The Challenges of Connecting Montréal-Trudeau with the Réseau Express Métropolitain: An Overview

As progress continues on the Réseau Express Métropolitain, the Airport Branch of the REM faces significant delays that have led to its opening to be pushed back to 2027. Let’s explore some of the reasons causing the delays and where the branch will go.
The Airport Branch of the REM will branch off from the mainline at Bois-Franc and serve two brand-new stations: Marie-Curie and YUL-Aéroport-Montréal-Trudeau. Both stations will be underground along a 2.5km single bore tunnel that was completed in July 2022. Work will continue on the stations and guideway over the coming years, with testing to start in 2026 and for the segment to open in 2027.
To learn more about the Réseau Express Métropolitain, visit our website: rem.railfans.ca/
Explore the alignment of the REM and various other networks throughout Canada: map.railfans.ca/
Video by David Bellerive (@dbellerive15)
Images and footage courtesy of Alain Boyer, CDPQ Infra, Aéroports de Montréal and Global News.
---------------
SUPPORT RAIL FANS CANADA - SOUTENEZ RAIL FANS CANADA: www.railfans.ca/support
---------------
Subscribe to our channel: www.railfans.ca/youtube
Join our Discord: www.railfans.ca/discord
---------------
Follow us Twitter (X): / railfanscanada
Instagram: www.instagram.railfans.ca
Threads: threads.railfans.ca

[@DavidBellerive]

We hope you are enjoying the content we have released in the last few weeks. There is a lot more to come this year, so make sure to subscribe so you do not miss out on it! Also I wanted to share a correction: At 0:18, I mention that the Anse-A-L'Orme and Deux-Montagnes branches are "expected to open in 2025". The current planned opening for both branches is in 2024. Apologies for the error. Happy New Year and my best wishes to all the Rail Fans!

[@cooltrainsinmontreal4883]

Its a shame that REM never thought to extend to the Dorval bus terminal

[@DavidBellerive]

The Dorval one-stop extension should definitely have been fast-tracked so it could at least be tunnelled with the TBM before hand. Now that the TBM is off-site, it will likely take a lot more for it to be done…

[@samkohen4589]

You're right of course. But don't forget you are dealing with idiots here

[@theonh9365]

Maybe because they want to charge extra to get to the airport just like they charge 10$ to take a bus and by going to the Dorval terminal, they cannot charge more. Less money in their pocket.

[@magnabaddelta-thriller5603]

A missed opportunity indeed

[@weatheranddarkness]

that whole entire area is layers of short term thinking

[@drivingottawa]

Really great content! Thank you.

[@RailFansCanada]

Much appreciated!

[@TIOAviation]

Thanks for the information!

[@RailFansCanada]

Any time!

[@bikesarebest]

Great video!

[@RailFansCanada]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@mra4107]

Will you be covering news and progress on the Ontario Northland project connecting Toronto to northern Ontario? I would be interested to get your perspective and insights!

[@RailFansCanada]

Hello, thank you for your question. There will be some occasional discussions or pieces on it but overall there likely won't be anything, as we are based in Ottawa, and aim to primarily cover the cities/areas we can easily visit regularly. Personally I try to make it a point to cover and create content on what I know, rather than speculating without any real experience. Not going to say never but it would be rare. But thank you for your interest. - Shane

[@RailFansCanada]

Having said that, you are welcome to join us on our Discord server at discord.railfans.ca and chat with us and our community on the subject. There has already been some good discussions on it already. - Shane

[@jfmezei]

