CANADA: Project promoter CPDQ Infra announced on December 15 that it had reached agreement with Montréal municipality and the province of Québec to build a second tranche of automated light metro routes in the city.
Serving the eastern suburbs, REM de l’Est would add 32 route-km and 23 stations to the city’s urban rail network, complementing the initial REM automated light metro now under construction for commissioning from 2023.
The expansion would take the overall route length to 99 km, making REM one of the largest fully automated urban rail networks in the world.
The second phase has an indicative budget of C$10bn and is expected to attract 100 000 passengers per day. CPDQ Infra hopes that construction work could begin in mid-2023 for opening by the end of 2029.
It would link a city centre terminus at Robert-Bourassa with Pointe-aux-Trembles and Cégep Marie-Victorin, with the two eastern termini located on separate branches. Robert-Bourassa station would be adjacent to Gare Centrale, providing interchange with REM, main line passenger trains and the Orange Line of the metro; there would be no physical connection between the two REM routes.
Much of REM de l’Est is envisaged to be built on an elevated alignment in the central reservation of main roads, but most of the branch to Cégep Marie-Victorin would be underground.
Currently, the eastern suburbs of Montréal are poorly linked to the centre by public transport, and the city and provincial governments have been working on plans for a large-scale regeneration of the area, of which REM de l’Est would be at the core.
Opening up horizons
‘This project has the potential to transform mobility in the east and northeast of the metropolis and to become a formidable engine for economic recovery’, said Mayor of Montréal Valérie Plante. ‘This new access to downtown public transit will open up horizons for several Montréal neighbourhoods, including Pointe-aux-Trembles, Montréal-Nord, Saint-Léonard and Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve.
‘In order to make it a real lever for urban redevelopment, the urban integration and architectural signature will have to be exemplary. The REM de l’Est will have to be an architectural success, both onboard and around the train.’
Charles Emond, President & Chief Executive of Caisse de Dépôt et Placement du Québec, said ‘we are putting forward a public transit system proposal that meets both the needs of our six million depositors, and the need for mobility in the eastern and northeastern sectors of the island’.
Emond added that ‘this is a sustainable investment that will contribute to Quebecers’ retirement plans and generate significant benefits for the economy, the environment and communities. At CDPQ, we call this constructive capital, since it allows us to combine performance and progress.’
