A regional transit agency that provides an overland rail network serving eastern Montreal

Residents have welcomed the construction of an elevated electric train east of Montreal, and a recent proposal to go underground cost so much that Quebec's premier said he “almost choked” on his coffee.

Thus, the transit administration of the region, Transport area of ​​the metropolitan area (ARTM) is now proposing a ground-level rail network with the first phase covering 21 kilometers with 22 stations.

Price? At just $10.4 billion, that's significantly less than ARTM's June 2023 full underground offer. This project would cost at least 36 billion dollars.

ARTM has released a report it will soon present to Transport Minister Genevieve Guilbeau – exploring the possibility of building a streetcar-like public transit service extending to the east of transport-scarce Montreal.

The possibility of building a light rail system or something between the subway and the tram is not ruled out, the report said.

REM de l'Est project, originally a subsidiary of CDPQ Infra. Caisse de dépôt et placement du Quebectransferred to ARTM in June 2022 due to social inconvenience of elevated automated train.

ARTM now predicts that the stations will be an average of 1,130 meters apart, giving a speed of 27-31 km/h.

In the first phase, 22 stations will run from Ségep Marie-Victorin in Montréal-Nord to Pointe-au-Trembles station. The The structure of the project de l'Est (PSE) follows the Lacordaire-Dixon axis on the northern branch and then Sherbrooke Street for the eastern branch.

Two network extensions are planned for later stages. Four additional stations along Boulevard Maurice-Duplessis will connect the northern branch to Riviere des Prairies.

Two more stations on the eastern branch extend the PSE to l'Assomption in Lanaudière, east of Montreal. Adding these two extensions would increase the total cost to $13 billion.

When asked about the proposal, Gilbo's spokesperson said the minister would prefer to wait and analyze the report before commenting.

However, the spokesperson reiterated the government's commitment to developing a public transport system serving the east.

PSE's northern branch provides connections to two lines of the Montreal metro. Connection to the Blue Line will be at Lacordaire station (one of five stations planned for the ongoing expansion project, which is expected to be completed by 2030).

Cadillac Station is the first subway station on the Green Line for passengers coming from the north.

According to ARTM, 36 percent of passengers are headed west. The PSE then continues east of Sherbrooke Street, a few meters above the green line. Over 2.5 kilometers and four stations, two lines operate in parallel until Honore-Beaugran station.

It currently takes 26 minutes during peak hours to travel by bus from Pointe-au-Tremblant station to Honore-Beaugrand station. PSE cuts this down to 16 minutes.

Savings would be greater on the northern branch. The journey time between Sègepe Marie-Victorin and Cadillac station will be reduced from the current 42 minutes to 20 minutes.

Overall, ARTM estimates that PSE will facilitate between 23,300 and 27,600 trips daily, with passenger flows originating almost equally from the north (42 percent) and the east (38 percent).

According to forecasts, one in six commuters (17 percent) will choose to leave their car in favor of this new public transport mode.”