Mayors, MNAs oppose airport shuttle

That is the message the group Train de l’Ouest is putting out and asking the public to support too.

Georges Nydam and Clifford Lincoln, a former West Island MNA, have garnered support from Vaudreuil-Soulanges and West Island mayors, as well as MNAs in both regions.

The group opposes the creation of a $600 million rail link by Aéroports de Montréal (ADM) they say will serve only a small number of business travelers and airport employees.

The Quebec government has promised $200 million for the project. The group feels there is a better way to spend public funds.

The proposed link would run from Dorval airport to Montreal’s Central Station and would cost commuters $15 for a one way ticket. “It doesn’t even save people money because Central Station is not linked into the public transit system so travelers will still have to take a cab from there,” Nydam noted, adding, “We already have a shuttle bus (the 747) that goes from the airport to downtown and stops at all major hotels along the way.”

The mayors and MNAs have proposed an alternative project they say would benefit a greater number of Vaudreuil-Soulanges and West Island commuters. The group wants Quebec to earmark its $200 million for their proposal. “We want the money spent on two new dedicated rail lines from downtown to Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue.”

The proposal would allow trains to run every 20 minutes rather than just morning and night, as is currently done on CN owned rail lines.

Vaudreuil-Soulanges commuters could link into the new station and lines via shuttle busses.

In a letter to the government, the group wrote: ‘Both projects require significant public investment. (ADM) has provided a cost of $600 million for the airport shuttle of which $400 million is from public funds without any improvement to public transportation for commuters both on and off the island. On the other hand…building two new tracks to Sainte-Anne which would directly benefit commuters would only require $450 million.’

The group faces opposition from Société de Transport métropolitain (STM) and the Montreal Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, which support a non-stop link between the airport and downtown.

Public investment should support public transit and improved rail service to the West, not support an exclusive shuttle to the airport, the mayors say.