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Griffintown–Bernard-Landry
Griffintown–Bernard-Landry
	Future location of Griffintown–Bernard-Landry station
General information
Location	Dalhousie Street; Montreal, Quebec; Canada
Coordinates	45°29′47″N 73°33′32″W / 45.4963°N 73.5588°W
Operated by	CDPQ Infra
Tracks	2
Construction
Structure type	Elevated
Accessible	Yes
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. As of 2024^[update], the opening date of the station is beyond 2027.^[1]

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.^[2] 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.^[3] The station was planned to be built underground, with one exit leading to Griffintown and the other to Pointe-Saint-Charles.^[4] The local community requested that the station name reflect the Irish heritage of the area.^[5]

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.^[6]

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.^[7] This sparked a backlash from the city's Irish community.^[8]

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.^[9] It was also announced that the station would be named Griffintown–Bernard-Landry as a compromise but the name still proved controversial.^[10]

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.^[9]^[11] 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]."^[12] 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] In August 2024, La Presse reported that CDPQ Infra refused to confirm that the station would be completed by 2027, but that construction could take place while the REM is in operation.^[15] CDPQ Infra also noted that an additional station (Bridge-Bonaventure, which would be located south of the Lachine Canal) was technically feasible.^[15]

References

^ Teisceira-Lessard, Philippe (10 August 2023). "Station Griffintown–Bernard-Landry: CDPQ Infra reporte son échéance à 2027". La Presse (in Canadian French). Retrieved 12 August 2023. La future station du Réseau express métropolitain (REM) Griffintown–Bernard-Landry sera construite d'ici 2027, a indiqué mercredi CDPQ Infra
^ "Ambitious light rail project for Montreal proposed by Caisse de dépôt". CBC News. 22 April 2016. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
^ Magder, Jason (25 November 2016). "Three REM train stations added to proposed route through downtown Montreal". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
^ "Three new stations in downtown Montréal - Press Release REM". CDPQ Infra. 25 November 2016. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
^ "Petition calls for future REM station in Montreal's southwest to be named after Irish community". CBC New. 30 June 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
^ "Stade de baseball : Le bassin Peel choisi?" (in French). TVA Nouvelles. 12 February 2019. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
^ Goudreault, Zacharie (6 November 2019). "Valérie Plante veut qu'une station du REM rende hommage à Bernard Landry" (in French). Métro. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
^ King, Donovan (6 December 2019). "An Open Letter from a City of Montreal Ambassador to Mayor Valerie Plante RE: Griffintown REM Proposal and Negative International Reaction". OTL Blog. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
^ ^a ^b "Griffintown–Bernard-Landry station unveiled". Réseau express métropolitain. 22 June 2020. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
^ Luft, Amy (22 June 2020). "Montreal's Irish community disappointed new REM station in Griffintown will be named after former premier Bernard Landry". CTV News. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
^ "Station Griffintown-Bernard-Landry". Agora Montréal. 20 May 2022. Retrieved 29 April 2023. 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.
^ Magder, Jason (10 August 2023). "After bumpy first week, your REM questions answered". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 16 August 2023. 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.
^ Teisceira-Lessard, Philippe (10 August 2023). "Station Griffintown–Bernard-Landry: CDPQ Infra reporte son échéance à 2027". La Presse (in Canadian French). Retrieved 16 August 2023.
^ Teisceira-Lessard, Philippe; Ouellette-Vézina, Henri (23 January 2024). "REM: À l'unanimité, Montréal exige deux nouvelles stations". La Presse (in Canadian French). Retrieved 24 January 2024.
^ ^a ^b Teisceira-Lessard, Philippe (28 August 2024). "Près du centre-ville de Montréal: Feu vert technique pour deux nouvelles stations du REM". La Presse (in Canadian French). Retrieved 3 September 2024.