Caisse Depot et du placement du Québec (CDPQ) announced a change to REM’s eastern route after pressure and questions from citizens about its urban integration.
After my enthusiasm for this project was launched, many citizens questioned its course, so much so that after several citizen consultations, CDPQ Infra modified the initial path.
“In response to consultations with citizens and stakeholders conducted over the past year, CDPQ Infra today announces an important solution to improve the REM de l’Est route. Indeed, CDPQ Infra has successfully secured an option from CN to purchase part of the right-of-way for the Souligny Railway in the heart of Mercier. -Est, which will avoid passing on the commercial artery of Sherbrooke Est. Christian Ducharme, vice president of engineering at CDPQ Infra, said in a press release.
The agreement for this new route was entered into on December 30 between CN and CDPQ Infra. The section will therefore be modified at a distance of 4.5 kilometers.
This isn’t the first time a project manager has changed plans. Last fall, CPDQ Infra announced that a 500-meter section of the REM de l’Est in the city center would finally be buried, after long arguing that digging a new tunnel was complicated.
Historical review
The REM East project was first announced in December 2020 by CDPQ Infra, the Government of Quebec and the City of Montreal. The line will leave from the city center, near the central station, to head towards the east of the capital.
In La Cordeer, a section will branch north to go to Cégep Marie-Victorin, while another branch runs along the river to Pointe-aux-Trembles station.
Since the announcement of the REM East project, many voices have been raised to express concerns about the consequences of the air route. Critics are particularly concerned about the loss of quality of life for residents of the sectors involved, the risk of isolation, as well as the consequences for the city’s aesthetics.
According to CDPQ Infra, REM will eventually provide 130,000 flights per day.
