The Alstom Metropolis Saint-Laurent is a type of

light metro A medium-capacity system (MCS), also known as light rapid transit or light metro, is a rail transport system with a capacity greater than light rail, but less than typical heavy-rail rapid transit. MCS trains are usually 1 to 4 cars. Most medi ...

train built by

Alstom Alstom SA () is a French multinational rolling stock manufacturer which operates worldwide in rail transport markets. It is active in the fields of passenger transportation, signaling, and locomotives, producing high-speed, suburban, regional ...

for the

Réseau express métropolitain The Réseau express métropolitain (REM; ) is a Medium-capacity rail system, light metro rapid transit system in Greater Montreal, Quebec, Canada. As of June 2025, it consists of five stations spanning 16 km, connecting Downtown Montreal with th ...

. Part of the

Alstom Metropolis The Alstom Metropolis is a family of electric multiple units designed and produced by the French rolling stock manufacturer Alstom. It is designed for high capacity rapid transit or metro rail infrastructure systems. Trains can be run in various ...

family, the initial order consisted of 106 two-car trains that were built in Sri City, India. The trains are fully automated ( GoA4) with no driver or attendant on board the train. Trains run as a single two-car train at quieter times and as paired four-car trainsets during rush hour.

History

Procurement

In June 2016, CDPQ Infra launched a public tender for "Rolling Stock, Systems and Operation and Maintenance Services" ("''Fourniture du Matériel Roulant, de Systèmes de conduite automatique et de Services d'Exploitation et de Maintenance''" (MRSEM) in French). This contract would include the delivery of rolling stock, automatic signalling, a control centre for the line, as well as operation and maintenance for a period of 30 years. Following a pre-qualification phase, CDPQ Infra announced on 10 November 2016, that three companies and consortia could place a bid:; *

Bombardier Transportation Bombardier Transportation was a Canadian rolling stock and rail transport manufacturer, with headquarters in Toronto and Berlin. It was one of the world's largest companies in the rail vehicle and equipment manufacturing and servicing industry. ...

* ''Alliance Montréal Mobilité'' (a consortium of

Parsons Corporation Parsons Corporation is an American multinational technology-focused defense, intelligence, and infrastructure engineering firm. Founded in 1944, Parsons is headquartered in Chantilly, Virginia, and serves both government and private sector orga ...

Hyundai Rotem Hyundai Rotem Company, often referred to as Hyundai Rotem (), is a South Korean manufacturer of railway rolling stock, railway signalling, defense products and plant equipment. It is a member of Hyundai Motor Group and has presence in more than ...

RATP Dev The RATP Group () is a French state-owned enterprise (Établissement public à caractère industriel et commercial, EPIC) that operates public transport systems primarily in Paris, France. Headquartered in Paris, it originally operated under th ...

and Thales Canada) * ''Groupe des Partenaires pour la Mobilité des Montréalais'' (Groupe PMMa consortium of

and SNC-Lavalin O&M). On 8 February 2018, CDPQ Infra announced that Groupe PMM (Alstom and SNC-Lavalin O&M) had been selected for the $2.8-billion MRSEM contract, with the contract award taking place in April 2018. As part of the contract, Alstom would deliver 212

cars, forming 106 two-car trains.

Design and construction

In 2018, a public consultation took place regarding the external design of the trains. Three designs were offered, inspired by

Mount Royal Mount Royal (, ) is a mountain in the city of Montreal, immediately west of Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The city's name is derived from the mountain's name. The mountain is part of the Monteregian Hills situated between the Laurentian M ...

Expo 67 The 1967 International and Universal Exposition, commonly known as Expo 67, was a general exhibition from April 28 to October 29, 1967. It was a category one world's fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is considered to be one of the most s ...

and the Champlain Bridge. The final design was unveiled in March 2019, with the Saint-Laurent design chosen by the public, with front lights inspired by the Champlain Bridge. Alstom announced the trains would be manufactured at their Sri City plant in India, as manufacturing the trains in India allowed them to offer a lower price. This decision drew backlash in Quebec due to the lack of local content requirements. The

Coalition Avenir Québec The Coalition Avenir Québec (, , CAQ) is a Quebec nationalism, Quebec nationalist, Autonomism in Quebec, autonomist and conservatism, conservative

