REM Realities

 Louis and G. T. Bishop hopped on the EXO train on the last day of May for a trip out to Ste. Anne de Bellevue where they began an exploratory journey to see how the REM construction was advancing towards reality.

After a nature call by the Morgan Arboretum, the duo picked up the Chemin Ste. Marie and headed east.

As we headed towards l'Anse a l'Orme street, we came upon the first major construction site that turned out to be the terminus for the West Island REM line.

A very congenial security guard was kind enough to give us a run down on the work progress. No doubt, Louis' calling her 'Ma belle' contributed to her kindness towards us. She thought the work would be completed in 2023 though G. T. pointed out that the website said that section was not due for completion until 2024. She responded that, perhaps, all the extra work (similar to Pont Champlain) might take longer but the station and rails should be done in 2023.

After Louis thanking her effusively, we carried on to see what other developments we could see.

The location of the INSP laboratory right next door to the REM station is a co-incidence??!!??

One wonders what ultimate gallery of graffiti will be created from all these concrete pylons in the years to come.

The girder crane for installing the concrete sections between the pylons is a marvel to behold. The wider top sections appeared to be for the installation of the station at Kirkland.

Louis gave G. T. a chance to get in the picture.

Carrying on past some magnificent sporting fields sitting idle, we continued towards Fairview shopping centre for the next station. Louis summed up our feelings regarding the placement of this station.

Our next goal was to try to find where the line to the airport would go through the Technoparc. Louis suggested an alternative to the planned route and we headed south on Blvd. St. Jean and took the bike path along Hymus, mimicking the path of the REM line, which crosses to the south of the 40 near here.

We stopped for another nature call at the entrance to the Ecoparc des Sources.

Following our noses, we came upon the location where the airport line starts heading underground near the intersection of Alfred Nobel and Albert Einstein streets. Another co-incidence??!!??

We continued north to get clear of the Technoparc and pass over the 40 for our lunch stop at Parc Nature Bois-de-Liesse, but not before Louis had to test the strength of the concrete pillars.

Passing over the 40, we turned left onto rue Douglas B. Floreani to head to the park. On our way, we spotted another section of the REM, which turned out to be part of the West Island line with one section splitting off to the left. This had to be the start of the Airport line.

After a pleasant stop for lunch at the Chalet d'Acceuil in the park, we carried on through the park towards Bois Franc. The path connecting the east and west sections of the park that had been closed for over a year was, thankfully, open. Especially at it showed us another section of the REM lines.

So, we had found, right in the middle of the park, the spot where the West Island line splits off from the Deux Montagnes line. Hopefully, they will make the turn onto the bridge less abrupt!

Clearing the park, we tried to follow the rail line as long as possible on our way to Bois Franc. 

Then, we hopped onto a bike path at Boulevard Toupin to get us to the Bois Franc station.

The construction also tore up the bike path so we had to do a side route and then a short section along the busy Henri Bourassa road to find the next station, Du Ruisseau.

Then, after a bit of backtracking and following the rail line via the adjacent streets, we found Montpellier.

Then, after much zigzagging to get south of the 40, we came to the Town of Mont Royal and what looks like the station at Cote-de-Liesse.

And then Ville-de-Mont-Royal.

The Canora station was all fenced off so it was hard to see but it appeared as if the REM line went underground at this point so we carried on across Jean Talon and into Outremont for our final leg to Edouard-Montpetit. Unfortunately, it was a bit of a let down, especially after climbing the Outremont streets to get there, since it is only a fence as Louis reports that the station will be 20 stories underground.

In any case, we got to see much more of the REM construction than we had anticipated. Plus it had been beautiful cycling weather. 

Louis and G. T. parted ways at this point and went to their respective final destinations. Total distance was somewhere between 55 and 60 kilometers depending on the starting point.

The following map gives a general indication of some of the stations and REM line points of interest.

G. T. Bishop