We might never know if métro could function above ground
Q The recent Gazette article on our métro’s creation stated the current lines can never be extended beyond their terminal stations above ground. Is this really an engineering impossibility? Is it an issue of clearing the tracks of snow in winter, snow tires, the mechanism of the doors not functioning in the winter’s cold? Or perhaps nothing to do with weather. Could someone explain in detail what are the hindrances. K.A. Fisher, St-Laurent
A We might never know for sure how well the city’s subway system could be adapted to be used above ground. That’s because the entire system was conceived and built to be run in a tunnel sealed away from the elements. It’s not only the rubber tires that could be problematic, but all the electrical systems running throughout the tunnel system, according to several planners who built the original system.
About two years ago, Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre floated the idea of building a Blue Line extension above ground. However, his idea was never to take the métro system itself outdoors, but rather to build a light-rail system, or a tram that would continue along the route farther east of the Blue Line. Coderre had said while the transport ministry was studying extensions to the métro, it should consider potentially less-expensive options.
At the time, Transport Minister Robert Poëti ordered his department to study if any above-ground scenarios could be used, but the conclusion that came back was none of those options could transport as many people as quickly as an underground métro, so they were not included in the feasibility study to extend the Blue Line, and submitted to the transport department at the beginning of 2016.
One option that was not examined, however, was whether it was feasible to build an above-ground tunnel that could enclose the entire system.
That was a suggestion by urban planning professor David Hanna at Université du Québec à Montréal. Hanna said this option has been used in other cities, one example being Beijing, where a tunnel was used to enclose a roadway that passed through a local zoo. Hanna said a study would have to be done to cost out this option and compare it to building below the surface, because it would involve building the system over several major streets, which would require overpasses or underpasses to be built.
Q I had a brainstorm while waiting for the bus on my way home from work on a recent chilly evening. I thought how nice it would be to have heated shelters during the winter months. Being a big fan of Elon Musk and many of his green energy initiatives, solar panels came to mind. Used in tandem with modern energy storing technology, excess collected power could be directed to the power grid or battery panels for use at a later time.
Solar panels could be implemented on the roofs of bus shelters, buses, métro stations, bus garages, etc. and fed into the power grid to generate a credit on the Société de transport de Montréal’s electricity bill. This might be a feasible idea that could generate tremendous positive PR for our fair city. Jeff Black, St-Leonard
A While this might be a good idea, the STM has no plan to heat its bus shelters. Only 75 of the STM’s shelters have electricity, and those are the ones managed by Quebecor as part of a sponsorship agreement whereby the media company pays to install and maintain the shelters in return for the opportunity to advertise in them.