I saw the dig a few months ago. But at 04:27, you show the white elephant plans for the undergroudn station which will require demolition of the parking lot in its full length. What a waste. That station should have been right under the terminal (since the tunnel is so big) and been far mroe compact than this. What is not clear is that since the fed/prov pay for the station, whether ADM will be able to impose airport fees for people getting on/off the trains there, or whether the standard ARTM A tickets will do) (the reason ADM wanted to build station by itself was to be able to charge a fee to replace the parking revenues it loses due to rapid transit. BTW, the station under the US terminal had been built, compete with high level platforms, but no tracks laid in the track "canyon". Saw that in early 2011. At one point during the REM project, the station was to have been east-west with tunnel passing under US terminal and aprin before veering north towards marie Curie (and avoiding ecologically sensitive wetland/park). Not sure when they gave up and decided to just drill from marie curie straight south and have station on north-south config. But since this was part of the white elephant waste of money with the bi glass roof etc (adding 0 gates and 0 capacity) I am not surprised they planned a white elephant station to go with it. This could have been juust a simple elevators from inside terminal down to payment area and then down to tracks without need for a grandiose station. Make it fast and efficient. With regards to extending REM to Dorval bus terminal: There was a plan to rebuild the Dorval circle and that involved swapping the VA station and the bus terminal locations (which would separate the EXO station from bus terminal). So where should the EXO station be? Also, EXO to downtown will take much longer than our existing 211/405 express buses to Lionel Groulx as well as the couplf oe EXO trains that we have. Having a REM station there woudl also force the REM exlcusivity clause causing use to lose our express buses and then those seat-less REM trains would get filled at Dorval before getting to airport and airport passengers wouldn't be too happy. Remember that now only had ADM built a train station meant to connect to the CN or CP tracks, but the MTQ rebuilt the Turcot project with space for twin tracks for the airport service to central station (on top of the 4 tracks for CN to replace the 3+1 tracks CN had prior to Turcot reconstruction.

[@ramsesqcdsmart4155]

Is the tunnel boring machine “Alice” digging 1 track or 2 track? The diameter of the head is small ( 7,38 m ) that why I’m ask asking.

[@RailFansCanada]

The tunnel is single tracks. Given the lower frequency along the airport trench, it will be single tracked between Marie-Curie and YUL. Both stations will have two platforms and tracks. The Rail Fans Canada Map does have the track layout for the REM if you are curious! map.railfans.ca/#8.76/45.5152/-73.67

[@nicholastousignant1099]

Have you a video about the Québec tramway project ?

[@RailFansCanada]

Hello Nicholas! We have published one a few weeks back. We are planning to have more over the coming years as QC is my hometown and I am REALLY excited about this project. You can watch our latest video here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jHiYeH6PfLOXptE

[@agagnech]

Vas tu faire une version francophone de la vidéo aussi ?

[@RailFansCanada]

Je prevois essayer de preparer plus de contenu sur le REM en francais au cours des prochains mois. Disons que je ne suis pas toujours confiant du niveau de francais que je peux ecrire vs ce que je peux produire en anglais! -David

[@TalwinderDhillonTravels]

That’s disappointing. It was supposed to open in 2025

[@RailFansCanada]

It is for sure disappointing, especially given how much of it falls outside the control of CDPQ Infra. The context for the delays makes total sense given the very particular way airports were affected by the pandemic. At this point, we are mostly happy that the station was “maintained” instead of being pushed to later. -David

[@jeanbolduc5818]

Radio-Canada -Decouverte show, made a complete report on the REM dated march 2023 ...you may watch it on demand on the website radio canada. China can buit in a very short of time but not us . we have all the knowledge but our leadership is weak.

[@123benny4]

All I can say is, Made in China?

[@surintanguay9630]

En 2022 Dorval était le 3 e aéroport le plus achalandé devant Calgary. En 2021 c'était la covid, statistiques peu fiables .

[@RailFansCanada]

Au moment de la production / recherche les statistiques 2022 n’étaient pas disponible. Puisque les tendances sont encore variable, j’avais préféré utiliser 2021 au lieu d’une année précédente! Merci de la mise à jour! -David

[@RailFansCanada]

Peu-importe que Dorval soit 3e ou 4e à long terme, nous continuons de croire que le REM sera une importante addition pour l’ensemble de Montréal! -David

[@surintanguay9630]

@@RailFansCanada Certain d'entre nous sommes encore traumatisés par la débacle de Mirabel . La troisième place compte. Pour ce qui est du REM , la seule question c'est pourquoi avoir attendu aussi longtemps ?? Ma seule inquiétude est que le REM tombe en panne dans une temp^ete de neige alors que ce sera le moment où on en aura le plus besoin pour évacuer

[@elgiyaw1071]

French need watch this video please

[@boardingurban]

There is NO challenge. It's a culture of corruption and mediocrity. The Chinese can build an entire line in a year in Nigeria, or even in their land. Ontario and New York State have MTL's weather and don't have potholes. Even Quebec City doesn't have as many construction zones and potholes. Most European countries, even the ex communist ones have better public transit and trains that run every 10 minutes, instead of every 3 hours, like the Deux Montagnes AMT line, which was taken down uselessly for years. I'm sure a dictator could create 10 additional metro lines in under 5 years for Greater Montreal at the expense of human rights of those whose pockets are full.

