The $2.8-billion train model that has been selected for Montreal’s light rail project has never been tested in winter conditions.
The Caisse de dépôt admits the performance of the automated train, called “Metropolis,” in winter conditions is still unknown.
That’s in spite of the fact that Montreal gets an average of 210 centimetres of snow per year, according to Environment Canada.
REM officials say they are convinced the trains, from French company Alstom, will run efficiently and that modifications will ensure they can adapt to changing climates.
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“For example, the door opening systems have an integrated heating system. The isolation of the cars will have double the size of the windows so it can have a more significant thermal barrier. It will have heated floors. Too many things I can’t list but which makes us confident that these cars will be ready,” CDPQ Infra CEO Macky Tall said.
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Tall added that once the trains are ready, they will be tested in conditions “that will be harsher” than Montreal’s winters.
The REM network is expected to be completed in 2023.