The REM is ready to welcome first passengers
by CM staff
Once completed, the fully automated and electric REM will reduce GHG emissions by 100,000 tonnes per year.
MONTRÉAL — The first branch of the Réseau express métropolitain (REM), connecting Brossard to Gare Centrale has been inaugurated.
Dignitaries and members of the public took part in the first official trip on the 16.6-km route connecting downtown Montréal to Brossard in 18 minutes. This step marks the start of a new network that is efficient, reliable and will facilitate the daily travel of over 30,000 people.
“The REM will transform the way people get around the Greater Montréal area,” said Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada. “It is the largest public transportation project undertaken in Québec in the last 50 years, and will ensure that Montrealers and all Canadians benefit from a transportation service to Montréal-Trudeau International Airport that is both efficient and clean. We are a major partner in this major project.”
Once completed, the fully automated and electric REM will reduce GHG emissions by 100,000 tonnes per year. In addition, with an overall network of 67 kilometres, it will be the longest automated metro in the world.
The public is invited to experience the new light metro for free over the weekend of July 29–30. Regular service on the South Shore Branch will begin Monday, July 31.
“The REM will improve mobility in the Greater Montréal area. It’s a fine example of our efforts to provide Quebecers with fast, environmentally-friendly and practical public transportation infrastructure,” said François Legault, Premier of Québec. “Serving citizens living in the suburbs, outside the city centres, is a major challenge, and this is precisely what the REM will make possible. I’m confident that we’re heading in the right direction, and that if we provide Quebecers with modern, fast and efficient public transportation, more and more people will use it.”
