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Everything posted by Chris_the_traveller
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exo / Réseau de transport métropolitain (formerly AMT)
Chris_the_traveller replied to kellergraham's topic in QUÉBEC
Looking at the Canadian Rail Atlas, there is no track displayed west of Hudson on the M&O Subdivision. Has the section from Hudson to Rigaud officially been decommissioned? I know the track has been in terrible shape since the AMT abandoned service to Rigaud, but it would be a shame if the right-of-way is not kept so that we have the option to restore service in the future. https://www.railcan.ca/rac-initiatives/canadian-rail-atlas/ -
This change is intriguing and I welcome the new modernized booking system. Though I am worried that the VIA Preference program will become less advantageous. Reward trips will no longer have free cancellation or changes. Taxes will also have to be paid on reward trips. Currently the fare for a short-duration reward trip in the Corridor is only 550 points in Economy -- what will the new base fare be?
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What is the current plan for the 2 Renaissance trainsets in the corridor? Will they soon be pulled from service? I thought these were going to be pulled as soon as the Siemens trainsets could replace them. Now there are already 4 Siemens trainsets but I still see the Rens on the Ottawa-Québec route. I rode a Renaissance train a few days ago from Montréal to Ottawa. From the passenger point of view, everything was great and I find it to be a much quieter ride (I.e. being unable to hear the movements of the car and outside noises) as compared to the rickety HEP 2s. But my understanding is that mechanically they have a lot of issues.
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I spotted a VIA Train this morning, was either VIA 61 or VIA 643, with 3 F40s leading an LRC consist towards Toronto. Did not expect to see so much power on a standard LRC consist.
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Interesting, thanks. I assume it'll be easier for the trains in the tail track to pull back into South Keys station from a level siding rather than the slope towards Greenboro? In other news, I saw C7 last night on a test run, heading south at South Keys. This was around 9pm.
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Was in Ottawa over the weekend and I got to see some of the Stage 2 construction. I noticed there is a storage track just north of South Keys station that is slightly elevated, in the middle of the two main tracks. Why did they elevate this storage track? It seems very unusual.
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OC and STO service disruptions
Chris_the_traveller replied to Cre47's topic in National Capital Region
Probably no compensation as that would set a precedent. And OC Transpo knows that this could very well keep happening, since the system is so unreliable. -
Last week I took VIA 37 from Montreal to Ottawa. This was a Renaissance consist. It was already heavily delayed leaving Montréal due to equipment issues (unfortunately, not a huge surprise). When we got to Lachine near 32nd avenue, the train yielded and we let two eastbound VIA trains (28 and 64 I believe) pass us. I suspect they had both used Platform 1 at Dorval. After both trains passed us, we switched onto the south track and finally arrived at Platform 1 at Dorval. The only reason I could tell that we were stuck waiting at Lachine 32nd avenue was to be able to move over to the south track to use platform 1 at Dorval. I find this to have been a poor operational decision, to let our train accumulate an extra 20 minutes delay just to avoid using Platform 2 at Dorval. I know Platform 2 doesn't have the greatest setup. It lacks elevators and escalators, and has a relatively narrow staircase. Are there any upgrades planned at Dorval to allow both platforms to be used regularly and consistently? It doesn't seem acceptable to delay trains just because of poor station infrastructure at Dorval. This is obviously a very busy station with lots of freight and passenger traffic, and the use of two platforms seems essential.
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Why is there no car 2 on VIA trains? If the Buffer car requirement persists, is it possible that VIA would want to pull some HEP2 cars before the Ren cars?
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Is it easier to recruit a driver for a cutaway than it is for a coach bus? With the labour shortage, maybe it is easier to recruit drivers with Class 4b licenses instead of Class 2 licensed drivers, which would explain the switch to more cutaways
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exo / Réseau de transport métropolitain (formerly AMT)
Chris_the_traveller replied to kellergraham's topic in QUÉBEC
I counted 4 of them at Pointe St Charles last week from aboard a westbound VIA train leaving Central station. There could have been more, hidden. There are also a ton of 700s at Pointe St Charles, not sure if it is the entire fleet but it could have been. -
What equipment does VIA plan to put on the regional routes once all the Siemens trainsets go into service?
