Steel wheels debate rages!

[Re: Letters, May 31] I was somewhat nonplussed to find the debate over steel wheels vs. rubber tires in the metro reaching a tone more usually reserved in this department for the Israel-Palestinian debates. I’m sure we can discuss public transit infrastructure like gentlemen.

Mr. Abramic vaunts the advantages of modern steel wheels over the rubber tires we used in Montreal. As I attempted to point out, I was discussing the state of technology in 1966, when metro engineers determined that tires’ advantages outweighed their disadvantages. Factors included the ability to scale grades of 6.5 per cent, which was necessary to be able to tunnel under the St-Lawrence and later under the St-Jacques escarpment. The factors to consider are not only the diameter but also the thickness of the wheel, and the ability of the material to grip the track. My sources are: Le métro de Montréal (Montréal: Bureau de transport métropolitain, 1983), p. 118; Roberto Rocha, “Sticking with Rubber,” The Gazette, 14/9/2005; and the excellent discussion by Benoît Clairoux, Le métro de Montréal, 35 ans déjà (Montreal, HMH, 2001), p. 26–27. I don’t just make this stuff up, you know.

Regardless of the advantages that tires have or don’t have, now or in the past, the fact is they’re what we have. Even a trial of steel technology in the Montreal metro, as Mr. Abramic suggests we carry out while extending the blue line to Trudeau Airport, would be astronomically expensive. He waves away the cost of closing the line, operating replacement services, refitting the line, constructing entirely new garage and repair facilities and purchasing costly new trains that will not be interchangeable with the rest of the system—all in order to facilitate a metro that runs outdoors. As I noted, the most pressing metro extensions are in built-up areas of the city, where we would have to tunnel anyway, such as Anjou, Montréal-Nord and NDG.

I agree with him that it is unfeasible to build the highly desirable direct transit link to Trudeau Airport by means of a tunnel. How fortunate, then, that we already have an above-ground, steel-on-steel transit corridor that could easily serve Trudeau, given a direct connection and improved frequency: the rail lines running past the airport—not coincidentally. The solution is now on the table.

>> Matt McLauchlin

[Re: Letters, May 31] We are used to seeing flawed argumentation from Mr. Abramic in the Letters section, but last week’s installment—on the subject of the Montreal metro—was utterly fatuous. His entire argument can be summed up as, “You’re wrong, so there.” Does Mr. Abramic have any evidence at all? While such expressions as “hokum,” “malarkey” and “holy mackerel” (can he please translate?) are certainly colourful, they do not constitute a proper counter-argument anywhere outside the playground.

>> Robert Squirrel

Thirst for first

[Re: Best of Montreal, May 31] Well we got second place for Off the Hook (CKUT) radio!!! Thanks Mirror.

Ohhhh, wait a minute, number one is Drive Show With Java Joel (94.7 Hits). How can this be??? 94.7 Hits is in upstate New York and Java Joel and his cronies pretend to be in Mtl… but they’re not, actually.

So I must say that it feels good to be number one, seeing as the category is Best Local Radio Show. Am I wrong???

In fact, he cannot hold the number one slot for Best Local Radio Host either.

I hope you guys will do the right thing and write an erratum. I think everyone concerned (all the actual Mtl hosts and DJs) would appreciate that a lot, seeing as we all work really hard for free. Only one third of the radio shows are paid jobs, all the others are community radio, including CKUT. They put their nose to the grindstone for all of us volunteers, and then an American snags the award.

I do understand that it was the people’s vote, however, the category is very specific to “local,” and Java Joel is very specific to “another country altogether.” So it only makes sense that his win be rescinded.

The only example I can think of is: Imagine if Toronto’s Exclaim won Best Local Rag Mag over you guys.

Thanks a lot for considering this. I would really appreciate a reply, at least explaining why you won’t if you don’t.

Again, thanks for all your support over the last decades.

>> Orion “Revolution” Curiel, Montreal

Ed’s note: While it is based out of upstate New York, the station is geared heavily towards Montreal listeners, and even bills itself as “Montreal’s 20 in a row hit music channel.”