runs in gasping & panting Why does nobody EMAIL me when they need me??!
The metro does not run on metal tracks. The metro has three sets of rails per side:
the upright track, which is the positive DC conductor (provides power to pantographic power shoes that run along it) as well as being the wheel base for the small, horizontal guide tires;
the wide concrete wheelpad, the surface on which the tires run; and
the steel rails, which serve several purposes:
a) the negative DC conductor (“third rail”);
b) the rollway for the emergency steel wheels (like conventional railway wheels);
c) the surface that the flat-tire detection pedal contacts (if the tire deflates, a pedal on the underside of the wheelbase contacts the rail and triggers the flat-tire signal); and
d) the rails used by a number of support vehicles that run on steel wheels.
Clearing up a few more things:
Yes. This happened in (I think) 1974; a train caught fire and burned between Laurier and Rosemont stations. Fortunately nobody was badly injured. It was the second fire incident in the metro (a collision and fire claimed a motorman’s life and a large number of trains in St-Charles garage in 1971). Immediately afterwards, a major safety revision was carried out, replacing all materials with non-flammable ones, and putting various other fire-safety measures in place, which I will expand upon if called upon to do so. Now our metro is regarded as one of the safest in the world.
Here are some reasons for rubber tires.
Reduces noise, both in station and to surrounding buildings. (The best place to hear, or not hear, this is in the lower platforms at Lionel-Groulx metro. Stand about two-thirds of the way along the platform, and you will see the train enter the station some time before you hear it.)
It improves performance on grades. Contrary to your assertion that there are few grades in the metro, most interstations, especially in the extensions, are built in a bowl shape. This allows the train to save power by using gravity to accelerate and decelerate. (Besides the bowl shape, there are some serious grades involved for example between Atwater and Lionel-Groulx; between Vendôme and St-Henri; and on the yellow line, which runs under the Saint Lawrence River.)
This is actually no word of a lie. A frequent passenger complaint is, “Why don’t you turn down the heat?” The fact is, they can’t turn down the heat. (Personally, I think the effect is exaggerated by the fact that in winter, most people are wearing warm coats and whatnot that they don’t bother to take off when in the metro.)
Re fares: The current fare system is antiquated and will be replaced within the next few years. They’re planning integrated smart cards with all of the AMT (i.e. Greater Montreal) transit authorities.
There are fans in the trains, and some of the green-line trains (the MR-63s) have grilles in the bulkhead doors to let air blow through, but the passenger areas are not climatized at all. (The driver’s booth is air-conditioned.)
Frankly, this is why I think a lot of the kvetching is due to clothing. I don’t think the system actually is that much warmer in the winter. I think it’s more or less the same temperature. (In fact, the stations closest to the surface, like Angrignon or Place-d’Armes, are probably rather cooler in the winter.)
Oops, forgot to say that there are indeed ventilators in the tunnel, but their primary purpose isn’t cooling. It’s to 1) relieve air pressure in the tunnel, to relieve the “piston effect”, and 2) more importantly, to suck smoke out of the tunnel in case of fire. In an emergency, the computers at metro HQ can recommend and implement a course of ventilation and evacuation in seconds, to keep smoke blowing the opposite way from the people.
Amazing fact: the longest tunnel in the network, two kilometres from Berri-UQAM downtown to Île Sainte-Hélène in the St. Lawrence River (Jean-Drapeau station), is equipped on the Jean-Drapeau end with fans so powerful that they could suck all the air out of a bungalow in three seconds.
OK, I have a few obscure questions about the Montreal Metro:
Have the transfer machines at Jean Drapeau station been updated to print the new station name? When I was there this summer they still printed “Ile Ste Helene”.
Here’s something I’ve been wondering about for years. On the maps showing the original plan for the Blue Line, a station was called Vincent D’Indy. However, when built and opened, the station was named Edouard Montpetit. Why the name change? In this case, it seems to me that the original name was better. The line crosses Vincent D’Indy street almost at a right angle, whereas it’s parallel to Edouard Montpetit street. The station Universite de Montreal is ALSO on Edouard Montpetit street, and Cote des Neiges station is only a few blocks away from it.
So to me the original name gave a better idea of the exact location of the station. So why was it changed?
Why, specifically, are Charlevoix and De L’Eglise stations double-deck (i.e. with opposite-direction tracks and platforms above each other, instead of next to each other). I’ve read vague statements that it was made necessary by the geology, but if you know anything specific I’d be interested.
Similarly, why is there a wall between the tracks in the tunnel between Place St Henri and Vendome?
When will “visible” construction start on the Laval extension? I was there this summer and saw nothing but a field with a sign indicating the location of the future station.
I cannot answer those last questions. You know the Laval extension was an election promise for four consecutive elections and I doubted work would actually start, but I was wrong and it has. The reason they want you to put a ticket in the fare box rather than cash is that it is rather expensive to extract cash from a fare box that is largely filled with tickets. In fact, all transit systems want to cut down on handling of cash. Of course you do pay cash on the bus. The current cash fare is a full 50% larger than the fare if you buy 6 tickets. This will change somewhat on Jan. 1, when the ticket fares goes up and the cash fare doesn’t.
As for fare integration with the trains, they are about to take a step backwards and the weekly and monthly passes will no longer be valid on the trains, even for zone 1. The train will have its own monthly ticket (a bit higher) that is valid on busses and metro and there will be no weekly pass for the train. As far as I know, a transfer from a bus or metro will still be valid on the train. Which allows someone with a weekly or monthly pass to get a metro transfer and get on the train, I guess.
As for a new fare system, they had a request for bids on a new fare system at least in 1997 and they have done nothng, while continuing to add new fare machines on the train lines (or at least on the Two Mountains line, which I use regularly). So I wouldn’t hold my breath on that.
I don’t know, but I wouldn’t hold my breath. There are ones that print PARC ANGRIGNON for Angrignon and all kinds of crazy shit.
I suppose because Prof. Montpetit was more important than some composer from France I’m afraid I couldn’t tell you the real reason, though.
Both stations are constructed in areas of Utica shale, a weak rock that’s difficult to construct in. The double-decker profile is necessary to reduce the horizontal cross-section. In fact, there was a cave-in at De L’Église during its construction, which necessitated some very quick improvisation.
Same reason - unstable terrain.
I’ve seen photos showing the chantier - there are now visible works for all to enjoy
I think an important consideration in Pittsburgh was integrating the subway system with existing light-rail cars and track. At the outset, old cars from the 1940’s were used that once saw duty as streetcars.
I’m afraid I couldn’t tell you the real reason, though.