JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

West Islanders driving along Highway 40 this past week have surely noticed trains zipping along the elevated REM tracks. The light rail network is being tested, simulating real-time travel in the West Island, marking another significant step forward for the public transit project.

“This is a phase during which we subject our cars to all kinds of situations,” said Francis Labbé, assistant director of media relations for CDPQ Infra in an email.

Labbé said the consortium that manages the rail line has been testing the trains at various times of the day – in the morning, afternoon and up until midnight.

“Tests are going well so far,” he said.

The consortium started the latest round of simulations between the Anse-à-l’Orme station in Ste. Anne de Bellevue and the Bois-Franc station in St. Laurent on Feb. 3, making stops at the Kirkland, Fairview-Pointe-Claire and Des Sources stations along the way.

The tests have been taking place from 6 a.m. to midnight every day as the transit network prepares for its service launch this fall.  When in service, the REM will operate daily between 5:30 a.m. and 1:30 a.m.

CDPQ Infra had announced in November that it is targeting the fall of 2025 for the launch of the Deux-Montagnes and West Island branches of the REM. Labbé explained that this target has not changed.

“We’re still aiming for next fall, but we can’t be more precise at the moment, since it’s the tests that will dictate what happens next,” he explained.