REM will cause congestion while it is being built
Commuters should expect headaches during building of $6.3B transit system
It is supposed to relieve congestion, but construction of the region’s newest commuter train network will likely cause commuters several headaches.
The $6.3-billion Réseau express métropolitain will comprise 26 stations, extending from DeuxMontagnes, north of Montreal to Brossard on the South Shore, serve the West Island, the airport in Dorval and downtown.
The first stations are slated to open in 2021, and the full network will be up and running by 2023. The effects of the wide-ranging project will be felt in the South Shore, West Island and downtown over the next five years.
ÉDOUARD-MONTPETIT MÉTRO STATION
Signs of the new network’s construction started popping up in recent weeks with the closure of the Vincent d’Indy Ave. entrance of the Édouard-Montpetit métro station.
On July 23, workers will begin the year-long process of excavating 30,000 cubic metres of rock to build the underground REM station that will connect to the métro’s Blue Line.
The REM’s Édouard-Montpetit station will be located 70 metres below the surface, or about 20 storeys, making it the second-deepest train station in North America. It will be connected to the métro station by high-speed elevators that can transport 5,000 people per hour.
The Vincent d’Indy entrance to the métro station will remain closed until the REM station opens in 2022.
The other two entrances to the station will remain open during the construction period, and there are no anticipated interruptions of the métro service.
DEUX-MONTAGNES LINE
The same is not true for the Deux-Montagnes train line, as workers remove parts of the track at the Mont-Royal and Canora stations.
Only one track will be available for the commuter train service at those two stations, which forced the cancellation of four trains per day last month.
Friday evening and weekend services on the Deux-Montagnes and Mascouche train lines were cancelled in April.
Starting in 2020, the DeuxMontagnes line will be shut down at the Du Ruisseau station, and the Mascouche line will only run until the Ahuntsic station. Shuttle buses will be provided to take riders downtown until the REM stations open.
Commuters holding train passes will be offered trial OPUS cards with 10 trips on them so they can try out alternative routes in anticipation of the three-year service interruption.
MCGILL COLLEGE AVE.
Starting in October, and lasting at least 14 months, the eastern half of McGill College Ave., between Ste. Catherine St. and de Maisonneuve Blvd., will be closed to cars to build the REM’s McGill station that will connect to the métro station of the same name on the Green Line. Access to the parking garages on the street will be maintained, but there could be times when pedestrian access will be cut off, planners say.
SOUTH SHORE
So far, it seems the impact of the REM on traffic on the South Shore will be limited. Last month, the Highway 10 exit for Des Prairies Blvd. in Brossard was closed. In order to construct the elevated Du Quartier and Panama REM stations, engineers will have to reconfigure the highway. Two lanes in either direction will be shut down to make way for construction of rail lines and stations.
However, two new lanes will be added in either direction to make up for it. Some lane closures at night will be also required. Small stretches of reserved bus lanes will be removed, and new ramps will be built to allow express buses to access the Panama and Chevrier terminals. Traffic slowdowns are expected.
The South Shore portion of the network connecting to Central Station will be the first to open in 2021.
The Deux-Montagnes portion from Du Ruisseau to Central Station will come online in 2022, and the rest of the network is expected to be completed by 2023.