Allison Hanes: REM's recognition bodes effectively for future of electrical transit

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If you happen to construct it, they’ll come.

Canadian creator W.P. Kinsella coined the phrase in his novel Shoeless Joe. It was later popularized within the movie impressed by the e-book, Discipline of Goals. “It,” within the e-book as within the film, was a baseball diamond. However the nugget of knowledge may effectively apply to the arrival of the REM, the primary new public transit system in Better Montreal in a era.

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Come they did by the tens of hundreds on its debut weekend on the finish of July, when the general public lined up for hours to be the primary to journey the driverless electrical light-rail line between Brossard and Montreal’s Central Station.

It’s heartening to see a lot enthusiasm for this challenge, which was led by the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec. It reveals how keen individuals are for options to the solo car — to not point out an escape from infernal visitors jams. It ought to reveal to governments of all ranges that investments in public transit are worthwhile and vital — to spice up productiveness, enhance well being and meet emissions reductions targets.

That’s the great half.

The not so good half is that the REM’s first full official week of service, which began final Monday, bought off to a tough begin. A caught change in the course of the very first morning rush hour induced delays. Passengers have been pressured off the prepare and onto shuttle buses. Then there was a second outage that night.

In a separate incident, a pair returning residence from the flicks on the South Shore ended up trapped aboard a prepare that drove to a upkeep storage as an alternative of towards downtown.

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And there was one other interruption on Wednesday morning — the third in as many days.

First impressions are essential, so for these glitches to occur when all eyes are on the REM was unlucky. These left within the lurch could also be reluctant to offer it a second probability. And the impression that service is unreliable could dissuade tentative commuters watching on the sidelines from climbing aboard.

That mentioned, snags are to be anticipated in beginning up a challenge of this magnitude, and the opening has certainly been burdened by sky-high expectations.

Because the REM kicks off its second week, it’s too quickly to panic that that is one other cursed Confederation Line.

Ottawa’s light-rail line has been stricken by one bug after one other because it opened in 2019, inflicting repeated shutdowns and sparking a public inquiry. Certainly the consultants have discovered from that debacle.

There’s an excessive amount of using on the REM for it to flounder.

CDPQ Infra proposed, secured funding, designed and constructed the brand new line in document time. Sure, it’s over funds and not on time, however contemplating it got here like a bolt out of the blue solely in 2016 and is now ferrying its first passengers on the primary leg of the community, it’s a current document in Quebec (surpassed solely by the ambition and transformative energy of the Montreal métro).

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In distinction, the extension of the Blue Line — talked about for many years and introduced amid a lot fanfare in 2018 — continues to be within the preparatory levels. In the meantime, after CDPQ Infra backed out of the REM de l’Est over continued criticism of the social acceptability of its design, the Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain got here out with a brand new underground trajectory. Its mind-boggling price ticket of $36 billion made Premier François Legault choke on his espresso. The probability of it getting constructed any time quickly has now significantly diminished, even with Legault cheerleading such a challenge.

Say what you’ll about whether or not or not a pension fund needs to be spearheading public infrastructure work — CDPQ Infra bought the job performed with the REM the place so many different tasks stalled.

That is essential to recollect at a time when extra transit is desperately wanted. As a result of as everyone knows, local weather change is upon us, and probably the most vital and fastest-growing supply of emissions in Quebec is transportation.

The electrification of transport is likely one of the most important methods Quebec plans to cut back emissions. However let’s face it: it’s higher to have extra commuters on electrified public transit than extra electrical automobiles caught in congestion.

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With Hydro Québec’s power surplus set to evaporate within the coming years as demand spikes, it can change into all of the extra essential to make use of this treasured useful resource as effectively as potential. That may require the development of extra public transportation.

This could begin with discovering a option to get the ARTM’s REM 2.0 again on the rails at a extra reasonable price. It means branches of the REM to Laval and Charlemagne, including to the regional capability of the community. And it should embrace bringing the REM to fast-growing off-island communities like Vaudreuil, St-Zotique and Coteau-du-Lac. Actually, it’s a no brainer contemplating it’s a hop, skip and soar from the westernmost station in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue. The very fact there’s no house for this goal on the brand new Île-aux-Tourtes Bridge is ridiculously short-sighted.

As a result of even with the velocity bumps, the REM has already proven that in the event that they construct it, passengers will come.

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