Oft-derailed train project picks up steam

The long-planned train shuttle project linking Pierre-Elliot Trudeau International Airport, the West Island and downtown Montreal is steadily advancing, with an advisory committee recently established.

"Public transport in the West Island is deficient," said Gerry Arsenault, industrial commissioner and director general of the West Island Chamber of Local Development (CLD), who is one of the 13 members of the advisory committee.

The shuttle has two goals, said Anne Marcotte, spokesperson from Aéroports de Montréal (ADM). "To use it to improve public transit, and we have to link the airport to downtown Montreal," she reminded.

For the first goal, Arsenault said it would be essential to insert the new shuttle train's route into existing public transit infrastructure as soon as possible, referring to the two train lines, Deux Montagnes and Dorion-Rigaud, that already run through the West Island.

Though trains are run by the Agence Métropolitaine de Montréal, which is part of the steering committee that appointed the advisory committee, bus and metro lines on the Island of Montreal are run by the Société de Transport de Montréal (STM).

During a late May public consultation meeting in the West Island, STM representatives said one of their priorities is to synchronize existing bus routes with the arrival of trains on the two train lines. However, the STM is not represented directly on the advisory committee for the new shuttle train project.

"We don't participate directly," STM head of network planning Benoît Gendron told The Chronicle. However, he added the STM is well aware of the project and has its own transport committee set up, a representative of which meets with the City of Montreal regularly. Gendron said the shuttle train will probably be much more frequent than the two existing train lines, passing by from morning to evening.

Marcotte assured the STM would be consulted when the time arrived. "I think it's a little too early to talk about bus synchronization," she said.

Instead, the advisory committee will focus on what the "optimal rail route" for the new shuttle train would be. Marcotte said the steering committee hopes to have a suggestion by the end of 2008 before moving on to the next phase.

The cost of the project remains unclear. "We're talking about several hundreds of millions of dollars," Arsenault said.

Likewise, there are currently no cost-sharing agreements between any level of government or body. However, Marcotte said those steps should be taken after the rail route is agreed on.

Though there are no elected representatives from the West Island on the committee, Pointe Claire Mayor Bill McMurchie said he did not expect this to be a problem. "The West Island is represented on that committee," he said. He pointed to both Arsenault's presence and that of a member of the West Island Chamber of Commerce, Joseph Huza, as indicative of the West Island's representation.

"We are working with the mayors and councillors of the cities," said Marcotte, adding they will be told of the advisory committee's progress in due time.

The committee also has a representative from the Regional Conference of Elected Representatives of Montreal, which includes several West Island municipal representatives.

The advisory committee is slated to meet every three months until the end of 2008, Marcotte said. Its mandate may be renewed next year if the shuttle train's steering committee decides it needs more time.

Chronicle, Raffy Boudjikanian