Suburban mayors have launched a four-week campaign to win better public transit services for the West Island.

"It's time for the West Island, it's our turn," said former West Island development commissioner Georges Nydam.

Tuesday morning they were joined by MNA Geoff Kelley at multiple train stations along the Montreal-Vaudreuil-Soulanges line to seek support for their cause.

Along with a team of volunteers, they are gathering signatures on a petition to convince the provincial government to create a dedicated rail line for commuter trains in the West Island.

The mayors, along with former MNA Clifford Lincoln and Nydam, say the lack of a dedicated passenger railway is hampering development in the West Island.

"This is a month-long campaign that we started off today to make our politicians aware than West Islanders demand better public transit," said Nydam.

Mayors oppose express service to airport

The coalition is highly critical of funding that has already been earmarked to create a shuttle service for Pierre Trudeau International Aiport.

"We feel this makes no sense, especially with the creation of the 747 Express bus service," said Nydam.

"We say that for the same money for the shuttle, the AMT could build two dedicated rail lines" that would parallel the freight train lines currently in use.

There have been multiple studies analyzing ways to improve train service between downtown, Trudeau Airport, and points further west.

Earlier this year the Aeroports de Montreal (ADM) announced it was supporting a $600 million project to create a dedicated service to connect Trudeau airport to Central Station.

This express train would ignore commuters between Dorval and downtown.

Meanwhile a PriceWaterhouseCoopers study showed it would cost roughly $750 million for a project to use the CP right of way from Ste. Anne de Bellevue to downtown, and end the line at Lucien L'Allier terminus, which is directly connected to the metro system.

AMT and ADM at loggerheads

AMT president Joel Gauthier wants to see improved service to the airport as part of a large upgrade to public transit in the West Island.

He has said in the past that he opposes the ADM plan because it would not benefit commuters as a whole.

On Tuesday afternoon, Gauthier is scheduled to talk to commuters and mayors at Dorval train station about the AMT's plans to improve transit, and ways train service can be co-ordinated with improved bus service on major north/south corridors on the West Island.

In the meantime Lincoln and Nydam have asked the Montreal Agglomeration Council to approve a motion saying that improved public transit on the West Island is a priority.

A decision is expected on Sept. 23.