Commuter rail and transit developments in Montreal

[west point]

I’d say that they are trying to strike the right balance. The next station on the line has a new massive mixed use development with lots of apartments, restaurants and stores all of which are very walkable from the train station.

On a brutal winter day? Have always liked the Minneapolis way.

 

[Metra Electric Rider]

It looks like there were walkways over the expressway - the developments look huge - 20-30 story (maybe 30 is pushing it) high-rise residential buildings. Lots of retail, housing and office/mixed use type stuff which more planning or in the immediate, current construction pipeline. Canada builds taller and denser than in the US in suburbia (and outer portions of city proper) quite often.

 

[Fenway]

The new REM is having issues

There was another service interruption Wednesday morning on Montreal's new Réseau express métropolitain (REM) — the fourth breakdown on the light-rail line in three days.

The service issues are leaving some riders questioning how reliable the REM is.

Data compiled by CTV News shows that, since it opened at the end of July, there have been 41 service interruptions.

Riders of the driverless REM line say the service is wonderful — when it's working.

https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/is-it-g...rvice-interruptions-since-it-opened-1.6625960

 

[Fenway]

“It’s a shame,” said Talia Malagon, a Montrealer, about the proposal to stop Metro service at 11pm to address Montreal’s massive deficit for public transit. Gareth Madoc-Jones reports.

 

[Willbridge]

Having lived through schemes like this, my first question is whether savings from a cut like that are real. Are they calculated with system averages or are they calculated at a rate that recognizes that fixed costs may not be saved? The next question is whether there are lines that are more productive in late hours than other lines are in daytime. And the next question is whether they can calculate revenue lost on round-trip customers who travel in one direction during hours when service is still to be offered.

That's all aside from normal business economies.

 

[railiner]

Having lived through schemes like this, my first question is whether savings from a cut like that are real. Are they calculated with system averages or are they calculated at a rate that recognizes that fixed costs may not be saved? The next question is whether there are lines that are more productive in late hours than other lines are in daytime. And the next question is whether they can calculate revenue lost on round-trip customers who travel in one direction during hours when service is still to be offered.

That's all aside from normal business economies.

Good points!
And looking deeper, what would the cut in late service do to the area served? Taking customers of the system away from access to the businesses that they may patronize, can cause an entire neighborhood to depress. Not to mention loss in real estate value and taxes...

 

[slasher-fun]

Yes, they have models that take in account of all this.

But these models all only have a short-sighted and short-term vision, they don't take in account how these service cuts may make people switch to other modes of transportation even when the service isn't changed, etc., which would result in additional revenue losses.

As usual, we forget to address the elephant in the room: how cars are a heavily subsidized mode of transportation compared to public transit, and how much money could be saved (both in taxes and individual spending) if these subsidies where more oriented toward more cost-effective modes of transportation....
For example, in Outremont borough in Montréal, pretty well served by public transit, it costs ~$120 per *year* to park your car on the street in front of your house, which is about $1/sqft/year: way cheaper than the value of the terrain used for that purpose, and way cheaper than if you'd like a permit for a (commercial) terrace, in which case it will be $25/sqft/year...

 

[Willbridge]

Yes, they have models that take in account of all this.

But these models all only have a short-sighted and short-term vision, they don't take in account how these service cuts may make people switch to other modes of transportation even when the service isn't changed, etc., which would result in additional revenue losses.

As usual, we forget to address the elephant in the room: how cars are a heavily subsidized mode of transportation compared to public transit, and how much money could be saved (both in taxes and individual spending) if these subsidies where more oriented toward more cost-effective modes of transportation....
For example, in Outremont borough in Montréal, pretty well served by public transit, it costs ~$120 per *year* to park your car on the street in front of your house, which is about $1/sqft/year: way cheaper than the value of the terrain used for that purpose, and way cheaper than if you'd like a permit for a (commercial) terrace, in which case it will be $25/sqft/year...

In large scale cutbacks the cost savings may be hastily estimated by financial staff using accounting practices that are not designed to make predictions.