First REM train runs on Montreal airport branch

The REM has reached a key milestone in the development of its airport branch, with a train circulating for the first time on the segment leading to Montréal–Trudeau International Airport.

The initial run, completed in recent days, marks the start of track and communications system validation on the final section of the 67-kilometre network.

According to CDPQ Infra, the milestone confirms steady progress toward the eventual commissioning of the airport branch, scheduled for 2027.

The REM says the final kilometres of track have now been installed up to the tail track behind the YUL–Aéroport–Montréal–Trudeau station. Construction work in the 2.5-kilometre tunnel leading to the airport is also advancing, while the Marie-Curie station is nearing completion.

In the coming weeks, work will intensify at the airport station, including the installation of rail systems and equipment such as platform screen doors. That work is expected to continue throughout 2026, a year CDPQ Infra describes as decisive for keeping the project on schedule.

Collaboration with Aéroports de Montréal, which is responsible for construction of the airport station itself, will remain essential as the project moves into its next phase.

“The major 2025 milestone, the installation of tracks inside the airport station, has been achieved,” said Julien Hurel, vice-president of the REM project at CDPQ Infra, in a statement. “While there is still work to be done, particularly at the airport station, our teams are progressing as planned.”