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Montréal Transit Developments

Sounds like they need to rework their substations, but then I don't really know how grid failures work.

There's only so much they can do.

I'm familiar with the specification documents that were made public for Waterloo Region's ION system; and the whole thing was to be able to keep running with two 'ultimate trains' (two fully loaded 2-car sets) accelerating out of any station at any time with the nearest [traction power] substation down. Each substation, where practical, was also to be tied to multiple 13.8 kV feeders from the local distribution grid, so a single feed going down wouldn't bring down the sub. Now consider a situation where one or more of the 138 kV / 250 kV lines connecting the local provider's transformer stations to the provincial grid gets knocked out. Those redundant stations connected to redundant local feeders are not going to keep the system alive. That's just how it goes until they put batteries into the trains with enough oomph to limp them to the next station, which to the best of my knowledge, nobody is doing yet.

In this case Montreal had 200,000 customers out, so my guess is that they lost many multiples of the local feeders, if not one or two of the main lines connecting the big transformer stations to Montreal's 'ring of power'. A heavy wind storm causing multiple line sets to gallop can do that, as the automatic line reclosers are programmed on a '3 strikes and you're out' basis.
 
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There's only so much they can do.

I'm familiar with the specification documents that were made public for Waterloo Region's ION system; and the whole thing was to be able to keep running with two 'ultimate trains' (two fully loaded 2-car sets) accelerating out of any station at any time with the nearest [traction power] substation down. Each substation, where practical, was also to be tied to multiple 13.8 kV feeders from the local distribution grid, so a single feed going down wouldn't bring down the sub. Now consider a situation where one or more of the 138 kV / 250 kV lines connecting the local provider's transformer stations to the provincial grid gets knocked out. Those redundant stations connected to redundant local feeders are not going to keep the system alive. That's just how it goes until they put batteries into the trains with enough oomph to limp them to the next station, which to the best of my knowledge, nobody is doing yet.

In this case Montreal had 200,000 customers out, so my guess is that they lost many multiple local feeders, if not one or two of the main lines connecting the big transformer stations to Montreal's 'ring of power'. A heavy wind storm causing multiple line sets to gallop can do that, as the automatic line reclosers are programmed on a '3 strikes and you're out' basis.
Interesting, thanks. This sounds like less of a specific REM issue then.
 
Found this very interesting: truly transit-oriented development is to encourage density through better transport links across larger areas, not spawning transit-adjacent developments which are islands of density in the middle of suburban car-oriented wasteland.
 
There's only so much they can do.

I'm familiar with the specification documents that were made public for Waterloo Region's ION system; and the whole thing was to be able to keep running with two 'ultimate trains' (two fully loaded 2-car sets) accelerating out of any station at any time with the nearest [traction power] substation down. Each substation, where practical, was also to be tied to multiple 13.8 kV feeders from the local distribution grid, so a single feed going down wouldn't bring down the sub. Now consider a situation where one or more of the 138 kV / 250 kV lines connecting the local provider's transformer stations to the provincial grid gets knocked out. Those redundant stations connected to redundant local feeders are not going to keep the system alive. That's just how it goes until they put batteries into the trains with enough oomph to limp them to the next station, which to the best of my knowledge, nobody is doing yet.

In this case Montreal had 200,000 customers out, so my guess is that they lost many multiples of the local feeders, if not one or two of the main lines connecting the big transformer stations to Montreal's 'ring of power'. A heavy wind storm causing multiple line sets to gallop can do that, as the automatic line reclosers are programmed on a '3 strikes and you're out' basis.
Singapore is starting to do this - Jurong Region Line trains have batteries for exactly what you say - limping to the next station
 
Singapore is starting to do this - Jurong Region Line trains have batteries for exactly what you say - limping to the next station
If the Montreal Metro doesn't use batteries, how does it limp to the next station? At least it did in the early 1980s.
 
If the Montreal Metro doesn't use batteries, how does it limp to the next station? At least it did in the early 1980s.

If power is cut to the rails their trains aren't going further than they can coast.

It's possible they have something in place to maintain power to the rails during a blackout. Regenerative braking using battery banks tied to the 3rd rail, rather than on the vehicle, is a thing and would double as a short-term alternative power source.
 
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If the Montreal Metro doesn't use batteries, how does it limp to the next station? At least it did in the early 1980s.
As the main engineer consultant for the CCR (centre de contrôle de relève), the metro is in priority (same as hospitals) for energy requirements. There are many redundant nodes. When the REM West Island branches open, it will be more resilient because of such additional nodes.
 
As the main engineer consultant for the CCR (centre de contrôle de relève), the metro is in priority (same as hospitals) for energy requirements. There are many redundant nodes. When the REM West Island branches open, it will be more resilient because of such additional nodes.
if it's on emergency power, why does it come to a complete setup with the lights out. Then it restarts and only goes to the next station? Where most of the station lighting is off?

And why after are there media reports that don't trains had to be evacuated because they couldn't make the next station?
 
I am in Montreal again, staying downtown for a change, and wandering around admiring all the same REM construction sites that I have seen for a year or two. Are they expecting to complete the work this summer and begin to return the surface areas back to ‘normal’? The REM site seemed inconclusive on the subject.
 

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