Eastern REM | Quebec and Montreal take up the torch

Abandonment of the downtown route, new connection with the green line, potential extensions to Laval and Lanaudière; the Eastern REM completely changes direction. Judging that the project “lacks social acceptability”, Quebec and Montreal confirmed Monday in “taking the leadership”. The Caisse de dépôt CDPQ Infra subsidiary is therefore excluded from the process. The new formula appeals to experts, but they hope to see concrete progress quickly.

Henri Ouellette-Vezina
The Press

Maxime Bergeron
The Press

“It changes the project a lot for the Caisse de dépôt, because they were planning to invest 10 billion on the profitability of the project from the east to the city center. By removing the end of the city center, they do not want to continue with the project, and I understand them, ”explained Prime Minister François Legault, Monday, admitting that “the section of the city center, [à l’ouest de la rue] Dickson, has no social acceptability”.

The passage of the Metropolitan Express Network (REM) in Notre-Dame Street and in Morgan Park, which had been the subject of a lively dispute, is therefore abandoned. For Mr. Legault, however, the rest of the route receives “a favorable reception”. “It’s out of the question to touch the rest,” he said. “I want to be very clear: in the past there have been all kinds of excuses used to delay projects. Me, the people who know me know that I don’t have a lot of patience. And I want this project to be realized as soon as possible, ”he insisted.

At his side, Mayor Valérie Plante was relieved, saying that “the aerial section in the city center was a historic mistake that absolutely had to be avoided”.

In a statement released at the end of the day, CDPQ Infra confirmed that its mandate was coming to an end, congratulating itself on having brought to fruition “a detailed, ambitious and achievable architectural proposal”. For the future, “all of the studies carried out by CDPQ Infra during planning will be submitted to the government, with the reimbursement of the costs incurred for the project, according to the terms provided for in the Agreement on public infrastructure concluded in 2015. “, indicates the organization, which reiterates in turn “the significant need for public transport in the east of Montreal”.

According to our sources, the government wanted to settle the conflict with Valérie Plante over the REM de l’Est before the general election. He was afraid of dragging this file like a drag on the election campaign, when he aims to make gains on the island of Montreal.

Quebec plans to go there in two phases: the first to build the sections towards Pointe-aux-Trembles and the Cégep Marie-Victorin and the second, which depends on the results of future studies, to extend the REM towards Laval and Lanaudière.

A transformed project

A “new project team” will be created, with the Ministry of Transport, the City of Montreal, the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) and the Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain (ARTM). The 2029 timeline could be changed, but the committee will need “some time” to figure that out. The new president of the ARTM, Patrick Savard, will be “very involved in the file”, indicated Mr. Legault, insisting on the fact that, “if necessary, there will be changes made to the management of the ARTM” .

It is not known what impact this upheaval will have on the total cost of the project, which was so far estimated at 10 billion.

One thing is certain: the new group will aim for a “better connection of the Eastern REM with the metro lines” by favoring the green line of the metro “to return to the city center”, said Mr.^me Plant.

According to our information, the connection with the green line will be at Assomption station, from where the two eastern and northern branches would then leave. No option for the privileged mode is for the moment ruled out: on the ground, in the air or underground, also revealed Mr. Legault.

The new committee, which met for the first time on Monday afternoon, will also explore “more harmonious” development options in Mercier-Est. The extension of the Marie-Victorin route to Laval and the eastern section, towards Lanaudière, will finally be studied. Savings could be made downtown, but the connection to the metro and potential extensions could lead to an increase in the budget.

Optimistic experts

For the expert in transport planning at the University of Montreal Pierre Barrieau, “May 2 will probably be an important date in the history of public transport in Montreal”. “It is the end of the planning model that has been dominant since 2015, when the Caisse arrived. We are going back to a traditional model for carrying out projects, with the government, the ARTM, etc. he says.

At the University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM), professor in the department of urban and tourism studies Florence Junca-Adenot also hopes that this time will be the right one. “If we gave the ARTM or the STM the same freedoms and the same rights that we gave to CDPQ Infra, it is clear that they will carry out the project at the same speed, and with much better planning. done. There is a way to learn from our lessons,” she says.

“We have just put the task of carrying out the project back in the right place. And that, overall, I think is a very wise decision,” adds the expert, who now hopes to see a “true overview articulated around people’s needs” emerge in the coming weeks.

Shin Koseki, holder of the UNESCO Chair in Urban Landscape at the University of Montreal, second. “We are entitled to expect a more socially acceptable project management. That said, it does not guarantee success. We can only hope that the project will be done more with the population and the experts, without considering the profitability before the rest, ”he warns however.

During its mandate, the Legault government had asked the Caisse to study the idea of ​​extending the REM to Laval. We were considering a section in the axis of Highway 15 towards Carrefour Laval. The Caisse would have shown little interest, which now leads the government to provide that its revised and corrected Eastern REM is heading towards Laval. According to Quebec, the Caisse has shown more enthusiasm for an extension to the South Shore. On February 14, just before the start of the by-election in Marie-Victorin, François Legault suddenly confirmed this new extension, between La Prairie and Boucherville. This is one of his election promises. He revealed that the Fund had concluded that such an east-west project would be profitable, but it has not announced anything so far and only said in February that “preliminary studies” were underway.

With Tommy Chouinard, The Press