The route of the Réseau express métropolitain (REM) project towards the eastern tip and the north of Montreal has been revised over a distance of more than 4.5 kilometers in order to travel in aerial mode on a railway right-of-way located near Souligny Avenue , in the Mercier-Est district, rather than on Sherbrooke Street.
The project promoter, CDPQ Infra, made the announcement around 1 p.m. Tuesday during a press conference held near the Canadian National railway line, between Souligny and Dubuisson avenues, in the heart of a residential area. of the Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough.
This is where the REM de l’Est will run for more than 4.5 kilometres, rather than on rue Sherbrooke Est, in the Tétreaultville district. Thus, two stations, hitherto named “Honoré-Beaugrand” and “Contrecœur”, will be moved to allow light rail to travel on aerial structures, which will take shape south of the CN railroad, which signed a confidential agreement with CDPQ Infra on December 30.
“It’s really a route that is aerial, a bit like Sherbrooke, but there are undeniable advantages to passing here,” argued CDPQ Infra’s vice-president of engineering, Christian Ducharme, in reference to the proposed passage of the REM on the CN rail right-of-way. It proposes, he points out, a transport corridor wider than Sherbrooke Street. The aerial structures of the future light rail of the Caisse de depot et placement du Québec will thus appear “less massive”, he told the press.
Moving the REM de l’Est near a less busy artery will, however, lead to a “very slight” drop in ridership of the future light rail, by 2%, he later acknowledged.
Concerned residents
This change in the proposed route of the REM de l’Est echoes the many criticisms expressed in recent months by the approximately 32,000 people who have been consulted since the announcement of the REM de l’Est project in December 2020. The passage of the REM in Sherbrooke Street East indeed posed challenges “of integration and cohabitation with residences and businesses” deemed “too important”, underlined Tuesday the cabinet of the mayoress of Montreal, Valérie Plante, who thus welcomed this change to the project layout, which is seen as “a step in the right direction”.
Many residents who live along the CN rail right-of-way, near Souligny Avenue, are however worried about the REM de l’Est project. “We are moving the problem from Sherbrooke to here,” says Chantal Laurin. The resident of Mercier-Est, met on the sidelines of this press conference, said she feared that this “quiet” neighborhood would be upset by the noise and visual pollution that this light rail project could cause.
“It was already a bad idea on Sherbrooke, it’s even worse for me now. The train will pass right in front of my door, ”drops Ronald Daignault. The latter, who is a member of the Collectif en environnement Mercier-Est, is particularly concerned about the possibility that the residences along this new route will see their value plummet due to the arrival of the REM’s aerial structures.
“This proposal, we put it in the public space today in the hope of opening a dialogue with the population […] We think this is a solution that is very promising, but we will listen to the population,” assured CDPQ Infra’s director of public affairs, Virginie Cousineau. It also estimates that more than 40,000 the number of residents concerned who will be consulted in the coming months, along this new portion of the light rail project route alone.
Ultimately, the REM de l’Est project will total 23 kilometres, along which 32 stations will be developed. The commissioning of this second phase of the light rail project is scheduled for 2029. In the meantime, the project will have to be submitted to the Bureau d’audiences publiques sur l’environnement, probably in the spring of 2022.