- Publication of two detailed external expert reports
- Analysis of multiple underground downtown route scenarios
- Enhancement of the reference project with a downtown tunnel section
MONTRÉAL, Sept. 2, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ - Today, CDPQ Infra issued an update on the REM de l'Est project, providing a progress report and publishing two separate technical reports with analyses of underground route scenarios. CDPQ Infra also unveiled an optimization of the reference project, with the addition of a tunnel section under René-Lévesque Boulevard.
CDPQ Infra conducted its first phase of public consultations over the past six months, reaching more than 32,000 people and collecting more than 1,600 comments and opinions.
In addition to helping establish the committee of independent experts appointed by the Québec government to ensure the project's architectural and urban integration, CDPQ Infra has published a number of documents and reports, conducted technical studies and held numerous workshops and meetings with all the project's partners.
"The REM de l'Est will transform mobility services for hundreds of thousands of residents in Montréal's eastern communities by providing a fast, frequent and reliable link between downtown Montréal, CÉGEP Marie-Victorin and Pointe-aux-Trembles. CDPQ Infra remains firmly committed to building an outstanding project that everyone can be proud of. With that in mind, today we are presenting a major enhancement, further demonstrating our commitment to the continuous improvement of this large-scale public transit project while ensuring its feasibility with a responsible approach," said Jean-Marc Arbaud, President and CEO of CDPQ Infra.
Two detailed reports by external firms
Today, CDPQ Infra published two separate reports assessing various scenarios for an underground route in downtown Montréal as part of the REM de l'Est project. These reports were produced by external firms whose expertise is widely recognized internationally.
A first report was issued by AECOM-Systra and a second report was commissioned from Geocontrol to provide further analysis and assessment of additional factors.
A summary of these studies' main findings is available here.
Both firms presented a detailed analysis of multiple factors to determine the technical feasibility of the proposed scenarios, while also addressing the cumulative effects of technical risks in order to validate the viability these scenarios.
These factors include the impacts of buried public infrastructure, the impacts of the yellow and orange metro line tunnels, the area's geology, construction hazards and the presence of the water table. A 3D digital model was also used to map these risks and assess them in light of Montréal's specific and unique context.
Viability of the analyzed scenarios and enhancement of the reference project
Based on technical reports, including the second technical report issued in August, and the analysis of the various options' viability, only one underground alternative is viable in downtown Montreal. CDPQ Infra will integrate a tunnel section into the REM de l'Est reference project, beginning at Jeanne-Mance and continuing to Robert-Bourassa Boulevard.
Extensive analyses pointed to this solution for a portion of downtown due to favourable geological conditions and the natural slope of René-Lévesque Boulevard, which allows for the integration of this route (transition zone reduced to approximately 150 metres) while limiting impacts.
This major improvement, which will bury a portion of the route and the terminal station, comes on the heels of the enhancement already implemented in the Montréal-Nord sector, bringing the length of the REM de l'Est tunnel to 9 km, or approximately one third of the entire route.
The project budget and schedule will be updated once the current consultation and optimization period concludes, prior to the Bureau d'audiences publiques sur l'environnement (BAPE).
Next steps in the project
The multidisciplinary expert committee on the REM de l'Est's architectural and urban integration will continue its work along the entire route, including the sectors further east. The goal is to present a proposal for urban and architectural integration along the REM de l'Est's complete route to citizens and partners by the end of 2021.
Follow the project on Twitter: @CDPQInfra
TECHNICAL
DATA SHEET
Benefits of the new proposed network
With a total of 32 km of light rail, divided into two branches that converge toward downtown Montréal, as well as 23 new integrated and universally accessible stations, this network will link Montréal-Est and the boroughs of Rivière-des-Prairies – Pointe-aux-Trembles, Montréal-Nord, Saint-Léonard, Rosemont-Petite-Patrie, Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve and Ville-Marie.
The arrival of this transit network in the east and northeast will relieve road congestion, reduce pressure on the metro, spur investment, increase use of the river and its access points, and act as a springboard for development projects.
This new light rail network will offer significant gains:
- a major improvement in public transit options and direct access to downtown, now 30 minutes from Montréal-Nord, 25 minutes from Pointe-Aux-Trembles and 10 minutes from Maisonneuve Park (Viau);
- improved quality of life thanks to 25 to 70% time savings per trip, and less time lost in traffic;
- a new network to facilitate travel that is well integrated with other transit networks, generating more than 133,000 users per day;
- a competitive alternative to solo driving, thereby decreasing the impacts of traffic congestion, estimated at more than $4 billion per year;
- a project that benefits future generations and the environment by saving more than 35,000 tons of GHGs per year;
- a high-quality transit service: fast, frequent, reliable, universally accessible, with a free Wi-Fi network and a platform screen door system meeting some of the highest safety standards in the world;
- a connection to employment, education and health centres by linking, for example, CÉGEP Marie-Victorin, Pointe-aux-Prairies nature park, Maisonneuve-Rosemont hospital, the Olympic Park, Maison de Radio-Canada, UQAM, CHUM, Place des arts and Place Ville-Marie;
- its role as an important vector for rehabilitating contaminated brownfields in Montréal-Est;
- acceleration of projects already under development, including the Notre-Dame Street project for reclaiming the river and its access points.
SOURCE CDPQ Infra Inc.
Emmanuelle Rouillard-Moreau, Advisor, Media Relations, Cell: 438-881-1884, [email protected]; Jean-Vincent Lacroix, Director, Media Relations, Cell: 514-531-1632, [email protected]
Share this article