@@FelixAn isn’t Reece from the west coast? Martin is a somewhat common surname in English and French speaking countries so I’m putting “no relations” on my RU-vidrs and Politicians bingo.
These metros were made in India by Alstom. It feels so good watching this, hope the metro link starts soon and helps the general public. Love from India to all Canadians:)
Those trains are sick, and I cannot wait for a time when I can visit Montreal and ride around on the REM! Thanks for the video, much appreciated! Greetings from the Bay Area :)
It does seems freaking cool but isn't that much. The metros main line (a2) is actually replacing a full size train. Double deckers were ordered in 2016 for it. Most people living by that line is unhappy and people not living by it are excited.
@@carolouellet correction; people living near legacy stations and only had Gare Central as a destination are more negative about it, everyone else that are looking forward to new destination, higher frequency, or are living near the new stations are ecstatic. Me and other folks living near E-M are really excited.
@@carolouellet I am living 300 meters from Sainte-Dorothée station. I am more than happy about the change. More frequency, better service, heated stations, better coverage. The downside is the 4 years shut down of the line, poorly managed by CDPQ.
@@carolouellet Yep a lot of people are going to have to stand up. Plus it's insane that they dismantled the only electrified train in Montréal for that
And they said they have insulated walls, heated floors, heated door frames, some sort of reinforcement in their bottom of the cars (all to cope with our winters), air conditioning, wifi on board... aaaaand apparently the largest bay-view panoramic front windows of all current systems running in the world. I don't remember Vancouver's Skytrain, but from the video it seems quite similar to it. What do you think? Anyway, I can't wait to ride it, the station is right by my place!
I’m a little disappointed they went with A1, A2… instead of 3A, 3B… since the REM is basically the abandoned line 3 😩 CDPQi probably wants the their brand to be as separate as possible to STM. Also I really like your music choice for your video, so soothing, especially transit ride videos.
The one thing I'm bummed about re: the REM as a South Shore resident is that there's a big stretch with no stations between Montreal island and Brossard. Longueuil is fairly large and the metro station is at one end of town. A well-placed surface station some distance away from the metro would be a great addition to transit in the area. That may change later of course, but I just find it weird. Longueuil is already fairly well-served by transit but that's no reason not to add to it!
Thanks so much for the visit, nice to see those images and I can definitely see the resemblance to the metro on certain aspects, really cool. Can't wait for the day they are in operation to see how it all works out :)
@@Norfirio yes Sydney Metro does use same trains, interesting to see a different fit out. Sydney Metro has firmly padded seats rather than hard plastic, but otherwise similar layout but 6 car sets instead of 2 car sets.
A slick vehicle for sure, and I'm glad they've got the front railfan windows. It's a shame about the longitudinal seating. I really prefer being able to ride facing forward if at all possible. Longitudinal seating is far less comfortable for riding.
Nice Montreal REM trains, Reece. Like one user said, you do have a passion for public transit in Canada. Hope the future Ontario Line in Toronto will use these trains for that line because I think I will love them!
GTHA needed a proper public transit system in 2000's, but their government was just smelling their own farts and selling off public highways to foreign companies. It's too late for Toronto now, the property is too expensive for something like REM to be built over the ground, and distances of Toronto are too large to build it underground. Only a complete economic collapse and mass exodus of residents can solve it's transportation issues now.
@@harryshuman9637 What about RER? You forget that the subway is not always the solution to our problems. If RER is done correctly (Fare integration, new stations, 5-15 min headways, electrification) then it's like building a new 200 km+ rapid transit system for cheap and will divert riders from the subway. Unfortunately the only thing RER is doing right is electrification.
@@mrrobot5963 Oh, Toronto RER... ok, I deleted my old comment. Toronto RER sucks, like mentioned previously. This is exactly what I meant by inadequate public transit. Try taking Toronto RER from something like Hamilton to Toronto. Until last year, Hamilton had only 2 trains coming out of it in the morning. With the last one leaving around 7am. So basically, if you live in Hamilton, you had to wake up before 5am, to make it to the last train. Montreal trains circulate regularly until midnight. Toronto RER is now trying to be what Montreal RTM was for the past 20 years, of course when Toronto finally finishes it Montreal will already have REM and will be close to completing electrification of the rest of the RTM lines. Toronto won't be able to significantly expand or modify the existing lanes either, since it's so built up the property is just too expensive with malls, 2 million+ suburban houses made of $50 plywood and parking lots are everywhere there. If they want to add a line, the City of Toronto will have to go nearly bankrupt.
@@harryshuman9637 What are you talking about? Theres no plans to electrify the RTM Commuter Rail network. Besides you've completely missed the point of the RER project.
OMG! Great video Reece, you’re so fortunate to have had the opportunity to go see the train in person. That whole look of the train man... just awesome, from the headlights to the shape to the European style, love it 😍. Keep up the good work!
I can confirm it’s the same model, but “Quebecified” for the extreme climate. For example crossing the St. Lawrence on a bridge in a snowstorm when it’s minus 25. 🥶
Every year, I do a ling distance cycling trip from Ottawa to Montreal. Agrinon station, is usually my target point. But! It looks like this, will be a new destination!
Nice, you remembered the short-people straps for short people standing in the middle of the car. NYC removed those years ago, so if you can't approach the middle pole or the ones by the door you have to try to balance in a lurching train.
