Users warming up to public transit

BY KINIA ADAMCZYK

West Islanders generally seem satisfied with the train system that allows them to commute downtown, but many would like to see more of them pass during the day. “I don’t think there are enough cars on the rush hour trains, because there’s standing room from here down to the Bell Centre sometimes. That’s unsatisfactory,” said Ron Benner, a senior sales representative, while waiting for a morning train at the Beaconsfield station during one of the coldest days this winter.

Every day, about 7,000 people take the Vaudreuil-Dorion train during the morning rush hour.

Benner finds the monthly pass ($103 in Zone 3, which starts at Beaconsfield) a bit pricey for the quality of the service he gets. However, he thinks the new two-storey cars introduced in 2005 are nicer and cleaner than the older ones. He’s also happy with the schedule change the Agence Métropolitaine de Transport (AMT) made for the former 5:30 p.m. train that now leaves the Lucien L’Allier station at 5:40 p.m. It’s more convenient, since he gets out of work at 5:30 p.m. and doesn’t have to wait for the 6 p.m. train anymore.

Many commuters take the train because it’s more cost effective and efficient, better for the environment or simply to avoid traffic or the costs of a car. Natalie Rachel, a full-time biochemistry student at Concordia University’s Loyola campus, likes to take the train. It’s also one of the only ways of getting to that campus. “I don’t mind taking the train because I like listening to music and such and I get to zone out when I’m on the train or on the bus, whereas if I (drive), I have to focus and pay attention,” said Rachel, who even plans her school schedule around the train’s. “I don’t have much free time, so one of the only times I have is when I commute, which is like three hours a day.”

Rachel pays $82.50 for an intermediate monthly train pass for Zone 3.

Passengers who are originally from a different province or country are more impressed with the train system than locals. Jairo Hoyos, a Colombian who has been in Canada for seven months, takes the train daily from the Pointe Claire station to his French lessons downtown. “The service is excellent,” Hoyos said in Spanish. Well protected from the cold in his winter apparel, he believes taking the train is worth the money.

Alex McRae, who works in human resources, agrees. “I’m from Vancouver and we don’t have anything like this, so this is great for me,” she said while wiping a tear caused by the cold. If she could grade the system, she would give it an “8 on 10 when it’s on time and doesn’t break down.”

Other commuters, like Nassim Taherian, a 25-year-old woman working at the Children’s Hospital, take the bus instead of the train because it’s less expensive. Taherian usually takes the No. 221 bus to go to work, and it can take her up to one hour and 15 minutes to get from Beaconsfield to Lionel Groulx metro station. An adult train pass from Beaconsfield would cost her $103, whereas with her reduced fair card, she pays $35 for a monthly bus pass. The intermediate reduced fair stops when you’re 21 for the train, whereas for the bus, it can last until you’re 25.

The train fees have gone up about three per cent since 2006, which represents an increase of between $2 to $4 for a monthly pass. The AMT has changed the schedule for trains 25 and 41 by three to four minutes to adjust to passenger boarding times. It hopes to add more trains to the daily schedule by 2008.