AECOM, in a design joint venture, provided infrastructure engineering and engineer of record services to the consortium developing the Réseau express métropolitan (REM), an electric and fully-automated, light-rail transit network designed to facilitate mobility across the Greater Montreal Region. The network’s 67 kilometers of double track make it the fourth largest atomized electric transit network in the world with four branches and a total of 27 stations.
It links downtown Montreal, the South Shore, the West Island (Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue), the North Shore (Laval and Deux-Montagnes) and Montreal-Trudeau International Airport. Trains in the network are fully automated and driverless.
Our team was responsible for the design of tunnels, bridges, stations, railway infrastructure (tracks, power and traction systems, etc.), road improvements, intermodal equipment and other structures, as well as providing environmental permitting support, environmental monitoring and urban integration. We used an integrated design process to collaborate with multiple disciplines and teams in nine offices around the world.
To provide a seamless connection between modes, we designed roadway improvements, bus terminals, park-and-ride facilities, cycle lanes and pedestrian networks, and conducted related traffic and safety analyses. We were also responsible for urban integration of stations, maintenance buildings, engineering structures and the railway corridor through urban design that meets innovative and sustainable design criteria. Though REM has both above ground and underground features through the network, the alignment through the city center is underground, which improves travel efficiency and user experience with tracks and platforms sheltered from the elements.
The system also connects with nine bus terminals and 13 parking facilities. The tracks occupy existing rail corridors and highways. Through this interconnection with bus networks, commuter trains and the Montreal metro, the transit network helps ease traffic congestion and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, accelerating Quebec’s transition to a low-carbon economy.