MONTRÉAL, April 12, 2018 /CNW Telbec/ - CDPQ Infra today announced that construction of the Réseau express métropolitain (REM) has officially started with a groundbreaking ceremony attended by its partners, the governments of Québec and Canada, the City of Montréal, representatives from the selected consortia, and other stakeholders.
"Today, we have reached an important destination. With this groundbreaking, thousands of people will soon be on site to build one of the world's largest automated transportation systems right here. With $4 billion in Québec content and the creation of 34,000 jobs during construction, the REM will generate significant economic benefits for the economies of Greater Montréal and Québec," said Michael Sabia, President and Chief Executive Officer of Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec.
"In a few years, the REM will welcome aboard its first riders on the South Shore branch, offering them a public transportation system that is reliable, fast and frequent, that simplifies their day-to-day, with more efficient travel to pick up their children, meet up with family and friends, go to school or university, or even catch a flight from the airport to go on vacation. For the past two years, we have worked tirelessly with these objectives in mind," he added.
In the last few weeks, the two selected consortia, NouvLR and Partenaires pour la mobilité des Montréalais (PMM), successfully aligned their respective proposals and schedules in order to start building the largest public transportation project in Greater Montréal in the last fifty years. Final construction costs of $6.3 billion have once again been confirmed. The operations and maintenance costs also confirmed the $0.72/passenger-km that will be billed to the Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain.
"With our partners, NouvLR and PMM, we have achieved our objective of delivering the best project at the best price for our clients, the millions of Quebecers counting on us for their retirement, and the citizens of Greater Montréal, who will benefit from a brand-new 67-km, 26-station public transportation network that will make travelling easier," said Macky Tall, President and Chief Executive Officer of CDPQ Infra.
The consolidated work schedule for the upcoming months will be released in the coming weeks in collaboration with Mobilité Montréal.
"The REM is a major project and we have a lot of work ahead of us. We will continue our ongoing dialogue with all stakeholders during construction to ensure that the REM integrates harmoniously in the various communities. The creation of a project management office to plan the work and coordinate with the partners, as well as the creation of a community relations office to communicate directly with citizens, attest to our commitment to listen and continuously improve our project," continued Mr. Tall.
Preparatory work has already begun, and construction activities will ramp up in the coming weeks. After a testing period at the end of 2020, the first branch of the REM will be operational in summer 2021.
About the REM
The Réseau express métropolitain (REM) is a new, 67-km integrated public transit network that will feature 26 stations and link downtown Montreal, universities, South Shore, West Island, North Shore and Montréal Trudeau airport through a fully automated, electric light rail system. Offering high-frequency service, the REM will be in service seven days per week, 20 hours per day, and will be connected to three main Montréal metro lines. For more information rem.info/en.
About CDPQ Infra
CDPQ Infra is a wholly owned subsidiary of Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec and is responsible for developing and operating infrastructure projects, including the Réseau électrique métropolitain (REM). The REM is a new, integrated 67-km public transit network intended to link downtown Montréal, the South Shore, the West Island (Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue), the North Shore (Laval and Deux-Montagnes) and the airport through the operation of an entirely automated and electric light rail transit (LRT) system.
For more information on CDPQ Infra, visit cdpqinfra.com, follow us on Twitter @CDPQInfra or consult our Facebook pages.
SOURCE CDPQ Infra Inc.
For further information: Jean-Vincent Lacroix, Director, Media Relations, CDPQ Infra, Tel: 514 847-2896, jvlacroix@cdpqinfra.com; Maxime Chagnon, Senior Director, Media and Public Relations, Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, Tel: 514 847-5493, mchagnon@cdpq.com
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