A new solution for the REM: Bypassing Sherbrooke East for 4.5 km, using railway land instead

A solution has been found to one of the holdout issues around Montreal's future rapid-transit line -- its route through the city's east end.

The REM was set to run along the main artery of Sherbrooke St., which both developers and local residents opposed.

But they had a counter-proposal that looks like it will work for 4.5 kilometres of the line. The new plan is to build it along the Souligny Railway route for that portion, running south of Sherbrooke before joining back up with the proposed route at the very eastern tip of the neighbourhood, at Georges-V Ave.

On Tuesday, the building corporation in charge of the line announced it made a deal with CN Rail on Dec. 30 and has secured an option to purchase a segment of this right-of-way.

This means the REM won't connect directly with the Honoré-Beaugrand station. But the new route will not only free up a commercial stretch of Sherbrooke St., it will also reach a new residential population, CDPQ Infra said.

"By bordering the Tétreaultville neighbourhood, the REM will be able to serve a substantial population pool lying farther away from the green line of the métro, reuse an existing railroad right-of-way, and incorporate the route into a broader transit corridor, thereby reducing impacts in this sector," CDPQ Infra said in a release.

"The neighbourhood is different, there’s a lot more room here, so that’s why we feel that the structure will feel less massive than if we were to install it on Sherbrooke -- definitely," the fund's vice-president, Christian Ducharme, told media. 

The fund also says residents are happy with the idea.

"This corridor, because it's already a rail corridor, it's exploited -- they used to have a tramway here," said CDPQ Infra spokesperson Virginie Cousineau.

"So we think that some people see that that’s the real place to put a metro network here."

On Tuesday, some residents told CTV they didn't feel quite that way, and they think the line should be kept to the busier and more commercial areas.

"It’s going to be right in front of my door," said one local man, Ronald Daignault.

"It's not a good idea… it's unaesthetic, it's massive, it doesn’t belong in a neighbourhood where you live."

The line's new platform would be several metres high, similar to what's currently under construction in the west end of the ctiy.

Some are urging still more changes to the project, including at least one lawmaker who says it's already an eyesore.

"Anybody who goes on the road of the 40 can see this giant structure just beside it -- it's not very beautiful," said Quebec Solidaire MNA Alexandre Leduc.

The project's construction has already had its fair share of delays, from problems with location to soil issues, unexpected discoveries in the Mont-Royal Tunnel, and the pandemic.

All that has pushed the line's inauguration to fall 2022.

"We have to keep in mind that the REM is more than 300 workers, 30 work sites around Montreal," said REM spokesperson Jean-Vincent Lacroix.

"So of course the pandemic has an impact on activities."

Construction on the eastern section is still years away, and more meetings and consultations are in the works, with residents given another chance to voice their reactions to the new plans.

Whichever route is chosen, officials say residents in the east end will be able to get downtown in about 30 minutes on it.