(CAQ) provincial party was among those who desired at least parts of the contract to be awarded to

's factory in La Pocatière, Quebec, instead of to Alstom. Leader of CAQ

François Legault François Legault (; born May 26, 1957) is a Canadian politician serving as the 32nd premier of Quebec since 2018. A founding member of the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ), he has led the party since it began in 2011. Legault sits as a Nationa ...

criticised the government for not supporting Quebec industry, and stated that at least 25 percent of the contract should have had Quebec content, similar to provisions in

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

. Premier

Philippe Couillard Philippe Couillard (; born June 26, 1957) is a Canadian business advisor and former neurosurgeon, university professor and politician who served as 31st premier of Quebec from 2014 to 2018. Between 2003 and 2008, he was Quebec's Minister of H ...

argued that CDPQ Infra were awarding the contracts for the project, not the government. Alstom argued that over 65 percent of the $2.8-billion contract value would be spent in Quebecincluding

platform screen doors Platform screen doors (PSDs), also known as platform edge doors (PEDs), are used at some train, rapid transit and people mover stations to separate the platform from train tracks, as well as on some bus rapid transit, tram and light rail ...

, a control centre and 30 years of operation and maintenance. Completed trains were transported from India to Montreal by ship, with the first arriving in October 2020. They were first unveiled in November 2020. Initial trains delivered had quality issues; however, CDPQ Infra reported by December 2021 that the issues had been resolved. By November 2021, 37 of the 106 trains had been delivered and trains were undergoing testing. , 87 of the 106 trains had been delivered. The final train was delivered in September 2024.

Entry into service

The Alstom Metropolis Saint-Laurent entered service on 31 July 2023, with the opening of the first five stations of the REM network. In April 2024, CDPQ Infra announced that they would run two-car trains on weekends and other off-peak periods instead of four-car trains, thereby reducing energy consumption and wear on the vehicles.

Features

Each two-car train seats 64 passengers, with standing capacity for around 300. A four-car trainset can carry a maximum of 780 people at rush hour. The livery is white, grey, and bright green, matching the REM logo. The trains have large front windows, allowing passengers to take in views from the front of the train. A dedicated space for wheelchair users is available, and the trains features WiFi, air conditioning and heated floors. CDPQ Infra indicated it is "confident that the trains... will be able to withstand... winter conditions", with the trains featuring double glazing, ice scraping

pantograph A pantograph (, from their original use for copying writing) is a Linkage (mechanical), mechanical linkage connected in a manner based on parallelograms so that the movement of one pen, in tracing an image, produces identical movements in a se ...

s and heated automatic couplings. The trains use Alstom's Urbalis 400

communications-based train control Communications-based train control (CBTC) is a railway signaling system that uses telecommunications between the train and track equipment for traffic management and infrastructure control. CBTC allows a train's position to be known more accura ...

signalling system that ensures trains are capable of driving and operating automatically at all times without a driver or attendant on board. The system controls doors, handles obstacle detection and deals with emergency situations. The trains are operated and controlled at the ''Centre d'entretien et de contrôle du REM'', close to

Brossard station Brossard station (known as Rive-Sud during early development) is a Réseau express métropolitain (REM) station in the city of Brossard, Quebec, Canada. Located approximately south of the intersection of Autoroutes Quebec Autoroute 10, 10 and ...

. The trains are also maintained at the Brossard facility. When the REM is completed, light maintenance and storage of the trains will also take place at a facility in Deux-Montagnes.

Comparison with Montreal Metro trains

Compared to the Azur trains used on the

Montreal Metro The Montreal Metro (, ) is a rubber-tired underground rapid transit system serving Greater Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The metro, operated by the Société de transport de Montréal (STM), was inaugurated on October 14, 1966, during the tenure ...

, the REM trains use steel wheels rather than rubber tires, are 17 percent wider, are fasterwith a top speed of on the Champlain Bridgeand are fully automated. However, the REM trains are shorter and can carry fewer passengers per trainset, although the REM has the ability to increase capacity to meet demand. The REM trains are also exposed to the weather, unlike the fully underground metro system.

References

{{REM navbox Réseau express métropolitain Train-related introductions in 2023 Alstom multiple units 1500 V DC multiple units Electric multiple units of Canada