Montreal's rail renaissance - Montreal, Canada

Railway Age, July, 1992 by Greg Gormick

That's just what CP Rail has in mind with its proposal for a public/private partnership that would expand the city's two commuter rail routes to ten or more by the year 2000.

Montreal's commuter rail system is on the brink of a renaissance due to a public/private partnership plan designed by CP Rail.

CP has unveiled a scheme that will see the railway develop and manage a commuter train network and wholly-owned subsidiary known as BMI, abbreviated from Bonjour Montreal Incorporated; the name derives from the cheery French salutation that CP hopes commuters will be compelled to offer the new service. BMI will expand the current two-route network operated by CP and CN for the Montreal Urban Community Transit Commission to a system of 10 or more routes and branches operating over CP, CN, and Conrail lines by the end of this century. The first will be a two-branched line north to Laval, Mascouche, and Saint-Jerome. It could be running by the fall of 1993, offering 13 round trips on weekdays and carrying nearly 10,000 daily passengers. It could even be extended to Mirabel, Montreal's underused overseas international airport, thus ending another chronic Canadian transportation problem.

"This proposal is breaking new ground," says Ray O'Meara, general manager of the CP Rail commuter project. The Quebec government had commissioned a number of studies of renewed and expanded commuter rail service over the last 10 to 15 years, but they'd all been gathering dust. At the same time, the residents of the Montreal area had been calling for transit improvements. Governments have less money for these things right now and we could see the mutual advantages in a partnership, so we approached them to see if they might be interested. They were most interested."

One need only look at a map of Montreal to see why. It is an island metropolis, intersected at many points by the St. Lawrence River. There are 12 railway bridges and 15 road bridges linking the various islands with the north and south shores of the river. The road crossings are bumper-to-bumper at rush hours.

* Lessons from a blockade. In 1990, a conflict between various Indian bands and the government led to a blockade of the Mercier Bridge, a road crossing to the southwest that not only spans the St. Lawrence, but traverses the Caughnawaga Indian Reservation. The railways swung into action to provide emergency service around the blockade, across the St. Lawrence and into downtown.

Says O'Meara, "It was proof of what the railways' existing infrastructure could do for Montreal on very short notice. We have a double-track bridge on our Adirondack Subdivision, parallel to the Mercier Bridge, that is only used to 20% of its capacity. Here is a chance for government to use surplus transportation capacity at a fraction of the cost of new roads. It can also contribute significantly to the social vibrance of many communities, as well as reduce automotive air and noise pollution. Just look at GO Transit's positive effect on Toronto to see what a Montreal commuter railway can do."

Currently, only 55 miles of Montreal's 219-mile main line railway network sees commuter service. Ultimately, BMI will use almost all of that mileage to tap a population base of three million and conservatively draw 20 million passengers annually. To do so, CP Rail will have to make only minor infrastructural improvements to its own tracks and signaling systems, as well as those of CN and Conrail. To operate the system, BMI will have to reach an agreement with the Quebec Ministry of Transport and the affected communities that will give the new company a 10-year contract to develop, maintain, operate and market the services. The basic requirements of this expanded regional transit system will be identified by the public sector, but everything thereafter will be BMI's responsibility.

These responsibilities will include:

--hiring of all operating, shop, and marketing staff.

--negotiating trackage rights and fees with the three railways.

--coordinating fares and schedules with other transit systems to minimize duplication and maximize connections.

--acquisition of motive power and rolling stock.

The initial capital investment, railway access fees and operating costs will be paid by the government, although CP Rail may participate financially in some capital works.

The CP Rail/BMI proposal would initially expand service on the Rigaud line to the west and start service to Saint-Jerome and Mascouche to the north and Iberville to the south, all to be completed by 1994. This would cost $53-62 million (C) and would recover $15-18 million from the farebox. The other lines would then follow this first phase of expansion.

* How railways would benefit. Says O'Meara, "There are many advantages for the railways in this, too. It will make much better use of our now underused Montreal trackage. We will get a better return on our long and heavy investment in this vast physical plant. It will also make it possible to not just hold but boost railway employment in a region that has seen declining industrial activity over the past decade. And the taxpayers and communities will be enjoying the benefits of expertise we have built up over more than 100 years of operating the Canadian Pacific Railway from coast to coast. It's a win-win situation for all parties."