To be honest, I don’t like these bench seats. They’re common in Asia and getting increasingly popular in new trains in North America. They work well in underground systems since there are nothing to see outside the windows. But on trains that run above ground, I would prefer forward facing and even backward facing seats than these seats. They would have much better views.
@@RMTransit Yes you’re right. But you have to either see through the window behind you, or see through the window on the other side of the carriage, just not that comfortable. I’m back to China right now and really miss the seating on skytrain.
For completing the previous- or usage of peoples habits or the fact that car design hasn't changed on short haul applications! Alstom,is simultaneously ahead,and behind in the same breath! 50 foot cars,and a rehash of history! Amazing!!Nice video,and informative,thank you!! ( See NYC,subway,and streetcar,elevated cars specs,Transit Museum). Again,thank you!!😀😇😇😇😀💯💯💯💯💯
@@toddoddity3976 Quite a different design. Ottawa CitidisSpirit is based on narrow low floor streetcars. Montreal REM is based on wider, high/regular floor Metropolis design.
I hadn't noticed it until you mentioned in in your other video - but the colour scheme really does resemble GO. Slick looking though. Look forward to getting to ride them at some point.
Wish I had been there with you. Very cool! 😎 Spacious! Some grumble that there aren’t enough seats, but they don’t realize the REM is a lot faster than that old train. Plus the space is indeed necessary for wheelchairs... and especially luggage! The REM goes to the airport. I had wished for seats in the front for the kids, like on lines 1 and 14 of the Paris metro... (Best ride in town!) I suggest they use those empty white walls to showcase some legit artwork... Before some other “artists” use those empty spaces for a canvas. I’m just hoping the ARTM cleans up the identification system of the rail lines. The REM has a big R on the outside, but inside it’s called line A... Then there are metro lines 1 to 5, train lines 1 to 5, just different colours and a teeny tiny logo... That’s a hodgepodge. One letter for each rail transit line, whichever the mode, would be a lot better. R for REM, obviously. Metro could be ABCD (or BJOV?). But do keep that the number after the letter means the direction. And definitely get a totally new colour for the St-Jérôme line. Way too many green lines! 🙄🍏
Light Metro cars ✔️ / Of the shelf & tested around multiple locations ✔️ / uses ATC ✔️ / Good for medium to heavy traffic ✔️ / Nice interior with vivid colours and LED screens ✔️ / WIFI on board ✔️ / Large & flat capacitous layout ✔️ ....... Cries in Ottawa 😭😭😭 This is where you see the difference between an ambitious city like Montreal and a city new to rail transit like Ottawa. The fact that we built what is essentially a Metro system in Ottawa but running with lowfloor Tram-Train style vehicules is still beyond me espacially when I see what Montreal is getting. The worst in all this is that now we're stuck forever with lowfloor trains since we didn't build the system for highfloor vehicules and retrofitting would cost billions 🤦🏽♂️
Side note, I think the plastic seats are totally the way to go. So much easier to clean. Aucklands trains unfortunately smell pretty bad on some cars, I’d rather not smell piss and sit on a hard seat. 😂
@@trmd and hopefully will make many more in the near future! Need some more cycleway and a couple light rail lines. If you are interested and dont know already, there is a lobby group Greater Auckland, with what I think is a great goal www.greaterauckland.org.nz/congestion-free-network-2/
2:50 so your comment about the black rubber accordion between the trains - isn't the exactly the same as in the newer metro lines, as well as the 2-part busses on the main road? I mean, I can't even remember if they're black or grey but honestly it doesn't matter, point being, the accordion is already in popular use in Montreal itself in 2 existing systems, why would the color even matter?
Our doors on the Sydney Metro are not plug style., they are external which allows a fair bit of noise to enter the carriages sadly. Would hope future fleets might end up having plug style doors instead
@@trmd no they just slide over the outside. Most of the Sydney double deck trains (T, M, A and B sets) are plug, surprising that the Sydney Metro sets aren’t, until seeing this video I just assumed it wasn’t an option on the Metropolis sets.
I thought you were in Sydney for a quick second. Then I realised the train was green and the front of it is more rounded than the flat version in Sydney. Totally jealous of the access you got. Where you in Thunder Bay?
French trainset (Alstom), so the little European touch ^^ ... for the small Asian touch, it 's because the structure and organization of the doors and windows(among others) is modeled on the Asian metros (and many of them use Alstom Metropolis and derivatives)
Probably cheaper for Alstom to build components in India and China, assemble in India and ship to Canada, than for Bombardier to make in Canada. Though Bombardier could also have taken the made in India/China route.
The newest Vancouver Skytrain cars have the same articulated passages connecting all 4 cars, and also a number of seat combinations , bike spaces and wheel chair accessible areas.Of course they are also driverless and like the rest of the skytrain system are automat d and computer run. Still the Montreal train is very nice looking.
Congrats on the new equipment! I have to say, though, that longitudinal seating is NOT to my liking. Here in San Francisco, every time the train goes up a hill, we all end up sliding one way, and then the other way when the train goes down the other side. Nice if you really like physical contact with all the other passengers. Me not so much.
For someone who says he is keen to examine ideas to speed up construction of the New York Gateway project, I simply cannot make any form of contact. Any other way I can speak to him?
In the REM plans, they bring back the numbers for the Metro lines so why not, but I think it might be confused for customers to use numbers for the Exo Lines too. Letters or "Exo5" could be easiest for customer's information instead
