Laval Transit launches study on building aerial tramway

The Société de transport de Laval is commissioning a feasibility study to determine whether it would be practical to put an aerial tramway into service in Laval. The City of Laval, the Agence métropolitaine de transport (AMT) and Hydro Quebec all support the effort.

Metro vs. aerial tramway
“The metro continues to an ideal option for us to structure public transit in Laval’s downtown area,” Mayor Gilles Vaillancourt said during a press conference held at city hall on Nov. 22. “However, it takes a lot of time to build and Laval is developing so quickly.
“An aerial tramway could rapidly meet needs,” he added, “without having to set up any heavy infrastructures – and at a fraction of the price – approximately $20 to $25 million per kilometre, compared to $200 million for the Metro.”
A number of major cities in the world, including New York, Portland, Lisbon, Singapore, Medellínm Rio de Janeiro and soon London – all already operate cable car systems similar to the one Laval wants to implement.
While aerial tramways have certain distinct advantages (they are quiet, operate constantly, are inexpensive to build and don’t need drivers in the individual cable cabins), according to an information handout issued by the STL they also have disadvantages.
Disadvantages
Among those, the towers and cables for aerial tramways can be intrusive in neighbourhoods, they are sometimes costly for cities to insure, some transit users will shun the cable car cabins because of fear of closed spaces, and they are slower on average than buses for transporting passengers.
Pierre Giard, the STL’s general manager, said an initial aerial tram route would run from Montmorency station northbound to serve major areas of interest. “The route, the capacity of the cars and the frequency of service will be subject to an in-depth examination,” he said.
Jean-Jacques Beldié, chairman of the board of the STL, said the project would be in keeping with the City of Laval’s goal to eventually cut 50 per cent of its greenhouse gas emissions.

Hydro and AMT on board
“The AMT is joining in this study in order to contribute toward the emergence of innovative projects promoting energy efficiency and an increase in the role played by sources of renewable energy in operating public transit systems,” said Michel Veilleux, vice-president for planning and innovation at the regional transit agency.
“Hydro Quebec is pursuing its involvement in the electrification of public transit by supporting the Laval aerial tramway feasibility study,” said Chantal Guimont, the provincial electric utility’s director for electric vehicle energy systems. “By making its clean, renewable energy available to electromobility projects in this way, Hydro Quebec is playing an active part in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”