MONTREAL — The pension fund behind Montreal’s Réseau express métropolitain light rail network has agreed to a tunnel for part of its REM de l’est project, addressing some concerns over the visual impact of the rail line.
The Montreal Gazette reports CDPQ Infra, the infrastructure arm of the Caisse de depot et placement du Québec, has agreed to the 500-meter tunnel under René-Lévesque Boulevard as part of the otherwise elevated rail line, which should help preserve the appearance of part of the city’s downtown core.
Opposition to the visual impact on Montreal’s downtown has been significant, reportedly including two architectural firms that quit the project because they did not want to be associated with something so unattractive [see “Digest: New Jersey governor’s budget …,” Trains News Wire, Feb. 24, 2021]. Quebec’s transport ministry eventually announced formation of a committee to consider design guidelines, among other aspects of the project [see “Digest: Ontario railcar builder extends COVID closure,” News Wire, May 5, 2021].
More than 2.5 kilometers, or 1.5 miles, of the REM de l’est will still be elevated in downtown. The head of a down merchants’ association told the Gazette the plan “seems to us to be at odds with best practices” of downtowns “doing everything possible to reinforce their attractiveness and the quality of their public spaces.”
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