Réseau express métropolitain
The Réseau express métropolitain is a light metro rapid transit system under construction in the Greater Montreal area around Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The system will link several suburbs with Downtown Montreal via Central Station. It involves the conversion of the existing Deux-Montagnes commuter rail line to light metro standards. A station at Montréal–Trudeau International Airport will serve as the terminus of one of the four branches.
The light metro rail system is projected to cost billion. It would be independent of—but connected to—the existing Montreal Metro, operated by the STM. Trains on the network are expected to be fully automated and driverless, and it would become the fourth longest automated transportation system in the world, after the Singapore Mass Rapid Transit, Vancouver SkyTrain, and Dubai Metro.
History
On 13 January 2015, Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard and Michael Sabia, CEO of Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, agreed to a partnership in which the Crown corporation could assume financing for major transportation projects in the province, with $7.4billion planned to be spent on infrastructure from 2014 to 2024.On 22 April 2016, Sabia and Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre unveiled the project, then known as the Réseau électrique métropolitain, to the media. A completion date for a first portion of the system was put forward for December 2020. On 22 June 2016, CDPQ Infra published two requests for qualification: one for the engineering, procurement and construction contract and the other for the rolling stock, systems, operation, and maintenance. The estimated value of the two contracts are $4billion and $1.5billion respectively.
On 25 November 2016, CDPQ Infra announced the addition of three new stations to the project. The Central Station, McGill, and Édouard-Montpetit stations will significantly improve downtown Montreal service, and further integrate the REM into the Metro system through fluid and efficient connections to the Orange, Green and Blue lines. The announcement will adjust the price tag of the entire project to a total $5.9billion.
On 15 June 2017, the Government of Canada pledged $1.28billion to finance the project, thus completely securing the financial portion of the REM. On the same day, Sabia announced that construction on the project was to start at the end of 2017. On 1 December 2017, the CDPQ extended the tender process on the project to the end of January 2018, citing a need for additional discussions with the bidders.
trains, similar to the ones built for the Sydney Metro.
Procurement
On 28 June 2016, CDPQ Infra launched two public tenders in parallel: one for "Engineering, Procurement and Construction", and a second, for "Rolling Stock, Systems and Operation and Maintenance Services". Following a prequalification phase, the Caisse's subsidiary announced, on 10 November 2016, the qualified candidates that would be allowed to submit a bid:- For the EPC contract, the competitors were the Groupe NouvLR consortium composed of SNC-Lavalin Grands Projets, Dragados, Aecon, Pomerleau, EPC and AECOM and the Kiewit-Eurovia consortium formed by Kiewit Corporation, Eurovia, WSP Global and Parsons Corporation;
- For the RSSOM contract, three companies and consortia were in competition: Bombardier Transportation alone, Alliance Montréal Mobilité and the Groupe des Partenaires pour la Mobilité des Montréalais. Ansaldo STS-Hitachi and China Railway International Co. were not allowed to bid.
Construction
Preparatory work began in late March 2018. On 12 April 2018, the project broke ground officially.Route
The primary route is based around the Mount Royal Tunnel, where new underground stations are being built to connect with the existing McGill and Édouard-Montpetit Metro stations. New connections with commuter rail will be built near the A-40 to the Mascouche line.Southeast from Central Station, the line will follow existing rail lines past Cité du Havre and across to Nuns' Island and then use a rail deck constructed on the new Champlain Bridge to cross the St. Lawrence. Three stations in Brossard on the South Shore are being built: Panama, connecting to the existing bus terminal, Du Quartier, directly connected to the DIX30 commercial district, and Brossard, a future bus terminus; and one station, Chevrier, is part of future plans.
The northwest branch will be a direct conversion of the existing Deux-Montagnes line, with the doubling of the tracks beyond Bois-Franc station. On the West Island, new branch routes off the northwest branch will begin near the A-13, with the airport branch making a stop in Technoparc St-Laurent before terminating at Montréal–Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport and the other branch will follow an existing rail corridor through Pointe-Claire and Kirkland before it ends in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue.
In the city centre, three stations are being built to interconnect with existing Metro lines; McGill will connect with the Green Line, Édouard-Montpetit will connect with the Blue Line, and Bonaventure Gare Centrale will connect with the Orange Line.
