We must expect an increase in the costs of the Metropolitan Express Network (REM) project, warned CDPQ Infra on Friday, when the postponement to the spring of the commissioning of the first section of the network between Brossard and Central Station was confirmed. to Montreal.
CDPQ Infra wants to put the REM through high-speed tests in winter conditions and ensure its reliability before putting the train into service. These tests, which should begin at the end of the month, would have led CDPQ Infra to inaugurate its service in the middle of winter. Which was not “optimal”, argued Friday the president and chief executive officer of CDPQ Infra, Jean-Marc Arbaud, as he took stock of the progress of the project.
The tests carried out over the past few months to verify the safety of REM components have been carried out “very satisfactorily,” said Mr. Arbaud. But CDPQ Infra now wants to ensure the reliability and endurance of the entire system before welcoming passengers on the trains, he explained.
An additional cost still to be assessed
The last two years have been difficult, he recalled, however, referring to the pandemic and inflation which had an impact on supply costs from suppliers, as well as the issues related to the state of degradation of the tunnel under Mount Royal and the discovery of explosive charge residues in this infrastructure.
These hazards will increase the REM bill, admitted Jean-Marc Arbaud. However, he was unable to quantify the expected cost increase. “It is clear that there will be an increase in costs and we will update [lors de la mise en service du REM] “, he said. “Rest assured that we manage this very rigorously. »
In June 2021, CDPQ Infra announced that the cost of the project had now reached $6.9 billion.
This postponement of the inauguration of the REM will not necessarily have an impact on the commissioning of the other sections of the REM, assured CDPQ Infra. “The work is progressing very well and a lot has been done. We crossed the most delicate parts that we could have”, indicated Mr. Arbaud.
One less option
CDPQ Infra was unable to specify a date for the commissioning of a first section of the REM in the spring, limiting itself to saying that the inauguration would take place “as soon as possible”.
Remember that the entire REM network, which must extend to the west of the island of Montreal, should be in service at the end of 2024, with the exception of the antenna to the airport. Montréal-Trudeau, the timetable for which will be confirmed at a later date.
The postponement of the commissioning of the REM comes as the Ministère des Transports du Québec (MTQ) is undertaking major work in the Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine tunnel. They will force the closure of three out of six lanes as of October 31 and will cause major congestion problems between Montreal and the South Shore. “I am very empathetic towards the various problems that there may be in Montreal around this, but unfortunately, it is not realistic to open the system before having passed a certain number of stages. which are fundamental in the long term,” argued Jean-Marc Arbaud.
The announcement of new deadlines for the REM was greeted with disappointment by the Mayor of Montreal, Valérie Plante in the context of the work on the bridge-tunnel. “Obviously we need to offer the population transport alternatives to solo driving,” acknowledged his cabinet.
In the office of the mayor of Longueuil, Catherine Fournier, it is pointed out that the Réseau de transport de Longueuil (RTL) was already preparing for the possibility of a delay in the inauguration of the REM. Additional measures to facilitate circulation on the local network will have to be examined, it was indicated.