AMT Agence Metropolitaine de Transport
(Edited by Jean-Francois Turcotte)
amtnews@canadianrailwayobservations.com
AMT Locomotive News:
On March 25th, AMT operated a test train on CN’s St-Laurent and Joliette subdivision, along the route of the future Train de l’Est. The consist was made of ALP-45DP 1360 and three Bombardier Multilevel cars, with cab-car 3014 facing North and the 1360 facing South.
AMT intends to resume testing of the ALP-45DP dual-mode locomotives on the Deux-Montagnes subdivision in the following weeks. Those tests were originally planned in late 2013, and have been repeatedly postponed, much to the dismay of disgruntled Deux-Montagnes line customers, who eargerly await the deployment of Bombardier Multilevel cars on their line since… 2009! The MR-90 electric multiple units used on this line are in dire need of a mid-life overhaul starting this year, during which they must be replaced by locomotive-hauled Bombardier Multilevel cars. Any further delay in introducing Multilevels on the Deux-Montagnes line would force painful MR-90 consist reduction during the overhaul period, because the 58-cars fleet is already stretched thin.
At Tavares, Florida, Kevin Andrusia photographed one of the former AMT GP9u’s now renumbered FCEN 7032 on a southbound to Plymouth in December 2013. The FCEN northbound local heads up to Lake County, FL. twice per week.
AMT completed the purchase of CN’s Deux-Montagnes subdivision for a final adjusted price tag of 92 million dollars, after a 5-million “rebate” already spent by AMT on the Jct de l’Est grade separation project before the purchase. While the grade separation itself is now in service, minor work remains to be done, most notably on the Gohier connecting track. This track will be electrified and will be used by AMT’s Train de l’Est to Mascouche. Below is an updated plan of the new Jct de l’Est track layout, subject to change as more information gets available.
Now that AMT has completed the Deux-Montagnes line purchase and the Jct de l’Est grade separatation, the next step to increase track capacity on the Deux-Montagnes line is adding an electrified and CTC-signaled second main track between Val Royal (mile 8.5) and Roxboro-Pierrefonds (mile 13.4), plus building a second platform at Sunnybrooke station. AMT estimates the price tag for this not-yet-approved project at 53 million dollars. The project could however be delayed further until AMT finally is able to introduce ALP-45DP’s and Bombardier Multilevel cars on the line and overhaul the MR-90 fleet.
Michael Berry photographed RBRX F59PH 18551 making a station stop at Dorval, QC in Jamuary wearing tiny numberboards.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mtlwestrailfan/13096734914/
Youtube user AMTFan1, who's regularly tipping CRO about various AMT-related happenings, has provided the following footage of AMT various trains on the St-Jérôme and Deux-Montagnes line in October and November 2013.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-xlyX4ox7I
AMTFan1 also submitted the following video from the cab of a Deux-Montagnes train leaving Central Station northbound through the Mount Royal tunnel, and up to Jct de l'Est, depicting the new track layout and grade separation in place since November 2013.
http://youtu.be/eb3mulNbSsg
Montreal Vignettes:
Glenn Courtney photographed CN train #955 with a pair of CN Box Cab electrics are stopped at the station in Val Royal, QC while the switch is thrown which will allow it to go around the loop, and head back to Central Station in downtown Montreal.
# 955 was the 16:40 departure from Central Station and did not flip at Val Royal, it went all the way to Deux-Montagnes. In fact, it probably was the most crowded train on the PM peak, with up to 13 heavyweight cars. The 16:30 (#911),17:05 (#913) and 18:00 (#917) did flip at Val Royal and used the loop – but they would typically have 5 or 6 cars, not 13. In the later years, they would have been shortened to 4 VIA Blue Fleet cars. The 17:35 (#915) generally used an M.U.consist and reversed on the Cartierville tail track.
Bombardier will deliver a nine-car prototype MPM-10 trainset from La Pocatière in the upcoming weeks. The cars will be delivered individually by truck, since the CN spur that once served STM’s Youville shop has been pulled up several years ago and the land used to expand the Legendre bus garage.
The train will next be tested on STM’s underground rail network at night, before full production begins at La Pocatière. The prototype delivery currently is 6 months behind schedule but Bombardier and Alstom hope to make up the lost time by the end of regular production period.
STM has ordered 468 MPM-10 trainsets (forming 52 nine-car “Boa” trainsets) from a joint consortium of Bombardier and Alstom. These will eventually replace 336 MR-63 cars dating back to 1966. The additional cars will provide additional capacity to increase service on the overcrowded orange line and, eventually, expand the blue line eastward to Galleries d’Anjou.
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GO Locomotive News:
GO News:
The provincial government will add four new GO train trips between Kitchener and Toronto before the end of 2016, the full story here -
From Don McQueen with thanks.
GO Photos
Toronto Vignettes
TTC News
New TTC Red Rocket streetcars are out in daylight training .... in service during August
https://twitter.com/kylebap/status/443442524921659392/photo/1/large
On February 24th, Don McQueen clicked TTC CLRV 4013 nb at Spadina And College #546,
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AMTRAK IN CANADA
(Edited by William H Baird)
editor@canadianrailwayobservations.com
Francois Jolin photographed Amtrak 694 at St-Valentin, QC. in late March.
Please submit your AMTRAK IN CANADA Photos for CRO directly to William H. Baird at: editor@canadianrailwayobservations.com
© CRO April 2014