After years of anticipation, the Réseau express métropolitain (REM) light rail system is officially days away from launching its trains connecting Montreal's downtown core with the South Shore. The first section of the (eventual) 67-kilometre automated network will open to the public as of July 31, 2023. However, a lucky bunch will be able to ride the train for the first time ever days before anyone else can.
The opening of the first part of the new Montreal REM network has reportedly been postponed. again. While the company behind the project, CDPQ Infra, had planned for a spring 2023 launch of the branch between Brossard and Montreal's Gare Centrale, multiple outlets report it's now targeting a summer opening.
Political will is aligning behind a transit project that would link Montreal and its northern suburbs. The mayors of Laval, Montréal-Est and the North Shore municipalities of Terrebonne, Mascouche and Repentigny are now calling for a new line connecting their cities to Montreal's East End, including direct connections to the blue and green lines of the Montreal metro.
After months of anticipation, the Réseau express métropolitain (REM) light rail system is almost ready to connect Montreal's South Shore with major destinations across the city. The 67-kilometre automated network is one of the largest in the world. Its opening will mark a major upgrade for local transportation infrastructure.
Real estate broker Luciano D'Iorio was stuck in traffic when I called him to talk about the future of Montreal's real estate market and transportation. "When you say the word transportation," he said over the phone, people tend to wonder, "what does that have to do with real estate? And my answer is, it's got everything to do with real estate."