G.T.R. betterments, construction, etc.

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Montréal track elevation.—At a special meeting of the committee of alderman and controllers having under consideration the plans for the elevation of the tracks from Bonaventure station to St. Henri, May 11, it was unanimously decided that if it were possible, from an engineering standpoint, the tracks should be depressed and not elevated, but that if this were not possible, the embankments should be of stone and concrete, and not of earth as proposed.

The company's plans for the work were submitted to the city council April 28, and have since been under consideration. In connection with the track elevation the work of building a new terminal station at Bonaventure is to be undertaken. This station building will have to be constructed so that entrance will be made to the platforms from the second floor, which will be level with the tracks. The new building will be 285 by 170 ft., with a long elevated platform extending all the way to Mountain St., at which point the first subway or viaduct will be built, the viaduct continuing over every thoroughfare to beyond the city limits. Thirteen passenger tracks will run into the new station and four freight lines into the new sheds. The plans show subways having spans of different widths, from 40 to 66 ft., and one estimate states that 1,300,620 cubic yards of embankments will be necessary. The estimated cost of the entire work was tabulated for the city committee as follows:—

• Rights of way$2,390,829
• Excavations of foundation96,833
• Embankments520,248
• Concrete for abutments, piers and flooring366,865
• Concrete for retaining walls66,713
• Steel works549,172
• Paving132,748
• Tracks247,633
• Ballast107,795
• Station buildings3,210,751
• Miscellaneous475,386

$8,154,973

A sum is added for superintendence and contingencies at 10%, $815,497; with interest for a year and a half at 5%, amounting to $448,529 making a grand total of $9,419,000. Under an act of the Québec Legislature, the city is authorized to contribute up to $2,000,000 towards the cost of towards the cost of carrying out the work.

The G.T.R.'s application to the Board of Railway Commissioners for an order for grade separation, or the elevation of its tracks in order to provide for improvements in connection with Bonaventure station and terminals, came before the Board at the sittings, which opened in Montréal, May 18.

Railways: G.T.Ry.

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