Completion of Montreal's new light-rail lines pushed to fall 2025

The completion of the light-rail network linking Montreal's West Island and the North Shore to downtown has been pushed back yet again to the fall of 2025, the project's manager announced Thursday. 

The Deux-Montagnes and Anse-à-l'Orme branches of the REM were originally expected to be finished in 2023.

CDPQ Infra, which is overseeing the project, said the complexity of the work in the Mont-Royal tunnel, which spans five kilometres, is a major reason for the delays.

Testing for the new branches will also mean service disruptions on the existing line from downtown Montreal to Brossard in the coming months.

Train service to the South Shore will be down during some weekends next January and February, then some weeknights in April. In the summer, the entire southern leg is expected to be closed for four to six weeks.  

Bus service will be made available during the shutdowns.

CDPQ Infra said the total cost of the project is now $8.3 billion, up five per cent from last year. CDPQ Infra said it will bear the additional costs.

Jean-Marc Arbaud, CDPQ Infra's CEO and president, said the light-rail branches are nearing completion "despite exceptionally difficult construction conditions in the last few years."

"Our teams and partners have demonstrated a great amount of ingenuity and passion to keep moving forward despite the obstacles," Arbaud said in a statement.

Denis Martin, mayor of Deux-Montagnes, told Radio-Canada he's hopeful the trains will be running by the start of the school year.

"The start of the school year and the return from vacation, at the end of summer, are always a painful time," he said, adding that residents are excited about having more public transit options.

"Traffic is getting worse and worse."

On its South Shore line, CDPQ Infra said ridership reached a new high in September of 45,000 rides per day. Arbaud said he expects the reliability of the service will improve this winter, after some difficulties during the coldest months last year.

WATCH | At the one year mark, REM developer hoped for a smoother year ahead: 

After a bumpy 1st year, Montreal's REM says smoother seas lie ahead

4 months ago

Duration 4:20

After a year filled with excitement as well as reliability and accessibility struggles, the developer behind the city's light-rail transit system says staff have gained knowledge and know-how that can be applied to lines set to open in the coming years.