Despite several unforeseen events, some of which date from another era, the “physical infrastructure” of the Mount Royal tunnel, through which the Réseau express métropolitain (REM) trains must pass, is practically complete, according to CDPQ Infra, which has invited journalists to visit this underground corridor which connects the city center to the University of Montreal.
The Mont-Royal tunnel, which is the backbone of our project
East in a very advanced state
and will be able to accommodate trains in 2025, indicated Jean-Philippe Pelletier, principal director of this phase of the project at CDPQ Infra, Wednesday morning.
%, which means that the physical infrastructure as such is completed”,”text”:”We have a progress rate inside the tunnel of almost 82%, which means that the ‘physical infrastructure as such is completed’}}”>We have a progress rate inside the tunnel of almost 82%, which means that the physical infrastructure as such is completed.
explained the engineer to journalists invited to a visit focusing on the progress of the work.
hours a day, sevendays a week, here, under the mountain opposite Mount Royal”,”text”:”There is colossal work that has been done for four years, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, here, under the mountain opposite of Mount Royal”}}”>There is colossal work that has been done for four years, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, here, under the mountain opposite Mount Royal.
explained Jean-Philippe Pelletier.
The hundred workers who take turns day and night must now, among other things, install systems such as terminals, sensors and deploy hundreds of kilometers of electrical cables.
There are 700 km of cable to be installed in 5 km, this is a logistical challenge, because there is only one entrance into the tunnel which allows the equipment to be transported
explained Agustin Rey, Mont-Royal tunnel director for NouvLR, the consortium responsible for the work.
His team therefore developed a factory train concept
which allows personnel and equipment to be transported.
It is a locomotive with wagons, where there is a dining room and which transports workers, baskets, cable reels
so that when a team enters the tunnel, they do not exit until the end of the shift, Mr. Rey added.
Explosives, war and pandemic
Work on the tunnel under the mountain began in 2018 and was due to end in 2022.
It was necessary to change the rails, widen the tunnel in certain places and carry out several types of work to adapt a century-old tunnel to the passage of Réseau express métropolitain (REM) trains.
Completion of the project has been delayed by several problems, some of which are the same ones that delayed construction of the tunnel more than 100 years ago.
In July 1912, two teams of workers dug on each side of Mount Royal and joined up a year later. But the lack of manpower, caused in particular by the First World War, delayed railway development.
The first train finally ran on October 21, 1918, allowing Montrealers to travel to Toronto for the sum of 25 cents.
It was the first power line in North America
but you will have difficulty finding press clippings, because there were no journalists’ and `gatherings were prohibited due to the pandemic
summarized Jean-Philippe Pelletier.
Indeed, the Spanish flu, which hit the country hard at the time, also disrupted railway work. Nearly 100 years later, COVID-19 has also slowed down work on CDPQ Below.
The pandemic left an indelible mark
on schedule, explained Mr. Pelletier.
While World War I caused delays due to the war effort a hundred years ago, COVID-19 also caused labor issues.
International conflicts have also brought challenges to supply chains.
which contributed to the delays, again according to Jean-Philippe Pelletier.
An unexpected surprise from another era
In July 2020, as excavation of the platforms of the future Édouard-Montpetit station began, an detonation occurred.
There were no injuries and an investigation concluded that a residue of an explosive charge present in the rock for more than 100 years had caused the explosion.
Workers have therefore had to adapt and carry out, for example, drilling using remote control systems, work which has now been completed.
The general conditions of deterioration of the century-old tunnel, particularly under McGill College Avenue, also explain the changes in the schedule.
According to CDPQ Infra, this premature degradation was caused by the use of de-icing salts on McGill College Avenue for many years, combined with the absence of waterproofing membranes on the tunnel.
The challenges are therefore numerous and when there is a problem, we find the solution, with the idea of arriving with a reliable, safe and durable structure for 125 years
explained Agustin Rey.
This project will completely transform mobility
argued Mr. Pelletier.
Today, when you are at the University of Montreal and you want to go downtown, you have to go around the mountain by metro, or take the bus
a trip 30 to 40 minutes
added the engineer.
He explained that the trains which will pass through the Mont-Royal tunnel will allow to teleport from the University of Montreal to McGill University in three minutes and for me, that’s what makes me feverish
because we are building history and we are leaving a legacy to our children
.
The commissioning of phase 2 of the REM will connect the North Shore, Laval and the west of the island to downtown Montreal, passing under the mountain.
Technical tests will begin in the coming weeks on the segment between Deux-Montagnes and Sainte-Dorothée stations and should gradually extend to the entire network over the summer.
