calls for an elevated, Vancouver-style rail line between downtown and the airport. It would follow the axis of Highways 720 and 20. After reaching the airport, the line could stretch much farther into the West Island.
An Aéroports spokesperson added some information on Friday. She said the two markets would have separate trains and use different rolling stock, but they would share much of the same track. After reaching Dorval, a spur would head to the airport while the rest of the line proceeded west. (Whether it would be elevated after Dorval is uncertain.) The airport train would use cars that had extra room for luggage.
Some important matters are unresolved. One is whether the train’s terminus would be Central Station, as Aéroports has long demanded, or Lucien L’allier station, as the planner of the commuter line, Agence métropolitaine de transport (AMT), prefers.
(Each terminus poses a challenge. If the train were to use Central Station, it’s not clear how it would span the quarter mile between Highway 720 and the station, a stretch that is packed with buildings. In 2008, the AMT proposed an elevated track that would avoid the buildings by looping behind the Bell Centre. City hall nixed this on esthetic grounds; but a rail line on stilts does not have to be ugly, and the city might be more receptive to a good design.
As for Lucien L’allier station, it’s small and out of the way. The AMT and a large developer, Cadillac-Fairview, have proposed building a combined train-bus station, complete with shops and a hotel, at the nearby corner of St. Antoine St. and Peel St.)
Also, it’s not clear if the airport shuttle would be able to make a stop at the Vendôme métro station – a handy boarding place for many airport employees and Montrealbased travellers (as distinct from travellers using downtown hotels).
Still, leaving aside these uncertainties, Aéroports is on the right track.
The path to the airport would be more direct, and time-saving, than the shuttle’s original route. That earlier version would have used CN’S more circuitous route, which looped around Point St. Charles.
The trains would not run on diesel but on electricity. This means they’ll be relatively quiet and low in greenhouse-gas emissions. Cherry said this would also bring down energy costs by 25 to 40 per cent.
The elevated track means no bridges or overpasses will need to be enlarged, bringing further savings.
Still, much improved though it is, it’s not clear whether Aéroports’ concept is optimal.
Several years ago, the AMT proposed another concept for serving both airport-users and commuters. It’s simpler and, presumably, cheaper. At Dorval, there’d be no spur; instead, the entire line would make a slight detour, swerving off to the airport. The same trains would serve both commuters and airport users. However, some railcars, reserved for travellers, would have space for luggage.
The challenge now is for Aéroports to consult with AMT and other stakeholders, then agree to a plan that best harmonizes service to these two distinct markets. Aéroports’ switch from intransigence to flexibility augers well for something that’s been missing for years – teamwork.