Turcot Interchange Rail Corridor Relocation  

Reconstruction of a key interchange 

The reconstruction of Montreal’s Turcot Interchange, one of Quebec’s largest infrastructure projects, has improved land use, public transit, the environment, and urban connectivity. A CAD$3.67 billion investment, the project opened in 2020 after 12 years, 280 contracts, 9,200 plans, and countless meetings with partners and citizens. AECOM, as part of a consortium, served as owner’s engineer for the Ministère des Transports et de la Mobilité Durable du Québec (MTMD), overseeing both alternative and traditional delivery methods. 

The challenge of rail relocation in a major urban redevelopment 

To support this ambitious undertaking, approximately 20 linear km of the major railway corridor, consisting of several main and siding tracks, were relocated 300 m to the north and separated from the roadway infrastructure. The relocation of the rail yard created considerable space for future development along the Lachine Canal. 

With a 60-year history of working closely with CN, AECOM was assigned to provide engineering and on-site services to decommission the existing tracks and yard and to put the new rail corridor into service. This complex effort involved multiple stakeholders and required the rail corridor to remain operational at all times. 

Meeting the challenges 

With trains travelling around the clock, the CN rail line is a vital connection between Quebec City and the Port of Montreal, and between Montreal and Toronto. As a shared track with VIA Rail, this corridor sees daily passenger traffic. Maintaining operability during construction was paramount to keep people and goods moving.  

To achieve this, AECOM carefully coordinated construction activities, involving key stakeholders at every step and encouraging creative solutions from contractors.  We worked with CN to coordinate the exact timing of demolition and construction activities. Work blocks, carefully vetted periods between trains for critical work, were scheduled weeks in advance. At times, work was conducted around the clock in shifts. Precise demolition methods within protective steel-reinforced concrete tunnels kept debris off the tracks while allowing trains to pass. Project activities for the larger interchange rebuild were carefully coordinated to minimize disruption. Stakeholder communication and coordination were paramount to project progress.   

Through teamwork and commitment, the interchange and new rail infrastructure were opened in 2020. In 2021, the interchange project was awarded the AFG’s Grands Prix du génie-conseil québécois – in the category of Project Management.