Construction on the Caisse de Depot's much-touted light-rail network linking the airport to downtown Montreal and the north and south shores will finally get underway in April, with the first trains rolling in the summer of 2021.
The Caisse announced a few modifications to the original plan — the budget has gone up from $6 billion to $6.3 billion, with the extra money being covered by the Caisse.
There are also some modifications to the route. The line running between the Champlain Bridge and Central Station will now be built above ground, and there will be one less stop — there will no longer be a station near Highway 13, as originally planned.
The network also underwent a minor name change — it will now be known as the Réseau Express Métropolitain (REM) instead of Réseau Électrique Métropolitain.
A new green-and-white logo was unveiled.
Trains were originally set to run in the fall of 2020, but this morning the Caisse announced 30 to 40 per cent of the network would begin service in the summer of 2021.
A new line that transports Greater Montréal: #REM is a go pic.twitter.com/stJZkJxt76
— REM - Réseau express métropolitain (@REMgrandmtl) February 8, 2018