REM light-rail line to go underground in downtown Montreal
REM light-rail line to go underground in downtown Montreal
MONTREAL -
There could be some major changes in the plans for the REM light-rail line in Montreal, as officials want a downtown portion of the line to go underground.
The Caisse de Depot, which is putting the project together, said Thursday that the downtown portion of the line heading east and north will include an underground tunnel beneath Rene-Levesque Blvd. from Robert Bourassa station to the intersection of Jeanne-Mance St./Rene-Levesque Blvd. intersection.
It's the newest adjustment to the REM de l'Est to avoid an elevated track all the way down the major Montreal artery.
Concerns have arisen that the tunnel is not long enough and that the Jeanne-Mance and Rene-Levesque intersection would be closed causing a major nuisance for drivers on the busy section of road.
Promotors of the project, however, see the tunnel as being a major bonus to maximize efficiency in the public transit systems.
"You can connect with every line of existing subway including the future REM," said Caisse president Jean-Marc Arbaud. "That's, I believe, the main advantage."
Studies were done on the feasibility of making the tunnel even longer, but concerns about cost and delays mean that's no longer on the table.
Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante's administration wants to see more studies done.
"We have a lot of challenges for urban integration of the REM de l’Est," said executive committee member Eric Alan Caldwell. "Those studies, the effort that we must put to find other solution, to study them, to price them has to be done for all the REM de l’Est."
Many groups are concerned about the train's aesthetic appeal, and worry it could scar the city's image.
"I have to say we support the project but we are asking many questions about the urban integration," said Quebec Urban Planners Order's Sylvain Gariepy.
Gariepy isn't just worried about downtown, but also about other parts of the city like Sherbrooke and Notre-Dame streets.
"The structure will remain above ground and that is a concern for us," he said. "How will it look like, how will it impact the quality of life of the people that living on those streets?"
UQAM professor Nathalie Drouin is an expert in project management and said social acceptability is a key issue, but building a project that attracts people can help.
"What does it mean to build national pride," she said. "It means also having an innovative and very beautiful design. I’m not sure we’re there yet."
The project will be studied by Quebec's environmental review board in 2022.
Four children were found unresponsive on a shoreline in Portneuf-sur-Mer on Quebec's North Shore on Saturday, according to Quebec provincial police (SQ).
New study finds increase in antipsychotic drugs use in long-term care homes across Canada, despite no significant increase in behavioural symptoms – something that may expose a potential area of concern for quality of care, researchers say.
Photos released by NASA taken from International Space Station show the immense scale of the wildfires in Nova Scotia, with billowing smoke engulfing the landscape.
At the moment, wildfires are burning across six provinces and one territory in Canada — and they’re still spreading in what’s being called an unprecedented fire season. While firefighters work tirelessly to battle the merciless flames and prevent further destruction, scientists say the wildfires are linked to climate change and that this will be the new normal.
A 38-year-old sergeant in the Canadian Army was fined $3,000 and issued a severe reprimand after he made what a military judge described as 'utterly disgusting' anti-Jewish comments while conducting an infantry training course in 2021.
Toronto police say the five suspects involved in a stabbing at Kennedy Station Friday night that left a man in critical condition are between the ages of 12 and 15 years old.
A Halifax-area wildfire that forced thousands of residents from their homes over the past week is 85 per cent contained and no longer spreading, officials said Saturday morning.
Evacuees at the Sandy Wickens Memorial Arena in Barrington, N.S., are out of the fire zone but now face their own battle — how to cope with so much uncertainty, and what lies ahead.
Multiple sources have told CTV News that the WSIB is now eyeing the 3M building at 300 Tartan Dr. near Veterans Memorial Parkway as a new headquarters.
Photos released by NASA taken from International Space Station show the immense scale of the wildfires in Nova Scotia, with billowing smoke engulfing the landscape.
It's the start of a new season at Moraine Lake and for the first time, you will have to take a shuttle bus to access the famous landmark -- no matter how early you're willing to show up.
The defence has completed its closing summations in an ongoing Windsor murder trial involving the shooting death of 20-year-old Madisen Gingras in April of 2020.
The City of Regina has a three-phase approach to address the flooding that occurs at the downtown underpasses during most heavy rainfalls, including Thursday night’s storm.
Eight years ago, the Regina Police Service (RPS) embarked on a facility dog program. Now, one of its first recruits officially retired from her career.
Four children were found unresponsive on a shoreline in Portneuf-sur-Mer on Quebec's North Shore on Saturday, according to Quebec provincial police (SQ).
