[APTA-2048]

Gov Shapiro Directs $219.9 Million in Additional Capital Funding to SEPTA

Gov Shapiro Directs $219.9 Million in Additional Capital Funding to SEPTA

www.pa.gov

SEPTA looking to acquire 20 railcars from exo.

 

[Bojaxs]

Gov Shapiro Directs $219.9 Million in Additional Capital Funding to SEPTA

Gov Shapiro Directs $219.9 Million in Additional Capital Funding to SEPTA

www.pa.gov

SEPTA looking to acquire 20 railcars from exo.

EXO commuter rail is dead!

If they were serious about expanding service, why would they willing sell away 20 railcars?

20 railcars is a lot for exo, right? They don't exactly have a fleet of 900 like GO does. I'm sure GO could probably sell 20 railcars to SEPTA.

My theory that the REM is being used to replace EXO is becoming truer.

Edit: So I might have overreacted.

Upon further research, these might actually be the electrified railcars that exo used to run on the Deux- Montagnes line. Which would make more sense in the case with SEPTA.

 

[ARG1]

EXO commuter rail is dead!

If they were serious about expanding service, why would they willing sell away 20 railcars?

20 railcars is a lot for exo, right? They don't exactly have a fleet of 900 like GO does. I'm sure GO could probably sell 20 railcars to SEPTA.

My theory that the REM is being used to replace EXO is becoming truer.

Edit: So I might have overreacted.

Upon further research, these might actually be the electrified railcars that exo used to run on the Deux- Montagnes line. Which would make more sense in the case with SEPTA.

Except all but 2 MR-90s have already been scrapped. This is before mentioning that those trains were basically on their last legs and were suffering from massive reliability problems (particularly during the winter). They wouldn't last that long in Philly (although I think SEPTA is desperate for basically anything at this point).

What's most likely happening is that SEPTA is gunning for Montreal's recently decommissioned Comet II single level coaches that they're currently trying to sell on the market, details of that can be found here: https://www.merx.com/solicitations/...met-700-train-cars-and-spare-parts/0000306070

These coaches were retired in 2022 in favour of Exo's new CRRC BiLevels, of which they have ordered 50. So no, this does not in any way shape or form indicate that the ARTM is trying to replace Exo with REM, or of any immediate downsizing plan.

As a side note it's quite clear that the ARTM (or at least the higher ups in Montreal transit planning) really don't like the REM as they were at the front lines in favour of cancelling REM de L'Est, not to mention the ones who are pushing the PSE to be a tram rather than some form of Metro. As it stands the chance that they're pursuing more Exo to REM conversions is literally zero. It's not going to happen.

 

[ssiguy2]

Minny's commuter train system named NorthStar is being shut down this month due to very low ridership. It has never recovered from COVID and is only now carrying about 1,000 passengers a day. Due to only running in rush hours and the system only being 20 years old, they too are looking to off load all of their trains which are in very good condition. I understand that Septa & Chicago Metra are both interested.

 

[smallspy]

Minny's commuter train system named NorthStar is being shut down this month due to very low ridership. It has never recovered from COVID and is only now carrying about 1,000 passengers a day. Due to only running in rush hours and the system only being 20 years old, they too are looking to off load all of their trains which are in very good condition. I understand that Septa & Chicago Metra are both interested.

SEPTA can not use the Minnesota cars due to wire clearances and platform heights.

Metra, on the other hand, currently has an order for 200 brand new cars due from Alstom. I can't see them buying more cars, especially of a design which is unfamiliar to them.

Dan

 

[Northern Light]

REM had a major outage downing service on a chunk of the network throughout morning rush.

Major outages disrupt REM service on Friday morning

The system was back up and running around 11 a.m.

montrealgazette.com

 

[SFO-YYZ]

REM had a major outage downing service on a chunk of the network throughout morning rush.

Major outages disrupt REM service on Friday morning

The system was back up and running around 11 a.m.

montrealgazette.com

Hopefully teething problems that’ll smoothen out over the course of next months and years.

Still take a fast fully grade separated light metro any day over other dubious LRT/Tramway hybrid proposals that the ARTM is sinking billions into right now just so we could say we built a tramway in Montreal (e.g. new version of REM de l’Est…).

 

[Northern Light]

Hopefully teething problems that’ll smoothen out over the course of next months and years.

Still take a fast fully grade separated light metro any day over other LRT/Tramway hybrid proposals that the ARTM is sinking billions into right now just so we could say we built a tramway in Montreal (e.g. new version of REM de l’Est…).

FWIW, I oppose the tramway too.

I think for going further into East Montreal, extensions of either the the Blue Line (beyond what's underway to Anjou) and/or the Green Line are the better plan, and can be cost controlled by going one station at a time and continuously building.

Any line along La Cordiere to M.Duplessis should be considered a separate line, you don't want single lines that go on forever as one problem can down a huge part of the system.

 

[Bojaxs]

Still take a fast fully grade separated light metro any day over other dubious LRT/Tramway hybrid proposals that the ARTM is sinking billions into right now just so we could say we built a tramway in Montreal (e.g. new version of REM de l’Est…).

Yep, Montreal should learn from Toronto's mistake.

 

[drum118]

With outage after outage on the REM, are these broken promises or growing pains​

 

[nfitz]

With outage after outage on the REM, are these broken promises or growing pains​

Yep, Montreal should learn from Toronto's mistake.

Or vice-versa ...

 

[urbanclient]

With outage after outage on the REM, are these broken promises or growing pains​

These issues are awful, and seem inevitable given the lack of winterization on transit projects in Toronto and Montreal recently.

The REM's "breakdown or slowdown of at least 20 minutes every four days on average since the new branch opened" is far from the partial and full shutdowns plaguing Line 6 though.

The streetcars run significantly better in winter than Line 6, even if behind schedule due to reasons like: sharing lanes with cars, idiots parking on the ROW etc. Again, I'm going to repeat my spiel, the Citadis Spirit sucks, so going forward we should consider buying rolling stock from abroad to replace the Spirits, and should not buy them again (Hamilton LRT). Sydney, Philadelphia, Qatar and Taiwan could import Citadis X05s, why can't we? (Manufactured entirely in Europe, except for Philly, which did final assembly in USA).

The value for money, the mechanical reliability, the quality of the finishes etc. is so much worse with the Spirits. There are more nuances, but I'll keep it blunt:

The first Citadis X05 was delivered in Aug 2017, the first Citadis Spirit was delivered in Dec 2016.

Here is what they look like with the same exterior width:

X05s come with digital colour screens, and 8 doors instead of 7 on the Spirits, despite being slightly shorter.