a tale of two airport train shuttles

8/2/2019 A Tale of Two Airport Train Shuttles

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A tale of two

airport-train shuttles:Montreal a nd Toronto

Andy Rigamontrealgazette.com/metnews

[email protected]
http://goog_813619531/http://goog_813619531/


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Both airports are about 20kilometres west of downtown.

Both are close to train tracks usedby commuter trains.


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But there are key differences in airporttrain shuttles that Toronto andMontreal are working on.

The Toronto Pearson project isactually underway. And it will alsoboost commuter trains.

The Montreal Trudeau shuttle is

stalled. And it targets only airporttravelers, with no money set aside for commuters


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Montreal also had a plan for acombined commuter/airport project.

But the airport authority ( Aroports deMontreal ) and thecommuter train operator (the Agencemtropolitaine de transport ) couldn't

agree.


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So Montreal is dealing with twoseparate proposals:


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1) the airport shuttle , to be run by theprivate sector but financed in large part

by public funds.$200 million from Quebec is already setaside for the airport train.


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2) a commuter upgrade of theVaudreuil-Husdon/West Island line, run

by the AMT, a provincial agency.

No funding has been set aside for thecommuter upgrades.


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This Montreal Gazette documentcompares the Toronto and Montrealairport train shuttles.


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Montreal trains


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Toronto trains


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OverviewMontreal

Montreals train would run, non-stop, betweenTrudeau Airport and downtowns Central Station.

Aroports de Montral says Trudeau lacksefficient, rapid and reliable public-transit access,especially at rush hour and during winter storms.

Highways near the airport are often congested.

Toronto

Torontos Air Rail Link will run between PearsonAirport and downtowns Union Station, with twostops at commuter train stations.

It is being built in conjunction with an upgrade of a GO Transit commuter train line.

A three-kilometre spur will connect that line to the

airport.

Ontario says the train will be in place by spring2015, in time for the July 2015 Pan AmericanGames, expected to attract 10,000 athletes andofficials and 250,000 tourists.

SNC-Lavalin was to build and operate thatshuttle, but the plan fell through when it failed toget the required financing.


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The airportsMontreal

Trudeau is Canadas third-busiest airport,after Toronto and Vancouver.

Travellers: About 12 million annually Number of flights: About 580 daily Parking: 11,500 spots.Most people reach the airport by car.

Getting there by :Taxi : $38 to or from downtown Transit:

Transit : In March, the STM made the trip by busmuch easier with the 747 Express Bus ($8 for those without a transit pass).

Highways : By 2018, the addition of a dedicatedreserved bus lane on part of Highway 20 shouldspeed up the 747 bus. Some highway trafficaround the airport will be cut thanks to a $224-million reconstruction of the Dorval Interchange,to be finished in 2015.

Toronto

Pearson Airport is Canadas busiest airport.

Travellers: About 30 million annually Number of flights: About 1,100 daily Parking: More than22,000 spots. Most people reach the airport bycar

Getting there by: .Taxi : $52 for a 25-minute trip from downtown

Private bus : The Airport Express costs $22 andtakes 40 minutes

Transit : $7.70 for a combination of commuter train and city bus (in about 70minutes). The Toronto Transit Commissionoperates the 192 Airport Rocket bus from the endof a subway line; it costs $3 and takes about 70minutes to and from downtown.


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The proposed train shuttlesMontreal

Distance between airport and downtown: 20 kilometres

Train frequency : Every 20 minutes

Number of trains per day: 120

Schedule: 4 a.m. to midnight (20 hours a day), 7 days/ week

Length of trip: 20 minutes

Cost of trip: Fares are not set yet, but in May, ADM chief executiveJames Cherry suggested $12 to $15.

Timeline : Construction is to take 24 to 36 months. The ADM says it couldbe launched by 2016.

Whos in charge? Aroports de Montral, the private non-profit companythat runs the airport. It plans to work with a private partner that wouldoperate the train service.

Ridership projection: 3 million in first full year of operation. The ADMsays one-third of Trudeau passengers head downtown after flights.

Number of cars removed from the road: 1.7 million fewer vehicles per year would make the trip to the airport, the ADM says.

Stops along the way: Unlike all other airport trains in North America, theArotrain would be non-stop from Trudeau to downtown; the ADM hassaid it may one day consider stopping at a commuter train station used bythe AMTs Vaudreuil-Hudson line. That would allow West Island residentsto use the airport shuttle to reach the airport and return home.

