On August 12th, 2022, Rail Fans Canada had the opportunity to go behind the scenes and see the progress at some of the REM facilities and stations. As part of this visit, we got the chance to visit the future McGill Station, Gare Centrale rebuild, Mount-Royal Tunnel and Brossard's Maintenance and Control Facility.

Below you can explore the content we have produced (so far!) about our visit. 

Once again, huge thanks to everyone at CDPQ Infra, NouvLR and Groupe PMM for making such an experience possible and taking the time to show us around their respective worksites!

McGill Station and Mount-Royal Tunnel

First stop of the day: McGill Station. Located under McGill College Avenue, it will be a brand new station in Montreal's downtown core. It is built on the existing alignment of the Mount-Royal tunnel. This meant excavating in the busy downtown core, avoiding utilities, foundations, utilities and underground passages. This creates a great challenge to the REM team as they are building the station box, while needing to support and protect all those existing infrastructures.

As for the Mount-Royal Tunnel, a lot of work is needed to rehabilitate and modernize the centennial tunnel. Those worksites are particularly active and rely on innovative technologies to ensure their work is as precise as needed to ensure the tunnel is viable for at least another 100 years.

Gare Centrale

Built within the former platforms for the EXO lines that were going through the Mount-Royal Tunnel, the brand new REM station at Gare Centrale will be the terminus for the initial segment that will operate on the South Shore Branch. It offers connections to VIA Rail, EXO, RÉSO and Orange Line of the Montreal Metro.

To achieve the opening target of December 2022, crews are quite active throughout the site as testing and commissioning activities continue.

Brossard Light Maintenance and Storage Facility

Located south of the Highway 10 and Highway 30 interchange, the Brossard LMSF will serve to store half of the initial REM fleet of Alstom Metropolis. The facility will also be used to perform light maintenance on the vehicles to ensure their service availability remains as high as possible.

Brossard's Control Centre 

Serving as the main control centre for the entire REM network, the facility will oversee the deployment and operations of all vehicles on the network, as well as the 1000+ CCTVs. At the time of our visit, the layout of the control room was not completed yet as it is currently setup for testing purposes.

Located south of the intersection of Highway 10 and 30, Brossard Maintenance and Storage Facility (MSF) is the primary facility for the ongoing maintenance and storage of the Alstom Metropolis rolling stock. The facility also contains the main control centre for all operations and is staffed 24/7.

When trains end service at Brossard station, they will continue onward to enter the facility and, based on the operational needs, either be sent to the storage or maintenance hall.

To ensure the cleanliness of the rolling stock, an automated "car-wash" is found at the entrance of the facility where trains can be automatically cleaned before going into storage.

Whenever trains are not in-service, the storage yard is a covered facility part of the MSF. It contains 9 tracks that can accommodate 54 double cars and 6 trains per track. including all the ones needed to operate the South Shore branch once it opens. Each track is directly accessible from outside through an automated door.

As the trains are fully-automated, their movement within the storage yard is also automated using a similar positioning system as found throughout the line. Inside the main hall, the trains are accessible from either side to allow for visual inspection of the rolling stock and can move on their own power. Various interlocking systems are in place to ensure the safety of staff navigating within the facility.

Composed of four tracks parallel to the Storage Hall, the Maintenance Hall is where the necessary work to maintain the fleet of Alstom Metropolis used by the REM. Given the nature of the work and the possibility of damage or issues, trains might operate in manual control to enter and exit this facility, a rare occurrence on the REM network.

The facility is equipped to perform preventive and corrective maintenance on-site for the duration of the contract between Groupe PMM (SNC Lavalin / Alstom Partnership) and CDPQ Infra. Work bays are found on two tracks, cranes allow for the separation of bogeys and cars, and jacks and elevated platforms allow access to all elements of the rolling stock.

As the REM will operate 20 hours out of every day, maintenance will be done on a rotating basis between the vehicles, ensuring that enough trains are available for the expected level of service and dynamic spares should any issue arise.

