I would love it if you'd make a video covering ReThinkNYC's proposal for a unified regional rail network called RUN. Andy Byford is backing the plan, and recently, all three of the outer regional rail services (NJTransit, Long Island Railroad, and Amtrak) all came out and said that MSG and Penn Station are no longer compatible. ReThinkNYC wants to rebuild Penn Station back to its former glory. This is one of the most important transit projects in all of North America, yet barely anyone is talking about, but your channel has the reach to bring more awareness to it, so I think it would for a great video.
As a Seattle resident, it blows my mind that this project phase is already finished. Our light rail expansion was approved in 2016 and the transition agency still hasn’t even picked a preferred alignment.
As someone who's been living part-time in Tacoma for college and becoming interested in living in the greater Seattle-Tacoma area, I really wish Seattle was building a light metro network like the REM or the SkyTrain instead of light rail. Light rail really doesn't work well for the long distances that Sound Transit is building. The obsession that US transit agencies have with light rail is so frustrating and limiting. Also the Sounder trains should really run more often than just at commute hours! I'd love to take the South Line to Seattle on a weekend for example!
I was just thinking the same thing! We're currently stuck bickering over the *draft* environmental impact statements for most of our projects that were approved at the same time as the REM, with groundbreaking being years away
@evanwilson9723 unfortunately the Sounder trains run on BNSF tracks, so freight trains have the right of way and Sounder is thus limited on the times they can run. Sad as that is itself a useful train that would be even better if it ran regularly outside peak commuter hours.
@@sea80vicvan Yeah, it's sad, but there are many commuter/regional rail agencies that have bought track from freight companies (Coaster and GO come to mind), so maybe someday…
As a Canadian, I am so happy to see great transit projects like finally being inaugurated! REM is what The Eglinton Crosstown and O Train should have been. Everything from Automation to well designed trains and stations make the REM the envy of rapid transit in North America
One big impact for the REM will definitely be the spread of wheelchair accessible rapid transit to more parts of the city, something the old Metro isn’t great at.
A happy secondary benefit of being wheelchair accessible is the system is also easy to navigate with a stroller. Which is something I definitely struggle with on the metro as I don't like putting the stroller on an escalator with the baby inside.
@@Free-g8r In Oslo, where the Metro is too deep for escalators (or the rare instance where a platform only has stairs) there are elevators. But retrofitting the Montreal Metro will cost…
Nice to see I'm not the only one commenting about this :) those trains look especially navigable by wheelchair! Instead of being stuck in one corner of one carriage for an entire train.
Between the REM and Honolulu, 2023 is an exciting year for new transit systems in North American jurisdictions. (yes technically Hawaii is Oceania, but still)
I'm so pleased with the REM's opening as it significantly cuts my commute time from downtown to Du Quartier and it runs FAR more frequently than the 2 bus routes passing near my work. I'm absolutely shocked at the 5 year build time considering how jaded I've been from living in Toronto and seeing firsthand the Eglinton Line's progress.
Yes! Metrolinx's should be held accountable for their failures on the Eglinton LRT's delays. It scares me on how they are going to do the Hamilton King St LRT. I grew up in Montreal, lived in Toronto for 15 years and now live in Hamilton. It looks like the REM has helped make Montreal's system the best in Canada.
fantastic system. As a European, out of all the Canadian cities we visited, Montreal was by far the best one. Great architecture, great mix of people that speak English and French, great transport infrastructure (this was the only place we can rent bikes), great topography (flat Toronto could definitely use some hills) and best of all great food! great video
@@garciacalavera6830 Yeah word, Toronto has some 'bumps' shall we say - but Montreal has some real deal hills. Some decent slants in Toronto around Humber River maybe, but not much. Montreal has those San Fran style hills, especially around the mountain. Them streets sweep upwards, almost feels like that scene from Inception in some places ahahaha
Toronto has more skyscrapers bigger downtown and better transportation although Montreal the second biggest Canadian city starting to get as good as Toronto in terms of transportation
Come to Vancouver. We have 2 new lines of rapid transit under construction as I type. By the end of this decade people will be able to use rapid transit to travel almost anywhere they need to go not only in Van but in surrounding communities.
Such a well done video! As a Montrealer, it made me a bit emotional as sad as that is. Im excited to explore more of the surrounding areas with my bicycle thanks to the REM.
The flex of being one of the first to ride and test out the Wi-Fi by watching transit-oriented content of your own...love it! Noticed Classy Whale on your screen at 11:37 and that's an underrated channel of the transit community! Only two seconds in and you already mention platform screen doors...I think that's a new record! 😂But real talk, I don't blame you for loving platform screen doors so much! There are various benefits like climate control, reduced trash/debris on tracks, etc. With the biggest being of course safety. Stopping people from either jumping off or being pushed off. Nuns' Island was originally called Île Saint-Paul in honor of the founder of Montreal, Paul de Chomedey, Sieur de Maisonneuve. The island was initially acquired in 1634 by Jean de Lauzon, who would become governor of New France. The island got its current name because the nuns of the Congrégation de Notre-Dame acquired the seigneurie de La Noue on the island in 1706. Following the British conquest, the other seigneurie was auctioned. The nuns purchased it too in 1769, becoming the sole owners of the island for the next 187 years. The nuns farmed the island, building houses and agricultural buildings, and later hired women to help with raising livestock. They continued farming until 1956.
I think my big takeaway from this in combination with REM de l’est, as well as Toronto, is that pre-construction dithering is possibly the worst thing that can happen to a project. We’re in a place where there really needs to be a clear path to construction from day 0, since it really does seem that timely project are wholly possible, but that once delays start creeping in getting back on track is nearly impossible.
God help us all if the condo dwellers in Griffintown had started nattering on about the tRaIns aRe lOuD at the start of the project. I bet the CDPQ snowed them right from the start just to stop the NIMBYs.