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O-Train Line 1 | The Confederation Line
Chris_the_traveller replied to octranspobusfreak's topic in National Capital Region
Is there still a 15-minute headway between trains on the west end of the line? That must be painful during rush hour! -
On the website only 8 lines are listed as 10 minutes max. Sad to see this program not doing so well. https://www.stm.info/fr/infos/reseaux/bus/reseau-local/10-minutes-max
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exo / Réseau de transport métropolitain (formerly AMT)
Chris_the_traveller replied to kellergraham's topic in QUÉBEC
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exo / Réseau de transport métropolitain (formerly AMT)
Chris_the_traveller replied to kellergraham's topic in QUÉBEC
I rode the Mascouche train a few days ago leaving Central station. It's incredible how much time it takes just to get from the platforms to the Peel Basin. It took us about 15 minutes. We stopped at the first switch right at the entrance above St-Antoine. We stopped again on the viaduct to let a VIA train past. And we stopped again at the curve near New City Gas to let a deadheading St-Hilaire train pull into Central Station. I couldn't see any MR-90s left in the Pointe-St-Charles yard. I didn't see any CRRC bilevels from my point of view onboard the train. I've only seen two thus far in the yard. Is the delivery still going according to schedule? These cars are supposed to enter service in the Spring. -
With all the cost overruns, could the Griffintown--Bernard-Landry station get cancelled altogether (à la gare Charlemagne)?. It looks like the construction hasn't even begun at that station.
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I have a ton of old transit schedules and tickets that I don’t know what to do with. Mostly from the Montreal area. They are becoming clutter. Should I give away or swap with anyone for other cool transit paraphernalia? Or just toss.
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Have all the trains arrived?
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OC and STO service disruptions
Chris_the_traveller replied to Cre47's topic in National Capital Region
The R1 buses stopping at Tremblay while the trains are still servicing Tremblay seems odd to me. If the R1 buses went from Saint-Laurent directly to Hurdman, that seems like it would be a much quicker and more efficient ride, taking the highway. Could OC transpo do this, and add a separate shuttle to service from Hurdman to Tremblay? Similar to what they have done before for Cyrville. -
Some articles appear to say 6 months of testing is required before a segment goes into service. We are less than 6 months away from December 1st, and trains still haven't been able to be tested up until Central station. So is it really realistic that the REM will open in 2022? Also, Griffintown—Bernard-Landry station seems to not be very advanced in construction. Will the work start to accelerate this summer, or will this station open late? The catenary is not up from Brossard all the way to Central station, so that's a good sign.
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O-Train Line 1 | The Confederation Line
Chris_the_traveller replied to octranspobusfreak's topic in National Capital Region
What is the top speed of the LRT likely to reach in those segments down the highway to Orleans? When I used my speedometer on my phone in the segment from Lees to Hurdman, we were averaging around 30km/h. I hope the trains won't crawl along at such a low speed when running parallel to the highway. -
Bus route changes as a result of the REM service launching
Chris_the_traveller replied to brianc1981's topic in QUÉBEC
That would really be a shame. People need alternatives if the REM breaks down. Which will happen, coz breakdowns happen on all systems. The experience of Ottawa implementing LRT has been very difficult, partially because there are no parallel bus routes that run alongside the LRT. The transit agency had to implement a dedicated fleet of replacement buses -- that are waiting on standby in a parking lot, in case of a breakdown, ready to jump into service when needed.. Montreal could instead keep the redundant routes in service, instead of keeping a fleet of parked buses ready to go in the event of a REM service outage. Also, for people going to destinations other than downtown, it's nice to have options to get around. People living in LaSalle, Verdun and Lachine East could all benefit from catching the 747 to YUL from Angrignon. -
I noticed this travel advisory on the VIA website: Due to a railway infrastructure maintenance by the Host Railway on April 23 and 24, 2022, the line will be closed, and trains will run on a different route. Trains 52, 62, 64, 66, 46, 68, 668, 643, 63, 65, 53, 67, 645, 69, 59, 669, 42, 54 will incur significant delays. There will be no service to or from Guildwood Station on April 23 and 24. Toronto’s Union Station or Oshawa Station are suggested as the closest alternative.
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exo / Réseau de transport métropolitain (formerly AMT)
Chris_the_traveller replied to kellergraham's topic in QUÉBEC
Some things I noticed at the exo public board meeting: They confirmed that double deckers can be run on the Candiac line They suggested to one person that they file an access-to-information request to find out what will happen to the MR-90s There's potential to add service to the St-Hilaire line on weekends and on the St-jerome line in general There's concern about the future of the Mascouche line with the REM de l'Est coming.