Located in the heart of Montreal's downtown core, the REM's McGill station is connected to the metro's green line, will be one of three stations located in the Mount Royal tunnel, and one of two stations that did not previously exist on the exo Deux-Montagnes line. Built underneath Avenue McGill College, special engineering and construction techniques were required to not cause damage or disturb the surrounding buildings, such as Place Montréal Trust, Centre Eaton Montréal and the Banana Republic, to name a few. 

When commissioned, the station located 10 meters underground will be accessible via the existing underground corridor connecting Place Montréal Trust to the Centre Eaton Montréal, as well through a separate access from McGill metro station. The REM station will connect the borough of Ville-Marie and downtown to destinations north such as Outremont via Edouard-Montpetit station, Deux-Montagnes and Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue to the west, and south to Brossard and the south shore. Finally, the station will offer fast connections in minutes between the Metro's green, orange and blue lines through the Mount Royal tunnel. 

The construction of this station posed many technical challenges, especially since it is located underneath existing buildings and skyscrapers. To dig this station, the existing tunnel needed to be enlarged, and new accesses from the station cavern created, elements that did not previously exist. Steel and concrete supports were created to reinforce and further support the surrounding buildings. Final destination: commissioning in 2024! 

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In this video, we take you through a guided tour offered to content creators in August 2022 of the station under construction. Journey deep underground, down to the Mont-Royal rail tunnel, now more than 100 years old, and the future route of the REM.

Located in the heart of Montreal's downtown core, the REM's Gare Centrale station is connected to the metro's orange line and will be one of three stations in the Mount Royal tunnel. Built underneath the Gare Centrale itself, it was created by repurposing and converting some of the train tracks and platforms. 

When commissioned, the station located 3.1 meters below the Gare Centrale's Salle des pas perdus, will be accessible via the existing station, as well as the RESO underground city network, between the Queen Elizabeth hotel and the Place Bonaventure, as well through a separate access from the parking of the Gare Centrale. The REM station will connect the borough of Ville-Marie and downtown to destinations north such as Outremont via Edouard-Montpetit station, Deux-Montagnes and Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue to the west, and south to Brossard and the south shore. Finally, the station will offer fast connections in minutes between the Metro's orange, green and blue lines through the Mount Royal tunnel. 

The architects of this station wished to preserve several of the original Gare Centrale platform-level elements. The iconic cross and curved arch supports, as well as a unique floor tile colour scheme to where the previous rail tracks and platforms were located before the arrival of the REM. Final destination: opening end of 2022! 

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In this video, we take you through a guided tour offered to content creators in August 2022 of the station under its final stages of construction. Journey deep underground, down to the Mont-Royal rail tunnel, now more than 100 years old, and the future route of the REM.

Located in the heart of Mont-Royal, the REM's Édouard-Montpetit station is connected to the blue metro line and serves the Université de Montréal campus. It will be the deepest subway station in Canada and one of the deepest in the world (72 metres). Its architectural treatment will highlight the rock through which the station was excavated. 

When commissioned, the station located 70 meters underground will be accessible via five high-speed elevators that will travel the equivalent of a 20-story building in less than 30 seconds! The REM station will connect the borough of Outremont and downtown in only 3 minutes while offering a fast connection to the green line (via McGill station) and the orange line (via Bonaventure station). 

The construction of this station posed many technical challenges, especially since it is located near residential areas and schools. In order to dig so deep into the ground and in such hard rock, controlled blasting was used to build the station's main shaft and mezzanines. This represents 30,000 cubic meters of high-quality excavated rock that was reused as ballast on the Deux-Montagnes branch. The excavation work was completed in 2019 and the teams then work on the construction of the station. This means that after digging a 20-story building, it had to be built. Today, the steel structure of the station is clearly visible and the wooden ceiling can also be seen. In the coming months, the teams will be busy completing the station's exterior shell and will begin work on the interior. Final destination: commissioning in fall 2023! 

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In this video, we take you through a guided tour offered to the media in November 2021 of the station under construction. Journey deep underground, down to the Mont-Royal rail tunnel, now more than 100 years old, and the future route of the REM.