@@joelfrigon-henrichon5696 Whinging about public transit bringing down the neighborhood has been around since the rich in Mayfair stopped trams going through and the merchants on Broadway didn't want a subway because of the potential crowds of plebes.
There are also the WNIMBYs (Why not in my backyard?). I.e. the people who work to bring down projects because they're jilted that they're not getting that service. I don't know how much of an issue that is in Montreal, but just as big a problem in Toronto as the NIMBYs. Wedge issue politicians make great use of that.
Wait until winter comes. The REM will be packed. Traveling at 80km/hr over the bridge while other cars are stuck on the approaches and in town due to congestion. People complain about the fare increases, but as fuel costs rise, the REM will be preferred because of the relative cost savings and convenience.
Such beautiful trains and stations. I appreciate that they learned lessons from Canada Line. We didn't even have signs for station names or route maps until a few years ago!!
15:42 "I think the system will generate a generation of growth and city-shaping influence". Exactly. Having grown up in Montreal in the 70s and 80s, that's what the Metro did for the city. This is the next phase of that city-shaping change for the better.
I agree. I live in Brossard and we are seeing already redevelopment around Du Quartier and Panama stations. Some developers had good lobbyists I think. 😂 Expect the same in Montreal and West Island.
It didn't do that at all. The Metro did not create much of anything downtown or elsewhere. The REM will probably lose money. The Metro could have been done like this in the first place and saved millions of dollars by using existing rail lines.
You know you've made it when you get to ride this thing early! And being able to wave goodbye to traffic thanks to being on a train is always a treat! I'm thoroughly impressed with REM! Sure they're shorter, but like you said, they make up for that for being wide and not to mention speed and the headways! The platform at Gare Centrale reminds me of just how wide the platforms are for the 42nd Street Shuttle in NYC! It used to have four tracks but then it became a 2-track one with a single island platform. I'm glad the Champlain Bridge was redesigned. Not just because of the addition of rail, but because the old one was degraded by de-icing salt and couldn't handle higher volumes of traffic. Now it can! The current bridge was designed by Poul Ove Jensen, who was Dissing+Weitling's project manager for the Great Belt Bridge in Denmark! He also participated in the design for the Øresund Bridge between Denmark and Sweden. It is one of the largest infrastructure projects ever built in North America and with an estimated 59 million vehicles a year, one of the busiest crossings on the continent. It is built to last 125 years with the usage of stainless steel and high-performance concrete.
As someone in a Canadian city that can't even get basic BRT implemented, I'm jealous. This looks fantastic, and I'm looking forward to trying it out on my next Montreal visit. Can't wait for the airport extension...
@@es3359 Opposite side of the country. Halifax. Our transit is stuck in the 90s - both in planning and implementation. There've been relatively modest plans for BRT for 5ish years, but the provincial government has refused to commit to funding. We don't even have electronic payment systems or ticket kiosks. Like I said... 90s.
@@JamesPhieffer and the BRT was so good before the botched conversion. I rode it in 2012/13 and had no idea I was witnessing the last gasp of greatness.
I love Montreal, it's by far my favorite city in the US or Canada, and second favorite in North America to Mexico city. Super awesome to see real progress to make a great city even better.
@@RMTransit Montreal does, because it was built by the Frrreench. Frrreench is, after all, the second language in Canada. :) Which is fun, go to «America» (yes, I know Canada is not USA), and touch up on your rusty French at the same time! :D
Truly mind-blowing how quickly they made this happen! In San Francisco, it took 6 years to build a lame BRT, and 10 years for 3 muni stations nobody uses because trains are too infrequent...
I've been waiting for REM for so long! This, GO Expansion, and multiple transit projects throughout the country, makes me so hopeful of the future. It's no wonder the major Canadian cities have the most used transit systems in the continent.
That this idea launched in 2016, construction started in 2018 and it is ALL finished for riders in 2023 is VERY VERY IMPRESSIVE. Bravo Canada! Bravo Montreal!
Wow I remember going to Montréal in 2019 and the early construction starting, as a Torontonian knowing little about the project I was expecting to have to wait 10 years to see the results. This looks great, and will be really useful, with the future phases I can see my future trips to Montréal visiting family in the suburbs being almost car-free!
Thanks for the preview! I am heading down to Montreal on Sunday evening so I can ride the REM Monday morning from Brossard to Centrale and then back in the afternoon. Looking forward to that "new train smell" as you called it.
The wood and light architecture of the outdoor stops gives it an almost scandinavian suburb feel. Leave the station and you're in Njøkjullholmssundborg office park.
Yep - immediately reminds me of the Chiyoda Line / Joban Local Train Line that I used to commute on in Tokyo and its far northeast suburbs back in the 90's. It was an excellent system although at times unbelievably crowded. I am headed back to Japan in October and can't wait to use it again and see how its changed since my last visit in 2005.
@@RMTransit As I commented elsewhere, like the old car in my profile picture; I think that the old term Interurban is more appropriate. It's a higher speed, longer distance, transit system that is lighter than a commuter train and heavier than a streetcar. Watching you stumble over what to call it my partner probably thought I was having convulsions waving at the screen shouting 'interurban' XD
Now that I’ve seen the video, I’m bowled over! As for the glassed-in stations, from what I’ve learned about the climate in Montreal, it will be a very nice touch in the winter! :D
As a new immigrant from Hong Kong living in Toronto, I would like to see such a modern design transit project in Canada. I hope it could change the city's planning and design.
We need this in Edmonton so BAD. Watching this reminds me when I was in British Columbia. The Metro Vancouver region really planned out the city well and was so interconnected that you didn't even need a car to get around and the Sky Train gets to to every city in that region other than North Vancouver where you take a Sea Bus, or Delta. Well done! This is so neat to see another Canadian city implementing this in the works! 🙂
I rode the REM system last summer when in Montreal. My hotel was near the Brossard station so I rode the entire length of the line. It is quiet, fast and I took pictures off this line.
