The Greater Montreal Area commuter train network was launched in 1996, with only two lines. The network has been steadily enhanced and improved since then. Three new commuter lines have been added, and two of these have since been extended. The commuter rail network now includes 214 km of rail lines, 52 stations and 39 park-and-ride facilities totalling 16,200 parking spaces. Already in the fall of 2007, peak-hour ridership was reaching new heights: of the 31 Montreal-bound trains during the morning peak period, 50 percent of passengers on 18 trains had to stand for lack of available seating. There was an immediate need for more capacity and for a plan to manage the system's rapid growth. In addition, this growth was putting pressure on our aging inventory of rolling stock, with increasing preventative and corrective maintenance needs. In cooperation with the Quebec Government, we acquired 160 new multilevel railcars, which is a major step in the improvement of sustainable urban transportation. These new railcars will add an additional 43,000 seats to the commuter train network daily. This significant increase in the public transit offer and level of service reflects our deep commitment to sustainable development. This paper was translated from a French paper published in the 2009 Transportation Association of Canada Annual Proceedings (see ITRD number F160272). This project was nominated for the TAC 2009 Sustainable Urban Transportation Award. For the covering abstract of this conference see ITRD number E220308.
Samenvatting