From the 11/05/20 the REM (Reseau Express Metropolitain) construction sites in Montreal will gradually resume their operations, after a stop time that started on the 24/03/20. This is following the most recent directives from the Gouvernement du Quebec. The construction site will follow measures to ensure the health and safety of workers and protect them from the COVID-19 pandemic.
With the resumption of construction sites, comes the closure of the 5km Mont-Royal Tunnel, between Central Station and the future Canora station. Major modernisation work must be carried out in several stages in order to adapt the tunnel, built in 1918, to the REM’s own electric light rail system and to current safety standards.
The REM is a new 67km double track integrated public transit network that will link downtown Montreal, the universities, the South Shore, the West Island (Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue), the North Shore (Deux-Montagnes) and the Pierre-Elliot Trudeau Airport through a fully automated, electric LRT system.
The REM preparatory work started in March 2018, and consisted of geotechnical drilling to assess soil composition and resistance. The works took place simultaneously on the REM 4 branches connected to downtown:
• South Shore Branch (15 km) starting in Brossard, southeast of the A-10 / A-30 interchange and connecting to Central Station;
• Deux-Montagnes Branch (31 km) linking Deux-Montagnes commuter train line with downtown Montreal;
• Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue Branch (16 km) connecting Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue to downtown Montréal via the A-40 line;
• Airport Branch (5 km) starting at Central Station and connecting with the Montréal Trudeau Airport.
The project includes 26 stations with 3 underground stations in downtown Montreal. One of the underground stations will be built using the NATM method and the two others with the cut&cover approach. The project also includes the restoration and enlargement of the Mont Royal tunnel and the construction of 3.6km new TBM tunnel connecting the Technoparc to the Montreal International Airport through saturated soft ground and karstic rock. The 7.37 m diameter TBM EPB from Robbins, arrived in Montreal at the end of October 2019. The machine has been named Alice, in honour of Alice Evelyn Wilson (1881–1964) a Canadian geologist and palaeontologist, who conducted fundamental studies for the analysis of rocks and fossils in the St. Lawrence Lowlands and the Ottawa Valley. Her work led to the development of several reference maps in these regions. The TBM will start from a 12 m depth launch shaft at the Technoparc construction site and it will go down to 35 m below the airport runways.
The work involves replacing the train with an automated light rail transit system. The tracks and power supply will be changed over 30 km, 12 enclosed stations will be built and 3 connections will be added to the McGill and Edouard-Montpetit stations and the Mascouche line. Existing infrastructure such as the tunnel under Mount Royal and the railway bridges are being renovated and all level crossings will be reconfigured.
The REM will gradually replace the Deux-Montagnes line in 2022 and 2023. Once completed, the REM will be connected with bus networks, commuter trains (Mascouche and Saint-Hilaire lines) and with the Montreal metro (Blue, Green and Orange lines).
For further information click ca/14 for tunnelbuilder archive. Visit https://rem.info/en/news/mountroyaltunnel and http://www.nouvlr.com/.
20/20.