As a south western Ontarian i am tempted to drive all the way to montreal to enjoy a ride on the REM. (Yes its counter intuitive) i want REM to be beyond successful, to the point where every north american city follows suit.
We do. Honolulu just opened up its first phase and New York is getting Platform edge doors and fully walkthrough trains (alongside Atlanta). Plus LA is currently looking at a new Automated metro line as well
C'est magnifique, merci pour cette vidéo. J'ai hâte d'expérimenter la totalité du nouveau réseau REM lors de ma prochaine visite à Montréal, une de mes top 3 villes par ordre de préférence. C'est là d'ailleurs à Mont Royal que j'ai commencé à apprendre le ski de fond ! Un jour j'aimerais y habiter, et le fait qu'elle aura un système de transports en commun performant lui accorde encore plus de points
I tried the REM this morning. I took it from Du Quartier to Gare Centrale and back. I find the ride amazing. Even though it was full, I found the wagons quite spacious. The ride was smooth (more than the actual metro in fact) and the views are great. Though crowded, it took us 16 minutes to go downtown and the same back. Impressive. The biggest challenge though to make it a real success will be the local bus network on the south shore to access the stations. Some users will still want to park their car next to a station. This weekend it’s free and they organized events around stations for people to try it. The parking at Brossard terminus was already full mid-morning. Since I live close, I will definitely try it again soon in a more quiet time. So far, so good! Great job REM!!
I love it and Montreal is my city I grew up in, I live in Toronto and work for Metrolinx Go transit but this is by far amazing thanks for the video Brenda.
Such a great project and system with impressive and thoughtful designs. Way to go REM and Montreal, hope this can be a blueprint for future transit development across Canada!
I really enjoyed this video. The amount of detailed explainations combined with a lot of stunning and relevant visuals really help to focus on the narrative. I also liked the time you took to give us a complete feedback and an overview of this new project. As a south shore resident, I'm eager to see the impact the REM will have on Montréal's public transport mindset.
As a Montreal resident, I cannot overstate how much this is appreciated by people who have to commute between the island and the south shore, awesome to see it showcased on such a big platform.
Regarding the classification of the system: With the trains already being green and white, I propose we classify the REM as the Montreal S-Bahn! It does fulfil the same role as the Berlin or Hamburg systems do in particular, just with even better frequency. It greatly resembles the Berlin S-Bahn in comparison with the metro too: Goes a bit faster, stops less and goes further out, while still being very much distinct from regular main-line rail services. A good day for Montreal, and I hope the following phases will be completed in a timely manner, especially to Deux-Montagnes and Anse a l'Orme. Thanks for this early insight!
@@RMTransit That's because it's not yet a network: imagine REM de l'est having been built and actually integrated with Garce Centrale/Bonaventure-or going all out, having REM de l'est continue to Lucien-L'Allier in a tunnel and emerge there. I could pretty much see that being a pretty interesting S-Bahn network (in the Berlin sense of the term, as the infrastructure is incompatible with mainline rail operations)
Hopefully, as the sections of the REM continue to open, the interest for REM de l'est will rekindle and they will find the right setting to make the project works.
Wow, the REM look awesome!!!. Makes Ottawas's toy train look really bad, It it sad that they didn't take the opportunity to make it truly world class. You should make a video explaining the latest set of issues with the O-Train, I am having trouble understanding what is going on by reading the media. Thanks for your videos!
I am completely mind blown at how amazing this Metro is. The planning has clearly been completely comprehensive and I love that there is a laid back, modern feel. It was completed in a very quick time given the delays in transit systems in Canada. I very much want to travel to Montreal to be able to use the new Montreal REM while I visit family!! Outstanding video!! This was amazing to watch!! Huge thanks!! Cheers!! 🙂
What incredible timing!! I just landed in Canada for the first time in my life and this is the first notification that pops up!?! I'm going to be in Montreal in a few days, can't wait to give this new line a go! (Coming from Britain btw)
As a Montrealer we all know how harsh our winters are and that concerns me. Like Toronto's subways that run above and below ground during winter the subway consistently stops and gets delayed.
@@Christian_Martel I live in Brossard and I just hope that I won’t be late for class at the end of August. My commute by rush hour RTL busses that went downtown was 30-40 minutes. Now it will take minimum 50 minutes, since NOT A SINGLE BUS LINES WILL GO TO MONTREAL from the south shore anymore. I’m very much not optimistic about the REM too, judging by the first week’s technical difficulties. Not to mention the price increase for students and 65+ seniors plus the inability to buy reduced fare tickets without going all the way to Bonaventure or Longueuil just to get a 2nd dedicated AB-ticket OPUS card. Not a single ARTM ticket booth in Brossard, La Prairie, St Hubert or Greenfield Park, where the AB-tickets are actually needed to get around. They made the new fare system to simplify the adding of the REM, but instead made it a nightmare. Oh yeah and I guess we hate our seniors in Brossard too now huh? Seniors who get the off-peak 65+ fare can’t go to Montreal anymore, with the removal of service of the 45 and 90.
I went on it today, lucky enough to be in Montreal this weekend (visiting from the UK). Love the views and it seems like a great service - well worth the hour of queues at Gare Centrale. Also I won an awesome commemorative hockey jersey to remember the day by.
This is VERY good compared to how bad Canada is in making projects like this. Here in Edmonton, this valley line LRT supposed to open at 2020, is still delayed, and it will possibly open at 2024
Yeah, but even still the Valley line compared to this or the Skytrain pales in comparison. I love that in Vancouver how effective the SkyTrain is. It runs above ground and underground. And it runs super frequently. Especially during non rush hour times too. Other than then nights. Translink is def one of the best in my opinion. I can see the REM in Montreal being good too. Its following a similar system to Vancouver's skytrain. But Edmonton..... My goodness.
Doing a Canadian trip in a couple of months from the US. We are going to plant down in at a hotel in St Jean sur Richelieu, then drive to Brossard to get to Montreal. Seems logical.
