Griffintown–Bernard-Landry station explained

Griffintown–Bernard-Landry
Style:REM
Address:Dalhousie Street
Borough:Montreal, Quebec
Country:Canada
Coordinates:45.4963°N -73.5588°W
Operator:CDPQ Infra
Tracks:2
Structure:Elevated
Accessible:Yes
Other Services Header:Future services

Griffintown–Bernard-Landry station is a planned station on the Réseau express métropolitain (REM) in the borough of Le Sud-Ouest in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It will be operated by CDPQ Infra and serve as a station on the South Shore branch of the REM.

The station was not built at the same time as the adjacent stations on the line, after the station location was moved from Peel Basin to the Central Station viaduct in 2020, delaying construction. The opening date of the station is currently unclear.

History

When the REM was initially proposed in April 2016, two "potential station locations" south of Gare Centrale were listed as Bridge-Wellington and Du Havre.[1] In November 2016, locations of downtown stations were confirmed, with Bassin Peel station to be located under the Peel Basin of the Lachine Canal, near the site of the former Goose Village neighbourhood.[2] The station was planned to be built underground, with one exit leading to Griffintown and the other to Pointe-Saint-Charles.[3] The local community requested that the station name reflect the Irish heritage of the area.[4]

There was speculation that the Peel Basin would serve as the future site for a baseball stadium serving as a home for a Major League Baseball team in Montreal. On February 12, 2019, the group seeking the return of an MLB team to Montreal, led by Stephen Bronfman, registered Pierre Boivin, the former president of the Montreal Canadiens, as a lobbyist to negotiate the sale of the Peel Basin to build a stadium. The land is currently under the control of the Canada Lands Company, a Federal Crown Corporation.[5]

Relocation to Griffintown and naming controversy

In November 2019, Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante first expressed a desire to name the station after the late Premier of Quebec, Bernard Landry, due to his involvement as Quebec's Minister of Finance, in the redevelopment of the area adjacent to Griffintown and the western portion of Old Montreal as the Cité du Multimédia, a business cluster for Information Technology companies.[6] This sparked a backlash from the city's Irish community.[7]

On June 23, 2020, it was announced that the station would be relocated onto the Central Station train viaduct facing Dalhousie Street, between William Street and Ottawa Street in Griffintown.[8] It was also announced that the station would be named Griffintown–Bernard-Landry as a compromise but the name still proved controversial.[9]

Construction

Because the station was planned after the start of construction of the rest of the REM, the station was not built at the same time as the adjacent stations on the line.[10] In an interview with the Montreal Gazette, a spokesperson for the REM explained that a "study analyzing the best way to build the station is nearly done and will be made public by the end of [2023]."[11]

The opening date of the station is unclear, with La Presse reporting that the station is planned to open by 2027,[12] and the Montreal Gazette reporting that the station would open in 2024. Local politicians and transit advocates noted their annoyance that the station was not opened with the other REM stations in August 2023.[13] In January 2024, La Presse reported that construction would not begin until 2027 and that studies were being undertaken by CDPQ Infra on how to construct the station while the rest of the line is in operation.[14]

References

  1. Web site: 22 April 2016 . Ambitious light rail project for Montreal proposed by Caisse de dépôt . 16 Aug 2023 . CBC News.
  2. Web site: Magder . Jason . 25 November 2016 . Three REM train stations added to proposed route through downtown Montreal . 25 November 2016 . Montreal Gazette.
  3. Web site: 25 November 2016 . Three new stations in downtown Montréal - Press Release REM . 2023-03-20 . CDPQ Infra.
  4. Web site: 30 June 2018 . Petition calls for future REM station in Montreal's southwest to be named after Irish community . 16 Aug 2023 . CBC New.
  5. Web site: February 12, 2019 . Stade de baseball : Le bassin Peel choisi? . 2023-03-20 . . fr.
  6. Web site: Goudreault . Zacharie . 6 November 2019 . Valérie Plante veut qu'une station du REM rende hommage à Bernard Landry . 2020-05-31 . . fr.
  7. Web site: King . Donovan . December 6, 2019 . An Open Letter from a City of Montreal Ambassador to Mayor Valerie Plante RE: Griffintown REM Proposal and Negative International Reaction . 2020-02-14 . OTL Blog.
  8. Web site: Griffintown–Bernard-Landry station unveiled . 22 June 2020 . Réseau express métropolitain . 24 June 2020.
  9. Web site: Luft . Amy . 22 June 2020 . Montreal's Irish community disappointed new REM station in Griffintown will be named after former premier Bernard Landry . 2023-03-20 . . en.
  10. Web site: 2022-05-20 . Station Griffintown-Bernard-Landry . 2023-04-29 . Agora Montréal . en . Le projet du REM a été optimisé en 2018. Au départ, un tracé souterrain et une station souterraine étaient prévus au bassin Peel. Suite à cette optimisation, des discussions se sont amorcées avec la Ville de Montréal pour identifier une nouvelle localisation pour la station. Depuis le début des discussions, le souhait du REM est de s'arrimer à la vision d'aménagement de la Ville. Ces discussions ont nécessairement pris un peu de temps, c'est pour cette raison que la station ne pourra être mise en service en même temps que l'antenne Rive-Sud. De plus, cette station est très complexe, comme elle doit être intégrée à la structure ferroviaire du Viaduc Sud. La conception se poursuit par nos équipes et l'objectif est de la mettre en service au même moment que la mise en service complète du réseau..
  11. Web site: Magder . Jason . 10 Aug 2023 . After bumpy first week, your REM questions answered . 16 Aug 2023 . Montreal Gazette . Because the area is heavily used by cargo trains already, the design and construction of the station has been challenging, Tremblay said. A study analyzing the best way to build the station is nearly done and will be made public by the end of the year. Planners said recently they anticipate the station being put into service by the end of next year..
  12. News: Teisceira-Lessard . Philippe . 10 August 2023 . Station Griffintown–Bernard-Landry: CDPQ Infra reporte son échéance à 2027 . 12 August 2023 . La Presse . fr-CA . La future station du Réseau express métropolitain (REM) Griffintown–Bernard-Landry sera construite d’ici 2027, a indiqué mercredi CDPQ Infra.
  13. News: Teisceira-Lessard . Philippe . 2023-08-10 . Station Griffintown–Bernard-Landry: CDPQ Infra reporte son échéance à 2027 . fr-CA . La Presse . 2023-08-16.
  14. News: Teisceira-Lessard . Philippe . Ouellette-Vézina . Henri . REM: À l'unanimité, Montréal exige deux nouvelles stations . La Presse . 24 January 2024 . fr-CA . 23 January 2024.