The promoter of the Metropolitan Express Network (REM) to the east and northeast of the island of Montreal strongly criticizes the methodology used by the Regional Metropolitan Transport Authority (ARTM) to analyze this project. The ridership of this future electric train will be there and will not have the effect of “cannibalizing” the existing public transport network, assures CDPQ Infra.
Jump in the financial contribution of municipalities to public transit, marked drop in ridership of the green line of the metro and the Mascouche train causing “problematic competition” with the existing public transit network and complex urban integration of aerial infrastructures are some of the criticisms leveled in an ARTM report whose existence was first revealed on Tuesday by The Press.
Three days later, CDPQ Infra met with certain media on Thursday to respond point by point to this report, which caused a strong reaction in the National Assembly this week.
According to the promoter of this electric train project valued at 10 billion dollars, significant shortcomings in the calculation methods used by the ARTM have distorted the results of its analysis.
The model used by the organization, which is responsible for the planning and financing of public transit in the greater Montreal area, “takes account exclusively of trips by public transit,” says CDPQ Infra, which also calculates, for its part , the potential to attract motorists to its light rail project, explained Thursday its senior director of transport strategies, Denis Andlauer. “It’s fundamental as work on modeling,” he argued.
This is how CDPQ Infra asserts that the ARTM underestimates by 300% the modal shift to which this electric train project, which provides for the development of 23 stations over 32 km, will contribute. According to the promoter, the phenomenon of attracting motorists from the east of the island of Montreal to the faster alternative of the REM de l’Est will inflate the percentage of new public transit users by 17%, and not 5.6%, as stated by the ARTM.
“It’s 7850 people every morning who leave their car to board the REM de l’Est. It shows how attractive what we offer is,” said Andlauer. Asked by The duty, the latter, however, acknowledged that the data presented does not take into account the potential impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has stimulated the use of telework – on the ridership of this future light rail.
“For the moment, neither the ARTM nor us, we take into account the COVID effect in the long term. There is a simple reason, which is that there is no data “that takes the pandemic into account” when it comes to forecasting public transit ridership, Mr. Andlauer.
CDPQ Infra’s analysis also does not take into account the recent change in the project to provide for a change in the route of the REM de l’Est over a distance of more than 4.5 km in order to run the train on a railway right-of-way located near avenue Souligny, in the Mercier-Est district, rather than in the axis of rue Sherbrooke. “What we see in the preliminary data is that there is a slight loss of traffic when we take the route on Souligny,” agreed Mr. Andlauer.
“Meeting Future Needs”
However, many users of the REM de l’Est are already public transit users. In fact, the ARTM claims that during peak periods, 94% of REM de l’Est ridership will in fact be taken away from existing services, in particular the metro’s green line and the Mascouche line’s commuter train. .
However, the ARTM itself recognizes that the metro green line was approaching saturation during rush hours, before the pandemic, replies CDPQ Infra. “Adding even more people to the green line would just make this situation worse at the Berri-UQAM station,” noted Denis Andlauer, who rejects the expression that the REM de l’Est would “cannibalize” the green line. from the metro.
By causing an 11% drop in ridership on this line during peak hours, the eastern REM would allow it to “better meet future needs,” argues CDPQ Infra. “What we are proposing is an alternative that offers faster, more reliable services,” added Mr. Andlauer, recalling that the REM de l’Est will connect Pointe-aux-Trembles to downtown. from Montreal in 25 minutes, compared to a drive of “over an hour” in rush hour traffic today.
“We are absolutely convinced that what we bring with the REM de l’Est meets existing needs, but also the future needs of our networks,” he added. As for the possibility of starting the REM de l’Est from the Honoré-Beaugrand station, in the east of the island, this option was analyzed, then discarded, confirmed Denis Andlauer. “The problem we have with doing that is that we are overloading the green line in a really strong way,” he said.
CDPQ Infra recognizes, however, that its light rail project “is perfectible”. “We must not think that the project is final, not at all”, assures the director of communications of CDPQ Infra, Jean-Vincent Lacroix, while public consultations will continue in the coming weeks concerning the planned adjustments to the project route. of light rail.