There are screen on the metro that show when the next busses will come to the station? That is actually amazing. It’s one of the things that heavily improves the integration of metro with the bus system. The REM is under some smart people. We dont have that in Dubai and it’s a pain unless u can pull up the transit app which is inconvenient cause it needs internet
Ooooooh! Looks lovely! I really agree with you about the announcements on the Liz line in London, I'm glad to see there's less of that with this new one in Montreal.
We went on Saturday! It was great! We live west of the west island, getting to town is an hour by train today looking forward to the western anse-a-lorme one opening up. a train every 5 minutes instead of a handful a day.
As a Texan hoping to change the way Texans commute, this system has given me a profound inspiration. I can almost picture in my head what a metro system like this one would look like in San Antonio, or my hometown of Houston (I know y'all are cringing at the thought of that lmao). However, I firmly believe that with the right people, the right system, and the power our generation will have, anything is possible.
I went to test the REM this morning and on the way to *and* from I had issues on the green line related to people in unauthorized areas. At that point it seems like the existing STM metro is at its limit without platform screen doors and I hope the REM is enough to convince everyone of that need
I hope that Metrolinx will learn how to do projects from REM and Ontario Line in Toronto will be build not like Eglinton Crosstown. So cool for Montreal, it would be my first thing to try on a next visit :)
The word you are looking for is "interurban" rail transit. IE like one of the historic cars from vancouver that I have as my profile pic. That's what the REM feels like to me, it's what the systems that were destroyed in the 1950's could have become. I for one am all for it.
I work on the 5th floor of the office building connected to the Dix30 station. So pumped to start using this on Monday i have been raving for the rem I am very pumped to try this saturday and starting my daily commute on the rem Monday! :)
Ride along with our timelapse video here: ruclips.net/video/Q23mkh8rX88/видео.html
question, why was it so empty when you were riding the trains?
@@yourlocalskoda4860 Because he rode before the opening. He said that at the beginning of the video...
Good job Reece I wish I could smell that new train with you!
Can you make a small video about the water metro from india, kochi
I would love it if you'd make a video covering ReThinkNYC's proposal for a unified regional rail network called RUN. Andy Byford is backing the plan, and recently, all three of the outer regional rail services (NJTransit, Long Island Railroad, and Amtrak) all came out and said that MSG and Penn Station are no longer compatible. ReThinkNYC wants to rebuild Penn Station back to its former glory. This is one of the most important transit projects in all of North America, yet barely anyone is talking about, but your channel has the reach to bring more awareness to it, so I think it would for a great video.
As a Seattle resident, it blows my mind that this project phase is already finished. Our light rail expansion was approved in 2016 and the transition agency still hasn’t even picked a preferred alignment.
It’s amazing how fast they move!
As someone who's been living part-time in Tacoma for college and becoming interested in living in the greater Seattle-Tacoma area, I really wish Seattle was building a light metro network like the REM or the SkyTrain instead of light rail. Light rail really doesn't work well for the long distances that Sound Transit is building. The obsession that US transit agencies have with light rail is so frustrating and limiting. Also the Sounder trains should really run more often than just at commute hours! I'd love to take the South Line to Seattle on a weekend for example!
I was just thinking the same thing! We're currently stuck bickering over the *draft* environmental impact statements for most of our projects that were approved at the same time as the REM, with groundbreaking being years away
@evanwilson9723 unfortunately the Sounder trains run on BNSF tracks, so freight trains have the right of way and Sounder is thus limited on the times they can run. Sad as that is itself a useful train that would be even better if it ran regularly outside peak commuter hours.
@@sea80vicvan Yeah, it's sad, but there are many commuter/regional rail agencies that have bought track from freight companies (Coaster and GO come to mind), so maybe someday…
As a Canadian, I am so happy to see great transit projects like finally being inaugurated! REM is what The Eglinton Crosstown and O Train should have been. Everything from Automation to well designed trains and stations make the REM the envy of rapid transit in North America
Its inaugurated but only in Quebec which is already sooo different than any provinces.
In Ottawa we'd be happy if our trains just functioned. Any other system, no matter how bad, is better than the O-Train if it just moves people. 🙄🤦🏼♂️
Yes! It’s a fantastic project and an exciting time for Canada!
@@JamesPhieffer Finch lrt will run before Eglinton in Toronto just watch
@@RMTransit RMTransit, didn’t Taizhou also just open Line 1 on a new metro line? Isn’t that also considered a new metro in the world?
One big impact for the REM will definitely be the spread of wheelchair accessible rapid transit to more parts of the city, something the old Metro isn’t great at.
A happy secondary benefit of being wheelchair accessible is the system is also easy to navigate with a stroller. Which is something I definitely struggle with on the metro as I don't like putting the stroller on an escalator with the baby inside.
Absolutely concur! The accessibility improvements are huge!
@@Free-g8r In Oslo, where the Metro is too deep for escalators (or the rare instance where a platform only has stairs) there are elevators. But retrofitting the Montreal Metro will cost…
@@RMTransit Highlights the lack of foresight with the metro.
Nice to see I'm not the only one commenting about this :) those trains look especially navigable by wheelchair! Instead of being stuck in one corner of one carriage for an entire train.
Between the REM and Honolulu, 2023 is an exciting year for new transit systems in North American jurisdictions. (yes technically Hawaii is Oceania, but still)
Absolutely, things are getting so much better!
Don't forget the Regional Connector in Los Angeles. (Not a new line per se but improves connectivity on basically the whole system.)
Hawaii isn’t in the Continental US, but it’s still part of the US.
I'm so pleased with the REM's opening as it significantly cuts my commute time from downtown to Du Quartier and it runs FAR more frequently than the 2 bus routes passing near my work. I'm absolutely shocked at the 5 year build time considering how jaded I've been from living in Toronto and seeing firsthand the Eglinton Line's progress.
