Quebec is abandoning the idea of running the future Eastern Metropolitan Express Network (REM) by air in the Mercier-East sector, but it is maintaining the elevated structures in the axis of Sherbrooke Street.
This was announced by the Minister of Transport and Mobility, Geneviève Guilbault, Monday morning, when she participated in an announcement concerning an investment for the Montreal metro.
“We have officially abandoned or excluded the air for the more delicate portion for Mercier-Est. So this is good news for the citizens concerned,” said the Minister when questioned about the REM de l’Est project. “There would remain air in the third axis, Sherbrooke, towards Pointe-aux-Trembles. But in the central portion, aerial will be excluded. The other axis, in Marie-Victorin, is already underground. »
A preliminary report by the committee bringing together the Ministère des Transports et de la Mobilité durable, the Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain (ARTM), the City of Montreal and the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) on the progress of the project must incidentally be made public this week. The final report is expected for June and, by then, citizens will be consulted, promised the minister.
It should be noted that in May 2022, the government withdrew the REM de l’Est project from CDPQ Infra to entrust it to the ARTM, thereby eliminating the overhead section initially planned for downtown, in the axis of René-Lévesque Boulevard.
The aerial segments in Mercier-Est, however, continued to arouse discontent among area residents.
” This advert […] eliminates the worst elements of the predicted catastrophe. This is a first step, but it is still far from sufficient,” commented Daniel Chartier, vice-president of the Collectif en environnement Mercier-Est, on Monday. “You need a real planning process. […] Detailed analyzes of needs and ridership are required. We must seriously and objectively develop a set of routes and modes (metro, tram, tram-train, tram-bus, suburban trains). You have to work together with the population to develop and choose the best option or combination of options. »