Travellers flying to and out of Montreal are one step closer to being more connected to the city and its airport.
Officials say construction of the light-rail network, the REM, at and around the airport is moving ahead on schedule, bringing the long-awaited link to Montreal-Trudeau closer to reality.
The new airport branch remains on track for a 2027 opening, with service expected by the end of that year. Officials say more than 80 per cent of the station is now complete and the project remains within its roughly $600-million budget.
At the start of the year, the REM ran its first train on the airport branch and now, just months later, the project is entering a key phase of testing and equipment installation.
The airport link is part of the REM’s 67-kilometre network, aimed at reshaping how people move across the Montreal region.
“I think it’s something that’s been a long time coming at the airport,” said Anne-Sophie Hamel, spokesperson for Aéroports de Montréal.
The station will be located about 100 metres from check-in counters, giving passengers direct access to the terminal via an existing pedestrian bridge.
“It’s a fully underground station,” said Steeve Bouffard, project director for the REM station at the airport.
“From the platform itself … you will see a big iceberg, like if you are deep in the sea and you are looking up to the skies,” he added about some of the architecture that passengers will find at the station.
Steeve Bouffard, project director for the REM station at the airport during a site visit on April. 8, 2026. (Lola Kalder, CityNews)
Work is continuing inside the station as crews complete walls and install electrical, mechanical and ventilation systems ahead of commissioning.
“We’re working at the platform levels here … so all the ventilation system and all the control system are being pulled together,” Bouffard said.
The airport link is part of the REM’s 67-kilometre network, aimed at reshaping how people move across the Montreal region. Travel time from downtown to the airport is expected to be about 25 minutes.
Officials say the system is being built to meet growing demand at Trudeau Airport, which is expected to handle about 35 million passengers annually. The REM is designed to accommodate roughly 20 per cent of that traffic, with infrastructure built to last at least 100 years.
The project is being carried out in partnership with CDPQ Infra and Aéroports de Montréal, as part of a broader, multi-billion-dollar investment in airport access.
“We’re in a multi-year, multi-billion-dollar program, to really have better access to the airport, better connectivity as well,” Hamel said.
Airport officials say the new link will also help ease congestion.
“We’ve seen over the last few years that there are issues with congestion coming into the airport,” Hamel said. “Having this new solution is going to take off some of the pressure from the main curbside.”
Travellers and airport workers say the connection can’t come soon enough.
“I work at the airport, so I’m expecting to cut down my travel time, hopefully,” said Gabriel Castanha.
Others say the REM could make early-morning trips easier.
“The REM would be great as a public transport option to get to the airport,” said Benjamin Moffett.
Construction of the REM’s airport branch is on schedule as of April 8, 2026, officials say. (Lola Kalder, CityNews)