METRO Magazine Logo
MenuMENU
SearchSEARCH

Alstom, Partners Launch 1st REM Segment in Montreal

Upon completion, REM will be one of the world's largest automated transport networks — approximately 42 miles long with 26 stations — connecting downtown Montreal to the South Shore, the North Shore, the West Island, and Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport.

Alstom, Partners Launch 1st REM Segment in Montreal

Groupe PMM provided REM with a complete driverless, automated metro system, including rolling stock and signaling, and will operate and maintain the entire 42-mile system for 30 years.

Photo: Alstom

2 min to read


The consortium led by Alstom, Groupe des partenaires pour la mobilité des Montréalais (Groupe PMM), participated in the inauguration hosted by its customer, CDPQ Infra, of the first segment of Réseau express métropolitain (REM), a new automated urban rail system, which connects Brossard on Montreal’s South Shore with Montreal’s Central Station.

Upon completion, REM will be one of the world's largest automated transport networks — approximately 42 miles long with 26 stations — connecting downtown Montreal to the South Shore, the North Shore, the West Island, and Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, it will provide rapid service with trains arriving every three minutes 45 seconds during peak hours and operate 20 hours a day.

Ad Loading...

Alstom’s Participation

Groupe PMM provided REM with a complete driverless, automated metro system, including rolling stock and signaling, and will operate and maintain the entire 42-mile system for 30 years. The first segment, between Brossard and Montreal’s Central Station, spans 10.5 miles and includes five stations equipped with a system of platform screen doors installed by Alstom, a first in Quebec. Eighty Metropolis metro cars will be operated on this segment, which will enter commercial service on July 31.

“We are extremely proud today with our partners to participate in the inauguration of the REM in Montreal,” says Henri Poupart-Lafarge, Chairman and CEO of Alstom. “This project is a great showcase for demonstrating Alstom’s leadership to serve its customers from A to Z, bringing together its undisputable integrated turnkey and services leadership and expertise.”

Under the terms of the contract, Groupe PMM will supply 212 Alstom Metropolis metro cars (106 two-car trainsets), Alstom’s Urbalis GoA4 (Grade of Automation 4) driverless and automated communications-based train control (CBTC) solution, and Alstom’s Iconis control center solution, as well as platform screen doors, Wi-Fi connectivity, cybersecurity, depot equipment and 30 years of operations and maintenance services, including HealthHub for predictive maintenance and fleet management. Groupe PMM is also responsible for train and system integration tests.

More Rail

Graphic from Amtrak promoting the B&P Tunnel Replacement and Frederick Douglass Tunnel project, featuring the Amtrak logo, project title and an illustration of a high-speed train near the West Baltimore MARC Station.
Railby News/Media ReleaseMarch 17, 2026

Amtrak Announces Community Grants for Projects Near Baltimore’s New Frederick Douglass Tunnel

Amtrak will open grant applications March 23 for community projects near the Frederick Douglass Tunnel alignment in Baltimore as part of a $50 million investment tied to the B&P Tunnel Replacement Program.

Read More →
Amtrak train with logo
Railby StaffMarch 16, 2026

Amtrak Marks Restoration of Two South Carolina Stations

The Denmark Station $2.3 million construction investment project includes a new 280-foot concrete boarding platform, built eight inches above the top of rail, for improved accessibility for passengers with disabilities and families with small children and much more.

Read More →
A view looking down the rail across the new Portal North Bridge.
Railby Staff and News ReportsMarch 13, 2026

NJ Transit, Amtrak Prepare to Open First Track on New Portal North Bridge

The new bridge will begin carrying passenger trains on March 16, replacing a 116-year-old swing bridge that has long caused delays.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Caltrain trains on tracks
Railby StaffMarch 6, 2026

Caltrain Adopts Corridor-Wide Right-of-Way Safety Strategy

Caltrain and its partners have implemented safety improvements at specific locations in response to known risk conditions, operational needs, and available funding since the agency’s founding.

Read More →
A photo of rail tracks in Ottawa, Canada

Building a National Framework for Transit Safety and Consistency

On a recent episode of METROspectives, METRO Magazine’s Executive Editor Alex Roman sat down with Ana-Maria Tomlinson, Director of Strategic & Cross-Sector Programs at the CSA Group, to explore a bold initiative aimed at addressing those challenges: the development of a National Code for Transit and Passenger Rail Systems in Canada.

Read More →
Stairs in a New York rail station with text reading "USDOT Invests $686 Million to Modernize Aging Rail Stations."
Railby StaffMarch 2, 2026

FTA Invests $686M to Modernize Aging Rail Stations

Competitive FTA grants will support accessibility upgrades, family-friendly improvements, and cost-efficient capital projects at some of the nation’s oldest and busiest transit hubs.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
A purple MBTA train at a Mansfield Station platform.
Railby StaffFebruary 27, 2026

MBTA Updates Rail Modernization Plan to Expand Reliability and Accessibility

The strategy outlines near- and long-term upgrades to ease congestion, support housing growth, and advance statewide climate goals.

Read More →
LA Metro underground station with vehicle
Railby StaffFebruary 27, 2026

LA Metro Sets D Line Subway Extension Launch Date

The 3.92-mile addition will soon take riders west beyond its current Wilshire and Western station in Koreatown, continuing under Wilshire Boulevard through neighborhoods and communities including Hancock Park, Windsor Square, the Fairfax District, and Carthay Circle into Beverly Hills.

Read More →
MBTA railcars
Railby StaffFebruary 26, 2026

Boston's MBTA Marks Progress in Regional Rail Modernization

The procurement advances the agency's broader efforts to modernize its rail fleet and position Regional Rail for long-term improvement.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
An Amtrak Acela
Railby StaffFebruary 26, 2026

Amtrak Sets New Course for Long-Distance Fleet Renewal

Under the plan, all long-distance routes will transition to a universal single-level fleet, replacing today’s mix of bi-level and single-level equipment.

Read More →