Toronto

Distance between airport and downtown: 27 kilometres

Train frequency: Every 15 minutes

Number of trains per day: 140

Schedule: Hours not announced but is to run 20 hours a day, 7days/week.

Length of trip: 25 minutes

Cost of trip: Fares are not set yet, but officials have said it would costabout $22 a ride.

Timeline: Due to start rolling in spring 2015.

Whos in charge? Metrolinx, the provincial body that operatesthe Toronto regions GO Transit commuter trains. TheGreater TorontoAirport Authority is providing land for the tracks and thestation at Pearson.

Ridership projection: About 1.8 million after five years of operation.

Number of cars removed from the road: 1.2 million fewer vehicles per year would make the trip to the airport, Metrolinx says.

Stops along the way: The Air Rail Link will stop at twocommuter train stations on the GO Georgetown line: Weston and Bloor,the second of which is connected to the subway system.


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The infrastructureMontreal

Cost to build : $600 million

Requirements: New dedicated tracks between Trudeau and downtown,mostly along CN tracks, through the Sud-Ouest borough. Two bridges willhave to be widened over the Lachine Canal, two level crossings will bemoved underground, and seven overpasses will have to be widened.The train terminal at the airport would be under the U.S. departures areathat opened at the airport last year.

Equipment: Four trains of three cars each, with cars equipped to

accommodate passengers with luggage. The ADM says the trains will beenergy-efficient and perhaps electric.

Access to public transit: Central Station is linked to the Bonaventuremtro station via walkways and escalators. Central Station is also used bythe Deux Montagnes and Mont St. Hilaire commuter trains and is tobecome the terminal for the new Repentigny/ Mascouche line, andpossibly the Blainville/St. Jrme line. Via Rail and Amtrak also run inter-city trains from Central Station.

Who pays to build it: The ADM and private investors together would putup $200 million. Quebec and Ottawa would each be expected to put in$200 million. Quebec has said it is ready to pay its share. Ottawa has notweighed in yet.

Who will own it: The privately operated Aroports de Montral.

TorontoCost to build: Total is $1.3 billion: $300 million for the Air Rail Link, plus$1 billion to upgrade infrastructure along the commuter corridor. Withoutthat work, the line couldnt handle all the airport trains. Critics say theprovince is underestimating the cost of the airport train by shiftingexpenses to the commuter-line work.

Requirements: A three-kilometre spur must be built to connect thecommuter train line to Pearson. Other work required includes addingtracks, widening bridges and building one new bridge and six newoverpasses and underpasses. The improvements will allow for 10 newcommuter train departures per day, with more expected later.

Equipment: Trains would have two cars each. Metrolinx is buying diesel-powered trains but has said it may switch to electric power later.

Access to public transit: Handling as many as 65 million passengersannually, downtown Torontos Union Station is Canadas busiestpassenger train hub. It is served by commuter trains, the subway, citybuses, as well as intercity trains from Via Rail, Ontario Northland Railwayand Amtrak.

Who pays to build it: The Ontario government is paying for the project,

apart from $16.6 million that Ottawa is contributing via its infrastructurefund to rebuild six bridges on the commuter line.

Who will own it: Metrolinx, the Ontario provincial agency that operatescommuter trains.


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The controversiesMontreal

The project has the backing of the city of Montreal, the Quebec provincialgovernment and business groups such as the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal.

But critics argue the airport shuttle does nothing to cure problems afflictingMontreal transportation, such as poor service on West Island commuter trains.

The fact SNC-Lavalin dropped out of the Torontoproject because of financing difficulties should make governments wary of bankrolling aprivate train shuttle in Montreal, says Avrom Shtern, a transit activist withthe Green Coalition.

Critics also worry that if money is poured into a Trudeau shuttle, little willbe left to improve commuter trains.

Toronto

Critics such as Greg Gormick of the Clean Train Coalitioncontend Torontos Air Rail Link should be electric for the sake of theenvironment and people who live near the tracks.

Though regular commuter service will improve on the GO line, Gormicknotes airport-train fares will be high and trains will be small, making themuseless to commuters.

Instead of an airport train some say is not needed, critics want all themoney poured into commuter service.


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The end


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A tale of two

airport-train shuttles:Montreal a nd Toronto

Andy Rigamontrealgazette.com/metnews

[email protected]
http://goog_813619531/http://goog_813619531/

a tale of two airport train shuttles

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