It’s really impressive, especially given the stations are quite nice!
Eglinton line will never finish
The Eglinton Line's progress? What progress? What are you on?
Yes! Metrolinx's should be held accountable for their failures on the Eglinton LRT's delays. It scares me on how they are going to do the Hamilton King St LRT.
I grew up in Montreal, lived in Toronto for 15 years and now live in Hamilton. It looks like the REM has helped make Montreal's system the best in Canada.
fantastic system. As a European, out of all the Canadian cities we visited, Montreal was by far the best one. Great architecture, great mix of people that speak English and French, great transport infrastructure (this was the only place we can rent bikes), great topography (flat Toronto could definitely use some hills) and best of all great food! great video
Toronto is far from flat. I assume you only stayed in Downtown.
@@TheTroyc1982 only stayed in the core yes, might have some hills on the outskirts, but nothing like Mont Real
@@garciacalavera6830 Yeah word, Toronto has some 'bumps' shall we say - but Montreal has some real deal hills. Some decent slants in Toronto around Humber River maybe, but not much.
Montreal has those San Fran style hills, especially around the mountain. Them streets sweep upwards, almost feels like that scene from Inception in some places ahahaha
Toronto has more skyscrapers bigger downtown and better transportation although Montreal the second biggest Canadian city starting to get as good as Toronto in terms of transportation
@@Leojw10that's only your opinion
Exciting to see the new transit that Montreal is cooking up. Hopefully the rest of the country can also continue to improve themselves!
Absolutely, this is a model!
Toronto is working on expanding it's lines as well.
Come to Vancouver. We have 2 new lines of rapid transit under construction as I type. By the end of this decade people will be able to use rapid transit to travel almost anywhere they need to go not only in Van but in surrounding communities.
@@ianmackie8959 Yes, now we need a REM to go from Boucherville across the south shore to Ste Catherine.
@@ianmackie8959 Vancouver is beautiful!
Such a well done video!
As a Montrealer, it made me a bit emotional as sad as that is. Im excited to explore more of the surrounding areas with my bicycle thanks to the REM.
Thank you! It’s going to open up a ton more of the city!
The flex of being one of the first to ride and test out the Wi-Fi by watching transit-oriented content of your own...love it! Noticed Classy Whale on your screen at 11:37 and that's an underrated channel of the transit community! Only two seconds in and you already mention platform screen doors...I think that's a new record! 😂But real talk, I don't blame you for loving platform screen doors so much! There are various benefits like climate control, reduced trash/debris on tracks, etc. With the biggest being of course safety. Stopping people from either jumping off or being pushed off.
Nuns' Island was originally called Île Saint-Paul in honor of the founder of Montreal, Paul de Chomedey, Sieur de Maisonneuve. The island was initially acquired in 1634 by Jean de Lauzon, who would become governor of New France. The island got its current name because the nuns of the Congrégation de Notre-Dame acquired the seigneurie de La Noue on the island in 1706. Following the British conquest, the other seigneurie was auctioned. The nuns purchased it too in 1769, becoming the sole owners of the island for the next 187 years. The nuns farmed the island, building houses and agricultural buildings, and later hired women to help with raising livestock. They continued farming until 1956.
Montreal and Quebec please teach Ontario how to build transit in a reasonably short time frame. You're our only hope.
Bro, they only built 4 stations. Theres still 20 stations, the main ones under construction.
@@monsterincrement Still, 4 stations only 7 years after the project was announced is really good
And please teach the US as well!
@@monsterincrement phase 2 should open by end of 2024 , around 18 stations.
Bravo. I appreciate your Video!! As a Montrealer I love your positive review and can't Wait to get on that Metro!!!
Thank you for watching! And the super-thanks! The REM is something special!
I think my big takeaway from this in combination with REM de l’est, as well as Toronto, is that pre-construction dithering is possibly the worst thing that can happen to a project. We’re in a place where there really needs to be a clear path to construction from day 0, since it really does seem that timely project are wholly possible, but that once delays start creeping in getting back on track is nearly impossible.
God help us all if the condo dwellers in Griffintown had started nattering on about the tRaIns aRe lOuD at the start of the project. I bet the CDPQ snowed them right from the start just to stop the NIMBYs.
Shock and awe! Announce and build transit before NIMBYs even know what hit 'em
@@joelfrigon-henrichon5696 Whinging about public transit bringing down the neighborhood has been around since the rich in Mayfair stopped trams going through and the merchants on Broadway didn't want a subway because of the potential crowds of plebes.
I think that’s a very very good point
There are also the WNIMBYs (Why not in my backyard?). I.e. the people who work to bring down projects because they're jilted that they're not getting that service. I don't know how much of an issue that is in Montreal, but just as big a problem in Toronto as the NIMBYs. Wedge issue politicians make great use of that.
Wait until winter comes. The REM will be packed. Traveling at 80km/hr over the bridge while other cars are stuck on the approaches and in town due to congestion. People complain about the fare increases, but as fuel costs rise, the REM will be preferred because of the relative cost savings and convenience.
its will for SURE be used, its the perfect line.
I hope the REM overhead wire system works in freezing rain conditions. The LRT in Ottawa is a total disaster.
@@karenjones6135 its will face problem, it's normal, but it was already tested heavily for winter.
@@karenjones6135 They did test it last winter (but with no passengers). I hope we will not have the problems they've had in Ottawa!
Such beautiful trains and stations. I appreciate that they learned lessons from Canada Line. We didn't even have signs for station names or route maps until a few years ago!!
The stations remind me of IKEA furniture: functional, pretty, modern-feeling and wooden
They had signs but with a different design that the rest of the network
15:42 "I think the system will generate a generation of growth and city-shaping influence". Exactly. Having grown up in Montreal in the 70s and 80s, that's what the Metro did for the city. This is the next phase of that city-shaping change for the better.
