Extension of the REM to VIA Rail РAt the general meeting held on April 2, 2019, the Saint-Laurent Council asked the Montreal Agglomeration and the Caisse de dep̫t de placement du Quebec Infra (CDPQ Infra) to modify the original concept of the REM (the Reseau express metropolitain or Metropolitan Express Network, as it is called in English) in order to provide for an extension between the REM station located at Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (ADM) and the intermodal station consisting of the Via Rail and Exo stations.
“Extending the REM to Saint-Laurent will help develop the mobility of our residents and workers. To be fully successful, this major innovation must be planned in such a way as to promote intermodality with all existing means of transportation. For a number of months now, we have been asking for the extension of the orange line to the Bois-Franc metro station in order to serve, along with the REM, those residents living west of Autoroute 15 as well as workers in the hub of business activity in the western part of our municipality. The residents in the southwest must not be forgotten: that would be the purpose of this new connection between the airport and the VIA Rail and Exo station. It would also provide a major intermodal public transit hub around the international airport which, linked to regional train service, would cover all regions of Quebec. These developments would be perfectly in line with the sustainable mobility services that Saint-Laurent wants to offer as a sustainable municipal territory.” – Alan DeSousa, Mayor of Saint-Laurent
Highlights
The REM project proposes to integrate downtown Montreal, the South Shore, the West Island (Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue), the North Shore (Deux-Montagnes) and Montreal-Trudeau Airport into one single, 67-km fully automated light rail transit system, including 26 stations and 20 hours of service per day, 7 days a week.
The 5 stations in Saint-Laurent will be located at the Technoparc, Bois-Franc, Ruisseau and Montpellier stations as well as on Autoroute 40.
The REM project will consist of high-frequency autonomous electric shuttle service between the airport, downtown Montreal as well as interconnections with the Montreal metro system. This should benefit airport passengers and employees. Nevertheless, the development of the airport entails a traffic flow issue with a potential additional influx of commuters, if there was no extension of the REM to the VIA Rail / Exo station.
The heads of ADM, VIA Rail and the City of Dorval are also in favour of this extension of the REM project.
