+- Waterloo Region Connected (https://www.waterlooregionconnected.com)
+-- Forum: Connected Café (https://www.waterlooregionconnected.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=15)
+--- Forum: Outside Waterloo Region (https://www.waterlooregionconnected.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=33)
+--- Thread: Montreal Light Automated Metro (/showthread.php?tid=568)
RE: Montreal Light Rail - Canard - 05-26-2016
(05-26-2016, 06:59 PM)plam Wrote: They pointed out that it is somewhat difficult (expensive) to connect above-ground rail to underground systems.
Pure, unadulterated Hodge Podge. That's what Scarberians would like you to believe, too, as an excuse to replace the Scarborough rt with a useless subway extension that serves exactly no-one, rather than repair what they have and expand upon it. But that's another bedtime story, for another city.
And, try telling that to anyone who has ever ridden the "L" in Chicago! Switching between the underground lines and those which are above ground in the Loop couldn't be easier. A couple of escalators or staircases, and you're done.
Perhaps the Montrealers are simply too accustomed to their brilliantly-designed cross-platform metro interchanges, like Lionel-Groulx, which have intersecting lines corkscrew 90 degrees before entering the platforms, so you simply walk across the platform to change trains without changing level.
Nothing but poppycock.
RE: Montreal Light Rail - KevinL - 05-26-2016
Let's consider where they want to build Metro interchanges.
Gare Centrale already connects to multiple Metro stations in the dense downtown Underground City, so no work required here at all, really.
Édouard-Montpetit was actually designed to one day connect to the tunnel when it was built; new shafts would have to be dug, but I understand there are no utilities in the way.
McGill would need the most work, as a connection was not pre-designed. But we only need new pedestrian links, which can be built in a more flexible manner than rail tunnels (which, once again, already exist).
Other connections would be with the commuter rail system, not the Metro, and are even easier to build.
RE: Montreal Light Rail - tomh009 - 05-26-2016
(05-26-2016, 06:59 PM)plam Wrote: They pointed out that it is somewhat difficult (expensive) to connect above-ground rail to underground systems.
Seriously? There are countless stations in Japan connecting underground, above-ground and elevated systems. It's simply a non-event.
RE: Montreal Light Rail - DHLawrence - 05-26-2016
The complainers would be better off drawing attention to the fact that only 9 out of 68 existing Metro stations have full access to the surface - the rest don't have elevators. If they have to rip stations apart to put elevators in, they might as well retrofit for this while they're at it.
RE: Montreal Light Rail - Canard - 05-27-2016
Yes; the Montreal Metro, for as beautiful as its stations are (absolute heaven for a Brutalist architecture fan such as myself), have very, very poor accessibility. It was built in a time when that wasn't really on people's minds.
RE: Montreal Light Rail - plam - 05-27-2016
Here's the link to the piece itself (French).
http://www.ledevoir.com/societe/actualites-en-societe/471657/les-failles-du-projet-du-reseau-electrique-metropolitain
It points out that it would actually be a long walk at Gare Centrale to connect. This is already true when connecting from Via to the metro. Also I think the issue isn't that elevators are difficult to build. It's that the stations are not colocated. They don't plan to build many stations because stations are expensive to build.
RE: Montreal Light Rail - Canard - 05-27-2016
It's a long walk between Line 1 and 2 at Spadina, too. Tears.
RE: Montreal Light Rail - DHLawrence - 05-27-2016
Which is why everyone switches at St George.
RE: Montreal Light Rail - Canard - 05-27-2016
..Yup.
RE: Montreal Light Rail - plam - 05-28-2016
(05-27-2016, 08:21 PM)DHLawrence Wrote: Which is why everyone switches at St George.
For some reason Google told me to switch at Spadina the other day. The walk is actually ridiculous compared to Montreal transfers.
(The more recent transfer stations, ie not Berri-UQAM, were planned so that the most common transfers wouldn't require stairs. Except for Jean-Talon, but that wasn't planned as a transfer. And Snowdon was planned to be stairless except that the blue line never expanded to the west as intended, so everyone has to take stairs. So, Lionel-Groulx is the main transfer that is super easy).
RE: Montreal Light Rail - Canard - 05-28-2016
Yes; the first time I transferred at Lionel-Groulx, I actually changed levels. And then I couldn't figure out why I couldn't find my train. And then I GASPED when I figured out how amazingly clever the design was. Like I had to go sit on a bench. It was overwhelming. Then I just watched people flood from one side of the platform to the other for like 30 minutes, gleefully grinning. Love that system so much.
I'd literally move in to Radisson if I could.
RE: Montreal Light Rail - DHLawrence - 05-28-2016
That astounded me when I was there last month. Took a fair bit of getting used to, especially since I hadn't been on a Metro since I was 7.
RE: Montreal Light Rail - JoeKW - 05-29-2016
I remember my college days, transferring at that station every day. Very efficient but harrowing when your train pulls in and you can see your destination train already there. About half of your train was ready to dash to the other side. It was even worse when the opposing train was on the opposite level.
RE: Montreal Light Rail - plam - 06-04-2016
Mixed feelings about Montreal light rail from a Montreal transit blogger:
http://www.cat-bus.com/
(permalink: http://www.cat-bus.com/2016/06/townhall-meeting-for-the-rem/)
RE: Montreal Light Rail - Canard - 06-04-2016
It's not Light Rail!