Mount Royal tunnel's closure delayed to spring, but REM construction still on track

The thousands of Montreal train commuters who ride under Mount Royal every day can breathe a temporary sigh of relief the tunnel's two-year closure has been postponed until thespring.

"This is good news becausewe will be spared the difficulties of winter," said commuter Magali Barr, butshe added, the fight's not over yet.

She'samong a group of train users who have been pushing Quebec government and all other players involvedto improve transportationmitigation measures for commuters beyond the promised station-to-station shuttles and fare discounts.

"This is not a victory. There is still a lot to do," she said. "We have no reason to back down."

The century-old tunnel's closure is a crucial step in constructing the REM light-rail network. Its walls need reinforcement, tracks need replacingand lighting needs upgrading before driverless,electric trains zip through every few minutes, every day.

Originally scheduled for Jan. 6, the closure has been changed to March 30 so CDPQ Infra can iron out project-planning details.

CDPQ Infra is a subsidiary of the province's pension fund manager, Caisse de dpt et placement du Qubec, which is overseeing the REM's construction.

Project officials are looking to ensurethe workforce is in place and all the construction sites are accessible to crews as they worksimultaneously across the Montreal region. There is also an effort to speed up final design work.

CDPQ Infrasays this effort to optimize work with the NouvLR consortium will add $230 million to the project's overall price tag, bringing itto about $6.5 billion.

REM project remains on schedule

Regardless of the additional costs and the postponement,CDPQ Infra says the REM network will open on time. The South Shore branch is scheduled to be up and running bylate 2021, the rest by 2023.

The tunnel's closure will suspend train servicebetween Centraland DuRuisseau stations. Trips on the Deux-Montagnes and Mascouche lines will take as much as 40 minutes longer than usual.

Quebec and CDPQ Infra have set aside $192 million for transportation measures throughout the REM project. For the tunnel closure,shuttle services and fare discounts have been planned.

To accommodate users of the Deux-Montagnes train line, CDPQ Infra will provide free travel for January and a discount of up to 30 per cent on certain monthly passes from January to March.

The Socit de transport de Montral (STM) will deploy 50 buses during the two-year tunnel closure.Just last week,the agency announcedthat it leased30 coach busesto meet that demand.

The STM saysit is evaluating the postponed tunnel closureand plans to adjust as needed. As for the 30 coaches, thecontract was delayed to March 30, the STM says, and driverswill instead be ready for the new date.