Stations
The REM will consist of 26 stations on three branches. Twelve of these stations are currently on the Deux-Montagnes line and will become part of the REM after being converted to rapid transit standards. Several have received new names since the project's inception.South Shore and Central section (all branches)
All stations on the main branch of the Réseau express métropolitain are projected to have a train frequency of 2.5 minutes during rush hour, and every 5 minutes otherwise, both towards Brossard station and towards the three different branches.| Station | Opening for REM | Opened | Parking spots | Bike racks | Connections |
| 2021 | N/A | Unknown | 50 | RTL, Exo; 22 bus platforms | |
| 2021 | N/A | - | 74 | RTL; street stops only | |
| 2021 | N/A | Unknown | 200 | Terminus Brossard-Panama; RTL and Exo; 31 bus platforms | |
| 2021 | N/A | - | 20 | STM; 4 bus platforms | |
| 2023 | N/A | - | - | STM; street stops only | |
| 2021 | 1943 | - | - | , Amtrak, Mont-Saint-Hilaire line, Downtown Terminus, Société de transport de Montréal 150, 355, 358, 410, 430, 465, 480, 715, 747, 36, 61, 168, 420, 74, 107 Several other nearby connections via the RÉSO underground city. | |
| 2022 | 1966 | - | - | , STM 15, 35, 61, 125, 168, 358, 420 Several other nearby connections via the RÉSO underground city. | |
| 2022 | 1988 | - | 30 | , STM 51, 119, 368 | |
| 2022 | 1918 | - | 100 | STM 92 on Jean Talon Street, 160, 372 on Jean Talon Street | |
| 2022 | 1918 | - | 60 | STM 16, 119, 165, 435 | |
| 2022 | N/A | - | 35 | Mascouche line; STM; street stops only | |
| 2022 | 1918 | - | 60 | STM; street stops only | |
| 2022 | 1994 | 1,060 | 45 | STM, STL; 1 bus platform + street stops | |
| 2023 | 1994 | 740 | 120 | STM, STL; 6 bus platforms + street stops |
Deux-Montagnes branch
Stations on the Deux-Montagnes branch are projected to run every five minutes during rush hour, and every fifteen minutes otherwise.| Station | Opening for REM | Opened | Parking spots | Bike racks | Connections |
| 2023 | 1994 | 400 | 40 | STM; street stops only | |
| 2023 | 1944 | 1,140 | 80 | STM; 6 bus platforms + street stops | |
| 2023 | 1995 | 45 | 20 | STL | |
| 2023 | 1995 | 975 | 45 | STL; 6 bus platforms | |
| 2023 | 1925 | 304 | 44 | Exo; street stops only | |
| 2023 | 1995 | 1,256 | 247 | Exo; 6 bus platforms + street stops |
Airport branch
The Airport branch of the Réseau express métropolitain is projected to run every ten minutes during rush hour, and every fifteen minutes otherwise.| Station | Planned opening | Parking spots | Bike racks | Connections |
| 2023 | - | 20 | STM; street stops only | |
| 2023 | - | - | Connection to Montréal–Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport |
L'Anse-à-l'Orme branch
The L'Anse-à-l'Orme branch of the Réseau express métropolitain is projected to run every ten minutes during rush hour, and every fifteen minutes otherwise.| Station | Planned opening | Parking spots | Bike racks | Connections |
| 2023 | 500 | 20 | STM; 1 bus platform + street stops | |
| 2023 | 700 | 50 | STM; 17 bus platforms | |
| 2023 | 2,500 | 30 | STM; 6 bus platforms | |
| 2023 | 200 | 20 | STM, Exo; 11 bus platforms |
Controversies
In a report prepared by the Bureau d'audiences publiques sur l'environnement and released on 20 January 2017, the project was criticized. In the words of journalist Denis Lessard, "the BAPE poured cold water" on the project.Notably, the BAPE pointed to a lack of crucial information being provided on the project's financial model, environmental impact, and impact on ridership levels throughout public transit networks around Montreal. Without such information, the BAPE declared that it was "premature to authorize the realization of this project".
The BAPE also estimated that CDPQ Infra did not meet its obligations for transparency, as it had failed to provide information in a timely fashion on the ridership levels of the REM's three antennaes.
The CDPQ Infra was also reproached for not studying the impact of the REM on existing public transit authorities. CDPQ Infra was criticized for not being able to answer questions like how much tickets would cost, whether municipalities on the REM would themselves have to pay for the necessary infrastructure for access to it, and whether municipalities also have to contribute to the REM's operation.
A lawsuit filed by Coalition Climat further alleged that the REM project violated federalism for a lack of federal assessment that harmed citizens' environmental rights by contributing to noise pollution and urban heat islands. The lawsuit was dismissed by the Quebec Superior Court on 13 December 2017.
Another controversy occurred in November 2019, when Montreal mayor Valerie Plante proposed naming Griffintown's REM station after controversial politician Bernard Landry, sparking a backlash from the city's Irish community.