by Andrew Grahl/photos by the author
The first segment of North America’s newest electric transit system, Réseau Express Métropolitain, or Metropolitan Express Network – commonly known as the REM – opened in Montreal, Quebec, on July 31, 2023. Phase 1 includes five station stops across 16.6 km, or just over 10 miles, between Brossard on Montreal’s South Shore to downtown Central Station in Montreal, with a spectacular crossing of the St. Lawrence River on the new Champlain Bridge.
REM is fully automated with no driver or attendant on the train, providing a true front-window viewing experience for passengers and railfans to enjoy, as there is no operator cab to obscure the forward view. The line uses 212 Alstom-built, Metropolis Saint-Laurent light-metro cars. Trains run in two-car units and can expand to run as four-car trainsets during rush hour. Each two-car unit has a capacity of 300. Trains are designed to withstand winter conditions, featuring double glazing, ice-scraping pantographs and heated couplers. On the Champlain Bridge the trains have a top speed of 100 kilometers per hour (62 MPH). REM is standard-gauge and uses 1500-volt DC from overhead catenary for power.
ABOVE: An inbound REM train is approaching Central Station in Montreal, viewed from the front window of an outbound train, Friday, September 1, 2023. This is the approximate location of the future Griffintown-Bernard-Landry station, adjacent to booming Peel Basin. The tracks on the left bring VIA Rail, EXO, and Amtrak trains into Central Station.
The line has been built by CDPQ Infra, part of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, an institutional investor that manages public pension plans and insurance programs in Quebec. The project broke ground officially on April 12, 2018. The Phase 1 opening ceremony was held July 28, 2023, with Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Quebec Premier François Legault, Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante, CDPQ president and CEO Charlies Emond and CDPQ Infra president and CEO of Jean-Marc Arbaud in attendance. On the first day, over 20,000 people rode the REM in the morning, prompting staff to turn away additional new riders. As of September 11, 2023, the nascent system has carried more than one million passengers, with daily ridership exceeding 30,000 for the month after its opening. And that’s just for the first of four segments!