Canadian LRT/RT projects U/C

[Kilgore Trout]

Not exactly. Griffintown development started in the late 2000s and really ramped up in the mid-2010s, and the REM wasn't announced until 2016.

Which isn't to say I'm defending these people. The REM sounds pretty much exactly like the SkyTrain, except even quieter. And these condos are overlooking a century-old railroad viaduct along which plenty of screeching, rumbling diesel-powered VIA and exo (and sometimes even Amtrak!) trains pass every day.

There will probably be another round of complaints when testing begins later this year on the REM in central-west Montreal, the West Island, Laval and the North Shore. Then again, maybe not. A lot of this is just hysteria fuelled by media hype.

[Wigs]

Originally Posted by SFUVancouver

Jake: How often does the train go by?

Elwood: So often you don't even notice it.

[Nite]

• Video Link

[Horus]

A little bit of a bumpy start for REM.

From CBC

Montreal's new REM back up and running after 3rd service disruption in as many days

Light-rail train line was down in both directions for an hour Wednesday morning
CBC News · Posted: Aug 02, 2023 6:33 AM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

Service on the Réseau express métropolitain (REM), Montreal's new light-rail train line, was interrupted for an hour Wednesday morning, triggering the service's emergency backup plan for the third time in as many days.

Trains were stalled in both directions, between Brossard and Gare Centrale stations, due to what REM authorities described as an "incident" on social media.

Shuttle buses were being offered to stranded commuters. Service gradually resumed around 6:35 a.m.

Jean-Vincent Lacroix, a spokesperson for CDPQ Infra, which oversees the REM, told Radio-Canada the issue was due to a computer problem at the control centre, which prevented the trains from running. The staff had to restart everything, he said.

"We had a good scare this morning when the systems didn't respond," said Lacroix in a Wednesday morning interview. "We hoped it wouldn't last long, but the team was quick."

However, Lacroix said he can't guarantee these kinds of service disruptions won't happen again in the short term.

"As we're in the [early] phase, there could be other events like this," he said. "We want to have a good back-to-school season, we want the autumn to go well … but this summer, with the launch, there are a few adjustments to be made."

It's been a tough first week for the long-awaited network. Following a smooth test run over the weekend, when the rides were free, the REM's official launch on Monday was marred by two service disruptions within 24 hours.

A stuck railway switch stopped service for an hour and 15 minutes during morning rush hour, and a similar issue at 11 p.m. led to another breakdown in service for about an hour.

with files from Radio-Canada

[J.OT13]

I mean, 15 minutes during rush and an hour in the evening isn't bad.

Who runs replacement buses when it breaks down? Who pays for those buses? Are those buses bleeding service elsewhere?

[Dengler Avenue]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

I mean, 15 minutes during rush and an hour in the evening isn't bad.

Who runs replacement buses when it breaks down? Who pays for those buses? Are those buses bleeding service elsewhere?

IIRC, Longueuil keeps extra buses just for hiccups like this.

[Wigs]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

I mean, 15 minutes during rush and an hour in the evening isn't bad.

Who runs replacement buses when it breaks down? Who pays for those buses? Are those buses bleeding service elsewhere?

It was an hour and 15 minutes during morning rush hour and another hour during the evening

[Nouvellecosse]

Originally Posted by Wigs

Legitimate concern or exaggeration? Line hasn't even opened yet and residents along the route are complaining
Anyone an expert on sound decibels of rail transit?
• Video Link

I remember people in the international forum talking about co-existing with the Chicago L. There are several stretches where it runs through the back alley between residential lowrises with basically an arm's length of clearance in between. Apparently it's extremely disruptive at first but after a week or two people get so used to it they don't even notice it anymore.

People are more adaptable than they realize if they give themselves a chance. Not that I'm in favour of unnecessary urban noise of course because it can have negative effects on sleep, stress levels, and mood even without a person being conscious of it. But lower levels like the REM should be fine.

[Rico Rommheim]

Going to gare centrale

The REM being tested by Caribb, on Flickr

[Kilgore Trout]

I rode the REM for the first time today. Such a nice experience. It felt like I was back in Hong Kong riding the MTR, in particular the automated South Island Line. Platform screen doors, LED displays that tell you exactly where you are in between stations, transverse seating instead of the weird arrangements so many North American systems insist on having. The metro (or should I say Métro) is distinctive, the REM is generic. But it's generic in the best way possible.