I agree. I live in Brossard and we are seeing already redevelopment around Du Quartier and Panama stations. Some developers had good lobbyists I think. 😂 Expect the same in Montreal and West Island.
It didn't do that at all. The Metro did not create much of anything downtown or elsewhere. The REM will probably lose money. The Metro could have been done like this in the first place and saved millions of dollars by using existing rail lines.
You know you've made it when you get to ride this thing early! And being able to wave goodbye to traffic thanks to being on a train is always a treat! I'm thoroughly impressed with REM! Sure they're shorter, but like you said, they make up for that for being wide and not to mention speed and the headways! The platform at Gare Centrale reminds me of just how wide the platforms are for the 42nd Street Shuttle in NYC! It used to have four tracks but then it became a 2-track one with a single island platform.
I'm glad the Champlain Bridge was redesigned. Not just because of the addition of rail, but because the old one was degraded by de-icing salt and couldn't handle higher volumes of traffic. Now it can! The current bridge was designed by Poul Ove Jensen, who was Dissing+Weitling's project manager for the Great Belt Bridge in Denmark! He also participated in the design for the Øresund Bridge between Denmark and Sweden. It is one of the largest infrastructure projects ever built in North America and with an estimated 59 million vehicles a year, one of the busiest crossings on the continent. It is built to last 125 years with the usage of stainless steel and high-performance concrete.
You heard it here folks. Montreal is the best city in Canada according to RMTransit! XD
Been working on the REM since 2018 and enjoyed (almost) every minute 😅
Hi, the project is so cool. What was your job in the project ? Urbanist or Engineer, something like that?
As someone in a Canadian city that can't even get basic BRT implemented, I'm jealous. This looks fantastic, and I'm looking forward to trying it out on my next Montreal visit. Can't wait for the airport extension...
Could be worse. You could be in Ottawa, where we had the negatives of building a train without any positives whatsoever.
Hope you enjoy it!
Are you in Victoria too? I’m hoping our BRT gets better soon…
@@es3359 Opposite side of the country. Halifax. Our transit is stuck in the 90s - both in planning and implementation. There've been relatively modest plans for BRT for 5ish years, but the provincial government has refused to commit to funding. We don't even have electronic payment systems or ticket kiosks. Like I said... 90s.
@@JamesPhieffer and the BRT was so good before the botched conversion. I rode it in 2012/13 and had no idea I was witnessing the last gasp of greatness.
I love Montreal, it's by far my favorite city in the US or Canada, and second favorite in North America to Mexico city. Super awesome to see real progress to make a great city even better.
What's happening in Mexico City?
Montreal is in Canada 🤦🏾♂️
Absolutely great cities, and they both have rubber tire metros 😂
@@RMTransit Montreal does, because it was built by the Frrreench. Frrreench is, after all, the second language in Canada. :) Which is fun, go to «America» (yes, I know Canada is not USA), and touch up on your rusty French at the same time! :D
@@mrscary113 It's just an incredible place. Easier to visit than explain ;)
Truly mind-blowing how quickly they made this happen! In San Francisco, it took 6 years to build a lame BRT, and 10 years for 3 muni stations nobody uses because trains are too infrequent...
I've been waiting for REM for so long! This, GO Expansion, and multiple transit projects throughout the country, makes me so hopeful of the future. It's no wonder the major Canadian cities have the most used transit systems in the continent.
Oh yeah! It’s an incredibly exciting time!
That this idea launched in 2016, construction started in 2018 and it is ALL finished for riders in 2023 is VERY VERY IMPRESSIVE. Bravo Canada! Bravo Montreal!
Wow I remember going to Montréal in 2019 and the early construction starting, as a Torontonian knowing little about the project I was expecting to have to wait 10 years to see the results. This looks great, and will be really useful, with the future phases I can see my future trips to Montréal visiting family in the suburbs being almost car-free!
Used the REM last saturday early in the morning and was very impressed. Congratulations to everyone who made this happen!
Montreal has upgraded, giving me more reasons to move in. One day, hopefully!!
Thanks!
Thank you!
Thanks for the preview! I am heading down to Montreal on Sunday evening so I can ride the REM Monday morning from Brossard to Centrale and then back in the afternoon. Looking forward to that "new train smell" as you called it.
Thanks!
The wood and light architecture of the outdoor stops gives it an almost scandinavian suburb feel. Leave the station and you're in Njøkjullholmssundborg office park.
Those platforms with doors are awesome for multiple reasons. Awesome!
Great coverage! Was just in Montreal and thought the metro was awesome!
Merci!
Thank you!
Wow, good job Montreal. Cheers from Vancouver
It's finally here. And it's my hometown. I'm really glad we got what we got. Wishing for more.
As a Montréaler in Japan (who loves transit!), I'm so happy to see this video!
So informative, and so well filmed and narrated. Probably your very best video to date! Thanks.
The REM is like a Japanese commuter rail line, the Keihin-Tohoku Line, or the Yamanote Line if it weren't orbital
Its a classic S-Bahn like in Berlin or Hamburg
@@cooltwittertag That's probably the most accurate term to call it
Yep - immediately reminds me of the Chiyoda Line / Joban Local Train Line that I used to commute on in Tokyo and its far northeast suburbs back in the 90's. It was an excellent system although at times unbelievably crowded. I am headed back to Japan in October and can't wait to use it again and see how its changed since my last visit in 2005.
@@cooltwittertagI don’t think I’d call it that, it doesn’t have a lot of the S Bahn features
@@RMTransit As I commented elsewhere, like the old car in my profile picture; I think that the old term Interurban is more appropriate. It's a higher speed, longer distance, transit system that is lighter than a commuter train and heavier than a streetcar. Watching you stumble over what to call it my partner probably thought I was having convulsions waving at the screen shouting 'interurban' XD
Now that I’ve seen the video, I’m bowled over! As for the glassed-in stations, from what I’ve learned about the climate in Montreal, it will be a very nice touch in the winter! :D
As a new immigrant from Hong Kong living in Toronto, I would like to see such a modern design transit project in Canada. I hope it could change the city's planning and design.