[@arhamahmadi852]

I'm so sorry for Canada. Most things about a good Canada are not true, Including clean cities - beaches, and forests. It's a big lie. The first time I arrived in Vancouver in 2018, I was shocked. As soon as I left the airport door, I saw tissue, disposable glasses, and other garbage left in the city. The further I went, the more I saw them. Before I moved to Canada, I lived in Georgia, Armenia, Turkey, Serbia, The United States, and for a short time in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Netherlands, Germany, and England, but I have never seen the amount of garbage that people leave in different Canadian cities. Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and Quebec are no less than Vancouver. Canadian and Canada Governments don't care about this tragedy. I think everything that says about Canada as a clean and powerful culture is not true. You don't need to travel to Canada to see this. Just watch some videos about walking in downtown Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and Quebec. You will find the truth. Impossible for you to walk in a Canadian city and you don't see the dark side of that. Everywhere you will see garbage. You will never see this in Europe, Australia, the United States, Japan, and Korea. This amount of waste is not even seen in Malaysian, Indonesian, or Thailand cities. It is impossible for you to use public transport and not see a lot of garbage at stations or on the route. You will be surprised to find a lot of garbage even in the woods - by the rivers and on the beaches in Canada. I wish the Canadians woke up and had no enmity with their country. To be fair, I randomly looked at videos from downtown Manchester and Concord in New Hampshire - Philadelphia - Detroit - Chicago - New York - Baltimore - Denver - Nashville, and Knoxville in the United States, and Toronto - Quebec - Montreal - Winnipeg - Calgary - Vancouver - Victoria - Ottawa and Thunder Bay in Canada. we should be fair. The bitter truth must be accepted. Without any exaggeration. Completely impartial. I have to say that I didn't see a single piece of garbage in any of the US videos to convince myself. Without exaggeration, in all Canadian cities, there must have been a piece of garbage on the ground less than every hundred meters. It must have an important reason. I do not know. But this is a bitter truth. You can try. This country should be brought closer to its exaggerated claim. the truth is bitter. Certainly, some Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and even Malaysia are much cleaner compared to Canada. Of course, we should not forget that Canada claims to be one of the 10 cleanest countries in the world. And Vancouver claims to be one of the 5 cleanest cities in the world. Please go to East Hastings or Victoria Drive or Commercial Drive or West Georgia or Broadway or Main Street and judge for yourself. I am 50 years old and have traveled to 26 countries. Canada is far from its claims. I saw, homeless people, pooping and peeing everywhere and it's so common. nobody cares. I was shocked again. I endured for 3 years but every day going worst. late in 2022, I decided to move to the east because I thought that place has a stronger culture. I chose Montreal. I had heard it is the capital of art and civilization in Canada. it was absolutely wrong. Canada is Canada. I was shocked again, again, and again. the wave of homelessness, graffiti, vandalism, bad smell, terrible infrastructure especially roads in or out of the city, and above all, you can see trash everywhere. plastic bags, tissues, water bottles, and disposable cups. You cannot see any street or park or public place without these. This is impossible. surprisingly nobody cares. neither the people nor the government!!!!!!! please, don't be fooled by the advertisement about a good Canada. please, be careful. most of the things about a good Canada are deception This country is disappointing. Please, Please, Please, don't immigrate to Canada you would regret it absolutely. this is not a developed country, Canada is a developing country with huge serious problems.

[@APJTA]

Dude there's trash everywhere in the States. What are you talking about?

[@jftrottier7376]

You are so right, don't immigrate to Canada. Canadian tax payers can't afford to pay anymore.