In an effort to advance the case for extending the western branch of the Montreal Metro Orange Line into Laval, the City of Laval has awarded a mandate to Systra Canada to conduct a comprehensive ridership study.
The step, approved by Laval city council on October 6, “marks the start of a strategic analysis essential to realizing what would become one of the most important and unifying transportation projects in Quebec,” the city said last week in a statement.
“In a context of tight public finances, it is important to choose transportation projects that will move the most people within the territory and that have the greatest economic potential,” said Laval city councillor for Vimont Pierre Brabant, who is responsible for public transit and chairs the Société de transport de Laval.
Alleviating traffic congestion
“With Autoroute 15 and Autoroute 40, which is the busiest in Quebec, the extension of the Orange Line to the west would directly alleviate traffic congestion in the Montreal region and improve the quality of life for residents of the region,” he added.
Far from simply projecting travel patterns, according to Brabant, the study will assess the potential impact of new Metro stations on Laval’s residential, commercial and institutional development.
He said the study will complement a separate study conducted by the Metropolitan Regional Transportation Authority (ARTM), whose results are expected to be released soon.
Projected over a 30-year horizon, the City of Laval says its analysis will quantify the expected benefits not only for future users of the Metro network, but also for the overall urban and economic development of the metropolitan area, as well as the potential tax revenue.
Ongoing efforts continue
According to the city, the launch of the study is a direct continuation of numerous initiatives already started by Laval mayor Stéphane Boyer. The city’s ongoing efforts have emphasized the crucial importance of the extension in directly addressing current challenges, including the need for sustainable mobility, the issue of traffic congestion and the growing need for housing through the creation of densified living environments.
The City of Laval says it has partnered with six major landowners in the area targeted for the Metro extension in order to carry out the project without expropriation costs.
The city claims this “unprecedented initiative in Quebec” could save approximately $1 billion on the Orange Line extension project’s cost.
The city says results of the study, conducted by Systra Canada experts, combined with the City of Laval’s urban development projections, “will allow for a rigorous strengthening of the project’s business case to support upcoming government decisions.”