Montréal is in Canada! Hopefully Toronto can learn from their french neighbours
We need this in Edmonton so BAD. Watching this reminds me when I was in British Columbia. The Metro Vancouver region really planned out the city well and was so interconnected that you didn't even need a car to get around and the Sky Train gets to to every city in that region other than North Vancouver where you take a Sea Bus, or Delta.
Well done! This is so neat to see another Canadian city implementing this in the works! 🙂
As a Montrealer who recently moved to LA this desperately makes me want to move back
Can't have a forum like this without some Canadian expat to the US Sunbelt speaking up.
As for moving back...please do!
I rode the REM system last summer when in Montreal. My hotel was near the Brossard station so I rode the entire length of the line. It is quiet, fast and I took pictures off this line.
To say I’m giddy about the REM is an understatement. I can’t believe we’re finally here! Great video Reece!
Thank you! Big week!
The trains look absolutely beautiful, wish the Vancouver skytrain was like that...
THAT explains the bridge construction I saw along the highway when I visited back in 2019!
well, we did need a new bridge to replace the one that was crumbling right beside it 😅
@@CathLaPoire lol
Welcome Aboard! A Terrific job all of you... Bravo! .
I agree when you say it makes the best city in Canada even better. Indeed!
An absolutely brilliant line. Well done to Montreal .
As a south western Ontarian i am tempted to drive all the way to montreal to enjoy a ride on the REM. (Yes its counter intuitive) i want REM to be beyond successful, to the point where every north american city follows suit.
You should! The more successful it is the better…
I live near a station and I absolutely can not wait for it to open later next year. It'll be a game changer when it comes to my commute.
this system looks incredible. I wish we could have this here in the US
We do. Honolulu just opened up its first phase and New York is getting Platform edge doors and fully walkthrough trains (alongside Atlanta). Plus LA is currently looking at a new Automated metro line as well
This beautiful, well functioning and quickly built system is like throwing salt in our wounds here in Ottawa!
C'est magnifique, merci pour cette vidéo. J'ai hâte d'expérimenter la totalité du nouveau réseau REM lors de ma prochaine visite à Montréal, une de mes top 3 villes par ordre de préférence. C'est là d'ailleurs à Mont Royal que j'ai commencé à apprendre le ski de fond ! Un jour j'aimerais y habiter, et le fait qu'elle aura un système de transports en commun performant lui accorde encore plus de points
Wow, this looks incredible. Well done Montreal!
I tried the REM this morning. I took it from Du Quartier to Gare Centrale and back. I find the ride amazing. Even though it was full, I found the wagons quite spacious. The ride was smooth (more than the actual metro in fact) and the views are great.
Though crowded, it took us 16 minutes to go downtown and the same back. Impressive.
The biggest challenge though to make it a real success will be the local bus network on the south shore to access the stations. Some users will still want to park their car next to a station.
This weekend it’s free and they organized events around stations for people to try it. The parking at Brossard terminus was already full mid-morning.
Since I live close, I will definitely try it again soon in a more quiet time.
So far, so good! Great job REM!!
I love it and Montreal is my city I grew up in, I live in Toronto and work for Metrolinx Go transit but this is by far amazing thanks for the video Brenda.
Such a great project and system with impressive and thoughtful designs. Way to go REM and Montreal, hope this can be a blueprint for future transit development across Canada!
I really enjoyed this video. The amount of detailed explainations combined with a lot of stunning and relevant visuals really help to focus on the narrative. I also liked the time you took to give us a complete feedback and an overview of this new project. As a south shore resident, I'm eager to see the impact the REM will have on Montréal's public transport mindset.
As a Montreal resident, I cannot overstate how much this is appreciated by people who have to commute between the island and the south shore, awesome to see it showcased on such a big platform.
Truly amazing! Bravo Montreal!!
Regarding the classification of the system: With the trains already being green and white, I propose we classify the REM as the Montreal S-Bahn!
It does fulfil the same role as the Berlin or Hamburg systems do in particular, just with even better frequency. It greatly resembles the Berlin S-Bahn in comparison with the metro too: Goes a bit faster, stops less and goes further out, while still being very much distinct from regular main-line rail services.
A good day for Montreal, and I hope the following phases will be completed in a timely manner, especially to Deux-Montagnes and Anse a l'Orme.
Thanks for this early insight!
As a montrealer that lived in Germany for a while I couldn't agree more
It has some similarities but I would be hesitant to call it S Bahn
@@RMTransit That's because it's not yet a network: imagine REM de l'est having been built and actually integrated with Garce Centrale/Bonaventure-or going all out, having REM de l'est continue to Lucien-L'Allier in a tunnel and emerge there. I could pretty much see that being a pretty interesting S-Bahn network (in the Berlin sense of the term, as the infrastructure is incompatible with mainline rail operations)
YES, I was waiting for your video on this!
Hopefully, as the sections of the REM continue to open, the interest for REM de l'est will rekindle and they will find the right setting to make the project works.
Honestly, I was quite irritated when the critics of REM de l’Est kind of killed the project. We’ll see.
I'm visiting Montreal (and Toronto) in October. So excited to ride this!
Wow, the REM look awesome!!!. Makes Ottawas's toy train look really bad, It it sad that they didn't take the opportunity to make it truly world class. You should make a video explaining the latest set of issues with the O-Train, I am having trouble understanding what is going on by reading the media. Thanks for your videos!
Great video
It was worth mentioning the noise that comes from those trains specially around griffintown
I am completely mind blown at how amazing this Metro is. The planning has clearly been completely comprehensive and I love that there is a laid back, modern feel. It was completed in a very quick time given the delays in transit systems in Canada. I very much want to travel to Montreal to be able to use the new Montreal REM while I visit family!! Outstanding video!! This was amazing to watch!! Huge thanks!! Cheers!! 🙂
It kind of reminds me of Perth with all that highway median track, huge bus stations, and high speeds.
