Réseau Express Metropolitain (REM)

Spanning over 67 km, the Réseau Express Métropolitain (REM) light rail project includes elevated structures, tunnels, and 26 stations. The light metro connects downtown Montreal to the suburb areas of Brossard and northwest Montreal. Achieving long-term durability and meeting service-life objectives required specialized engineering support, leading SIMCO to play a key role throughout the construction of the REM structures and the design of Montréal Airport Station.

DURABILITY EXPERTISE TO SUPPORT CONSTRUCTION
2019-2022 

SIMCO’s unique durability expertise was sought at various construction stages of structures built for a light rail network with a 100-year service life. Key structural elements studied included: pre-cast and cast-in-place elements, retaining walls, columns, crossbeams, decks and secant piles. The span of our work included:  

• Concrete mixture design and optimization  
• Concrete mixture qualification & validation  
• Laboratory testing  
• Construction method evaluation and recommendations (curing, pouring, cover thickness, etc.)  
• Thermal stress analysis   
• Mitigating strategies for of early-age cracking & delayed ettringite formation 
• Durability support during construction to resolve variations   
• Service-life evaluation of elements 
• Non-compliance resolution  
• Concrete QA/QC 

Throughout the project, SIMCO’s mandate was to ensure compliance with durability standards, working collaboratively with stakeholders to limit schedule impacts, and deliver optimized, cost-effective solutions aligned with the project’s durability objectives.  

Clients : NouvLR Consortium, Amrize, Solmatech, Ciment Québec, Atkins Réalis, Geoquest Canada, Béton Préfabriqués du Lac (BPDL), Fortier 2000, Béton Provincial, Béton Préfabriqué du Richelieu (BPDR)

ASSISTANCE TO THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF MONTREAL AIRPORT STATION 
2020-2026 

SIMCO assisted the design firm responsible for the station connecting the REM to Montréal Airport, which required a service life of 125 years. SIMCO provided recommendations on requirements for concrete mix specifications and quality control during construction. SIMCO also issued recommendations for managing and controlling stray currents and offered durability support to the design team during the construction phase.  

• Concrete mixture requirements elaboration 
• QA/QC recommendations 
• Material & construction recommendations (cover thickness, reinforcement, etc).  
• Stray current analysis & mitigation strategies  

Client: Nicolet, Chartrand, Knoll Limitée