Alternative drop-off points, free peak parking, easier access to customs: Aéroports de Montréal (ADM) is pulling out all the stops to tackle congestion and waiting at Montréal-Trudeau. Objective: remove up to 700 vehicles per hour during the busiest periods. Here’s what’s coming, in five points.
To the east and west to disembark
From the outset, two alternative landing stages will be available from 1er next May, to the east and west of the terminal. They will remain in place until 1er October and their presence could be renewed if necessary the following year. To the west, the alternative drop-off point will be installed on the ground floor of the new P4 multi-level parking lot, which is due to open at the beginning of 2024 and will create 2,800 spaces. Shuttle services will be in place from the two alternative landing stages, with passengers every five minutes, which will make it possible to reach the main airport terminal quickly. “If everyone collaborates, we will really reduce the flow. And everyone will be a winner. Our goal, ultimately, is to be able to reduce 700 vehicles during rush hour,” explains the president and general manager of ADM, Yves Beauchamp, in an interview with The Press.
Free parking
To avoid too many people “circling” while waiting for a passenger to arrive – a daily phenomenon at Trudeau Airport – ADM will also offer from 1er May a free period of approximately 40 minutes in all its parking lots during peak hours, i.e. between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. “It will allow someone to park and wait, without having to go back and forth which adds to traffic,” says Mr. Beauchamp on this subject. In the longer term, a “revision of the pricing scale” for parking is also underway; the objective would be to offer discounts on reservations of 4 hours or less in nearby parking lots and more advantageous rates for more distant parking lots.
Easy access to customs
In a few weeks, the airport organization will also put in place corridors that will speed up the passage through customs of travelers who have duly completed their form on the ArriveCan application. “There will be a whole communication campaign between now and the holidays, but we realize that people still associate this application a lot with COVID, even though it still helps speed up the process,” says Mr. Beauchamp . This way, travelers who complete their form will be able to go before others. “It is roughly similar to the Nexus program which is already in place, but here, it will be aimed at everyone who wants to collaborate,” notes the CEO, who recalls that around a hundred new customs officers have completed their training will also soon be deployed in Canada, including Montreal.
Towards new bus connections?
After increasing the frequency of the 747 line at peak, in addition to having enabled online purchasing and installing more sales terminals in concert with the Société de transport de Montréal (STM), Aéroports de Montréal is now considering new direct connections with the airport site. “We are looking at Laval, for example, or other cities on the outskirts where there could be the possibility of having more direct bus lines,” says Mr. Beauchamp. He maintains that with the arrival of the Des Sources station of the Réseau express métropolitain (REM), by the end of 2024, “we will also be able to develop a direct link with the airport”. However, the REM station at the airport will not arrive before 2027, as planned.
Triple capacity by 2028
In the long term, ADM is also pursuing the objective of “tripling the capacity” of its main landing stage by 2028. “When the REM station reaches ground level, we will be able to begin the construction of two new parking lots levels, after which we can demolish the current level parking lot, which will become new pier and landing roads,” reasons Yves Beauchamp. A global plan detailing all of the work must be presented this spring with various mitigation measures, but already, the organization says it wants to “accelerate the sequencing of this work” in order to allow capacity to be increased as quickly as possible. Currently, the main landing stage only has two lanes at the entrance to access flight arrivals or departures.
What they said
We welcome the steps taken proactively by ADM to resolve traffic challenges. […] The proposed improvements are crucial to meeting the continued growth in air traffic. As Quebec’s main gateway to the world, the airport deserves special attention.
Office of the Minister of Transport, Geneviève Guilbault
We congratulate this adjustment which should allow more punctuality and fluidity in the sector. The airport will undergo significant growth which will require adjustments until the REM can fully serve it.
Office of the Mayor of Montreal, Valérie Plante