What incredible timing!! I just landed in Canada for the first time in my life and this is the first notification that pops up!?! I'm going to be in Montreal in a few days, can't wait to give this new line a go! (Coming from Britain btw)
Awesome! I’m visiting there next week (for the first time) so I suppose I won’t know Montréal without the REM!
As a Montrealer we all know how harsh our winters are and that concerns me. Like Toronto's subways that run above and below ground during winter the subway consistently
stops and gets delayed.
I live in Brossard and we have seen the trains being tested for about a year now, through last winter. I’m quite confident.
@@Christian_Martel I live in Brossard and I just hope that I won’t be late for class at the end of August. My commute by rush hour RTL busses that went downtown was 30-40 minutes. Now it will take minimum 50 minutes, since NOT A SINGLE BUS LINES WILL GO TO MONTREAL from the south shore anymore. I’m very much not optimistic about the REM too, judging by the first week’s technical difficulties. Not to mention the price increase for students and 65+ seniors plus the inability to buy reduced fare tickets without going all the way to Bonaventure or Longueuil just to get a 2nd dedicated AB-ticket OPUS card. Not a single ARTM ticket booth in Brossard, La Prairie, St Hubert or Greenfield Park, where the AB-tickets are actually needed to get around. They made the new fare system to simplify the adding of the REM, but instead made it a nightmare.
Oh yeah and I guess we hate our seniors in Brossard too now huh? Seniors who get the off-peak 65+ fare can’t go to Montreal anymore, with the removal of service of the 45 and 90.
Here is our beautiful Metro in our most beautiful city in world where ideas and innovations have no limits.
I went on it today, lucky enough to be in Montreal this weekend (visiting from the UK). Love the views and it seems like a great service - well worth the hour of queues at Gare Centrale.
Also I won an awesome commemorative hockey jersey to remember the day by.
@glaframb Yes that's right, I don't think I was the only one though
Such a great video, I've watched it twice. Excited to ride!
This is VERY good compared to how bad Canada is in making projects like this. Here in Edmonton, this valley line LRT supposed to open at 2020, is still delayed, and it will possibly open at 2024
Yeah, but even still the Valley line compared to this or the Skytrain pales in comparison. I love that in Vancouver how effective the SkyTrain is. It runs above ground and underground. And it runs super frequently. Especially during non rush hour times too. Other than then nights. Translink is def one of the best in my opinion. I can see the REM in Montreal being good too. Its following a similar system to Vancouver's skytrain. But Edmonton..... My goodness.
Excited for this! Thanks for your content.
oh my god we finally have an Asian quality metro here in NA, I love the door closing chime, it's like Taipei Metro
Excellent video you do great work.I can't wait until the next time I am up in Montreal. Thanks For A Great Channel.
I just rode the REM this afternoon for opening day and it is WOW! Love it!
Doing a Canadian trip in a couple of months from the US. We are going to plant down in at a hotel in St Jean sur Richelieu, then drive to Brossard to get to Montreal. Seems logical.
There are screen on the metro that show when the next busses will come to the station? That is actually amazing. It’s one of the things that heavily improves the integration of metro with the bus system. The REM is under some smart people. We dont have that in Dubai and it’s a pain unless u can pull up the transit app which is inconvenient cause it needs internet
Amazing and aa world class engineering project.👍
The train sets look like the new Grand Paris Express railcars !
Same model!
@@glaframb I mean this and Sydney metro are both made by same company and at same place in India.
Ooooooh! Looks lovely! I really agree with you about the announcements on the Liz line in London, I'm glad to see there's less of that with this new one in Montreal.
Great video! Congrats to Montreal for expanding Public Transport.
The REM is giving Tokyo train vibes and I'm here for it
What a lovely looking system! It makes me want to go to Montreal!
The montreal metro has been there for 60 years and was already the best metro in North America
It’s worth visiting!
@@RMTransit I hope the same ability to implement things quickly will now be used to get the Amtrak lines to Montreal running.
We went on Saturday! It was great! We live west of the west island, getting to town is an hour by train today looking forward to the western anse-a-lorme one opening up. a train every 5 minutes instead of a handful a day.
As a Texan hoping to change the way Texans commute, this system has given me a profound inspiration. I can almost picture in my head what a metro system like this one would look like in San Antonio, or my hometown of Houston (I know y'all are cringing at the thought of that lmao). However, I firmly believe that with the right people, the right system, and the power our generation will have, anything is possible.
Question of time, people will get it.
I went to test the REM this morning and on the way to *and* from I had issues on the green line related to people in unauthorized areas. At that point it seems like the existing STM metro is at its limit without platform screen doors and I hope the REM is enough to convince everyone of that need
Crazy how Japan already looks like this in the 1980s, we're finally slowly catching up!
You still have a long way to even come close to catching up with Europe, let alone Japan
cant wait to visit montreal!
I hope that Metrolinx will learn how to do projects from REM and Ontario Line in Toronto will be build not like Eglinton Crosstown. So cool for Montreal, it would be my first thing to try on a next visit :)
Metrolinx is beyond redemption. As secretive as it is incompetent. A petty dictatorship. A standard bearer for the Ford government.
The word you are looking for is "interurban" rail transit. IE like one of the historic cars from vancouver that I have as my profile pic. That's what the REM feels like to me, it's what the systems that were destroyed in the 1950's could have become. I for one am all for it.
Two metro systems for Montreal? Man! This city is becoming Tokyo!
Nowhere near close to tokyo atm
I live on the north shore and i cant wait for it to open. It will be awesome
I work on the 5th floor of the office building connected to the Dix30 station. So pumped to start using this on Monday i have been raving for the rem I am very pumped to try this saturday and starting my daily commute on the rem Monday! :)
Congrats Montréal for new REM train system. Amazing