The one advantage the REM has over any other automated line I've used is that the front windows are huge. The CDPQ really knew what it was doing in asking for this modification of the standard Metropolis trains. The views are incredible, especially on the trip between Central Station and Nuns' Island, which should be one of Montreal's top tourist attractions given how spectacular a panorama of the skyline, mountain and river it is. I would definitely joyride between those two stations just to take in the view.

Ultimately it felt like the best kind of budget metro system: no unnecessary flourishes, just the essentials, but packaged in a really nice and user-friendly way.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by Kilgore Trout

I rode the REM for the first time today. Such a nice experience. It felt like I was back in Hong Kong riding the MTR, in particular the automated South Island Line. Platform screen doors, LED displays that tell you exactly where you are in between stations, transverse seating instead of the weird arrangements so many North American systems insist on having. The metro (or should I say Métro) is distinctive, the REM is generic. But it's generic in the best way possible.

The one advantage the REM has over any other automated line I've used is that the front windows are huge. The CDPQ really knew what it was doing in asking for this modification of the standard Metropolis trains. The views are incredible, especially on the trip between Central Station and Nuns' Island, which should be one of Montreal's top tourist attractions given how spectacular a panorama of the skyline, mountain and river it is. I would definitely joyride between those two stations just to take in the view.

Ultimately it felt like the best kind of budget metro system: no unnecessary flourishes, just the essentials, but packaged in a really nice and user-friendly way.

That is high praise, your review has made me interested in trying it out the next time I visit Montreal.

[MonctonRad]

REM cab view:

• Video Link

[craner]

Global consultant selected as advisor for Metrolinx’s GO Transit expansion project

http://https://www.constructioncanada.net/global-consultant-selected-as-advisor-for-metrolinxs-go-transit-expansion-project/?en_click=1

[SFUVancouver]

Originally Posted by craner

Global consultant selected as advisor for Metrolinx’s GO Transit expansion project

http://https://www.constructioncanada.net/global-consultant-selected-as-advisor-for-metrolinxs-go-transit-expansion-project/?en_click=1

It’s Arup.

I’m so tired of clickbait where the headlines conceal the most basic information.

[Luisito]

Cool video. Thanks for sharing. I look forward to riding the new REM system next time I am in MTL. The skyline views look fantastic. I hope some day MTL also decides to upgrade it's commuter train system.

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

REM cab view:

• Video Link

[Coldrsx]

It's now mid-august 2023 and but a few weeks before post-secondary is back and folks sorta head back Downtown to work and yet not a single peep about an opening day for the SE-Valley Line in Edmonton.

In early August 2022 there was hope that it would be open Sept 1.

Testing continues, concrete continues to be replaced and replacement wiring of ~140km is ongoing.

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by Coldrsx

It's now mid-august 2023 and but a few weeks before post-secondary is back and folks sorta head back Downtown to work and yet not a single peep about an opening day for the SE-Valley Line in Edmonton.

In early August 2022 there was hope that it would be open Sept 1.

Testing continues, concrete continues to be replaced and replacement wiring of ~140km is ongoing.

Do you want Edmonton to experience what Ottawa and Montreal are experiencing? They already had the cracked concrete issue.

[casper]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

Do you want Edmonton to experience what Ottawa and Montreal are experiencing? They already had the cracked concrete issue.

They could have went with proven "made in Canada" technology. The INNOVIA Metro platform.

Actually Montreal is likely to sort its problems out fairly quickly. For the first little while they may just need to reboot the computer a few time. They will sort out those problems at the end of the day. Ottawa and Edmonton time will tell.

[niwell]

Hearsay warning but I was chatting with someone last week who's been involved on the engineering side (not ML) of the Crosstown line in Toronto. Despite the annoying delays I'm even more convinced things are nowhere near as dire as the media wants to portray. Though that is at least in part the fault of the current government who's been weirdly opaque on the whole thing. Most of the technical issues are fixed or very close to, and the big delay remains Yonge/Eg station - which is also very close to finished now.

There's a vested interest on behalf of the Province and TTC to ensure that when it goes into service things run smoothly though. Nobody wants a repeat of Ottawa. Unfortunately what this means for actual timelines I don't know (early next year?).

[J.OT13]

Trim, O-Trains future east terminus.

• Video Link

Place d'Orléans, next station west, main bus-rail transfer point.

• Video Link

Jeanne d'Arc, two stations west of Place, community station with some on street bus transfers.

• Video Link