Plan for REM link between Dorval and Trudeau Airport gathers steam

Montreal councillors on both sides of the bench want the light-rail network now under construction to connect Trudeau Airport to the busy intermodal station in Dorval, 700 metres away.

Opposition Ensemble Montréal will present a motion to city council proposing the extension on May 13, and Mayor Valérie Plante's team supports the idea, Radio-Canada has learned.

Montreal must "formally request" that the provincial government and the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec modify the Réseau express métropolitain (REM) project to "include an extension to the Dorval intermodal station," the motion states.

The Caisse de dépôt is managing the construction of the $6.3-billion light-rail network. It will have 26 stations along a 67-kilometre track that will run 20 hours a day. It will connect downtown with the West Island, as well as with suburbs on the north and south shores.

The track also connects to the airport, and it is expected to replace the shuttle bus that runs between downtown Montreal and the airport by 2023.

Federal government studying the matter

There is already plenty of support for the proposed extension, and Federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau ordered a study back in January.

"An analysis is underway at the federal level. We will, of course, take part in the discussions," the REM tweeted on Tuesday.

The City of Dorval and Aéroports de Montréal (ADM), which manages the airport, have also come out in favour of the connection.

The existing train station in Dorval, located just north of the Dorval Circle, serves the Ottawa–Quebec City and Montreal–Toronto VIA passenger routes. Existing West Island commuter trains also pass through the station, and several bus routes connect there.

Proponents of adding an REM connection say linking the station to the airport will further decrease reliance on automobiles to get around the West Island.

The Saint-Laurent's borough council also came out in support of the proposed connection in early April.

"This major innovation, to be totally successful, must be planned in such a way as to favor inter-modality with all existing modes of transport," said borough Mayor Alan DeSousa, an Ensemble Montréal party member.

The Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) made an election promise to extend the REM to Laval, to Montreal's east end and, on the South Shore, to Boucherville and Chambly.