The Oft-Delayed Launch Of Montreal's REM Is… Yup, Delayed Again, Reports Say

The opening of the first part of the new Montreal REM network has reportedly been postponed... again. While the company behind the project, CDPQ Infra, had planned for a spring 2023 launch of the branch between Brossard and Montreal's Gare Centrale, multiple outlets report it's now targeting a summer opening.

The initial schedule called for a 2022 launch.

In a statement shared with MTL Blog, CDPQ Infra spokesperson Emmanuelle Rouillard-Moreau did not confirm the delay, but did say planners are still working to perfect the passenger experience. She suggested the commissioning of the REM is nevertheless imminent.

"We are almost there," she said, pointing to the frequent presence of REM trains on the tracks for test runs. "As you can see, the REM cars are everywhere on the network and we are in the very intensive phase of the last tests, but what is important first and foremost is that the user experience be optimal from the first passage."

"When we are certain of this, we will be pleased to communicate a specific date, but it is fast approaching."

The South Shore branch of the new light-rail network will have six stops total, two more in Brossard, one on Île des Sœurs and another in Griffintown, in addition to the terminai. CDPQ Infra notes online that the Griffintown station is set to open later than the rest, so after the South Shore segment.

The REM will eventually include 26 stations across a 67-kilometre network stretching north to Deux-Montagnes and west to Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue and Montreal-Trudeau Airport. The North Shore and West Island segments are currently scheduled to open "at the end of 2024," and the airport segment in 2027.