Montreal's REM Network Is No Longer On Track To Open This Year — Here's What We Know
This isn't the first delay for the light rail network.
A rendering of the REM on a bridge over the Saint Lawrence River.
Montreal's REM may be sleeping on its planned December 1 opening, instead pushing back the launch of the light rail system until next spring at the earliest. La Presse credits unnamed sources with the update, saying REM owner CDPQ Infra will officially announce the news on October 21.
The company must publicly share any opening delays with other public transit organizations within 30 days of the decision being made.
This isn't the first time the REM project has faced setbacks. CDPQ announced in June that three parts of the Réseau express métropolitain between the downtown, North Shore and West Island wouldn't open until the end of 2024.
Delays for the South Shore line is unwelcome news for some residents. Partial closure of the Louis-Hippolyte-Lafontaine tunnel on October 31 means that those who continue driving will face heavy congestion during their commutes for at least the next three years.
Until now, the South Shore line connecting Montreal to Brossard, crossing the Samuel de Champlain Bridge to Île-des-Sœurs, and linking Griffintown and the downtown Gare Centrale, was expected to open later this year.
The light rail system has been in the works since 2018. It is set to become Québec’s largest public transit infrastructure project since the Montréal metro opened in 1966. When finished it will become one of the largest automated networks in the world with a 67-kilometre route.
Here's hoping when the REM does open, the trains run on schedule, unlike the opening date.
