After a challenging seven-year journey marked by a global pandemic, winter service disruptions, and the unexpected discovery of century-old explosives, the REM's Deux-Montagnes branch officially welcomed its first passengers on Friday, November 14, 2025. The long-awaited inauguration was celebrated with a ride featuring the country's most prominent leaders.
A Landmark Journey for Leaders and Commuters
Prime Minister Mark Carney, Quebec Premier François Legault, and Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada were among the distinguished passengers on the inaugural trip. The journey departed just before 10 a.m. from the McGill station in downtown Montreal, passing through the historic Mount Royal Tunnel, which had been closed for five years for extensive renovations to accommodate the new light rail system. An official ceremony was scheduled to take place at the line's northern terminus, the Deux-Montagnes station.
The Scale and Funding of a Major Infrastructure Project
The Réseau express métropolitain (REM) is a colossal $9.3-billion project that is majority-funded and operated by the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, the province's pension fund manager. Significant financial contributions have also been made by various levels of government and corporations.
Key funding includes:
- $1.283 billion from the federal government
- $1.283 billion from the Quebec provincial government
- An additional $1.3 billion from the Canada Infrastructure Bank
- $295 million from Hydro-Québec
While the initial South Shore branch, which opened in the summer of 2023, functioned largely as a local service, the new Deux-Montagnes line fundamentally transforms the REM into a truly regional network. It significantly expands the service area, incorporating numerous communities and adding hundreds of thousands of potential users to the system.
Overcoming Challenges and Future Reliability
The REM is projected to substantially shorten commute times for many residents, offering a compelling reason to leave cars at home. However, this potential is tempered by concerns over the network's reliability, which has been inconsistent during its first two years of operation on the South Shore. Commuters there have expressed frustration with the replacement of park-and-ride stations with bus routes to REM stations, a change some find less convenient.
Furthermore, the system's performance during the winter of 2024-2025 raised concerns, with multiple service disruptions occurring between February and March 2025. Although the REM's operator has assured the public that winter reliability has been improved, the service already experienced morning delays earlier this week when the region was hit by snow and high winds, putting those assurances to an early test.
A Rapidly Expanding Network
The inauguration of the Deux-Montagnes branch adds 14 new stations to the network, creating vital new connections across the metropolitan region.
The new stations are:
- McGill
- Édouard-Montpetit
- Canora
- Ville-de-Mont-Royal
- Côte-de-Liesse
- Montpellier
- Du Ruisseau
- Bois-Franc
- Sunnybrooke
- Pierrefonds—Roxboro
- Île-Bigras
- Sainte-Dorothée
- Grand-Moulin
- Deux-Montagnes
This expansion brings the total network length to 50 kilometres, effectively linking the North Shore to the South Shore and integrating with three of Montreal's four metro lines. To celebrate the launch, passengers were offered free rides throughout the opening weekend. The network's growth is not stopping here; another four stations in the West Island are scheduled to open next spring, with the final two stations towards the airport slated for a 2027 debut.
