Underground Canada

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally Posted by Arrdeeharharharbour

It's pretty easy to dress for rain, freezing or otherwise. I walked to work for 20 years in Halifax and used the same nylon shell all seasons throughout. The nylon shell folded up small, easily fitting into my shoulder bag. Not fashionable as it was large enough to fit over a winter jacket.

I'm more of a softee. Nylon traps heat. I overheat dressing for rain in winter conditions. Last place I would want to be or wish anyone else to be is outdoors in the drizzle with temperatures of 2 to 3 degrees Celsius.

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

Is Banker's Hall underground? The bottom levels?

The tree is on the ground floor.

[MolsonExport]

1961-1983: The metro was meant to pass through the Mount Royal Tunnel

After the train and streetcar, Montréal’s public transit system experienced its own quiet revolution. In 1961, Mayor Jean Drapeau presented the first metro plan, which consisted of three lines: line 1 (Green), line 2 (Orange) and line 3 (Red).

Jean Drapeau and Lucien Saulnier present the first metro map, October 20, 1961 © Archives Ville de Montréal

You’re likely familiar with the Green and Orange lines, but the Red line may not ring a bell! In the initial project, the third line was meant to run north/south through Montréal via the Mount Royal Tunnel. This would enable the metro to connect Outremont, the Town of Mount Royal, Saint-Laurent, Cartierville and even Ahuntsic.

However, discussions dragged on with the municipalities that the line would go through, and a year after Jean Drapeau's announcement, Montréal was chosen to host Expo 67. The Red line was no longer a priority, and the city focused instead on building the Yellow line. In the 1970s, the construction of the Blue line (commissioned in 1986) was the final nail in the project's coffin.

However, even without the Red line, the plan to have the metro travel through the Mount Royal Tunnel was still in the works. In 1983, during the construction of Édouard-Montpetit station, the architects planned for a connection with the tunnel. They drew plans of the station as we know it today while considering how it could be connected in the distant future. Given the depth of the tunnel at this location (70 m), they envisioned a connection involving high-speed elevators. That was the solution chosen by REM engineers.

2016-2022: The story continues with the REM Some 100 years after the tunnel's construction, and 60 years after being unveiled by Jean Drapeau, the plan to have a metro travel through the Mount Royal Tunnel is finally being realized. Presented for the first time in 2016, the main segment of the REM largely reflects the 1961 plan. Station Édouard-Montpetit (added to the REM in November 2016) is based on the work completed by architects in 1983. And the Red line has become the R line.

The excavation work at station Édouard-Montpetit started in September 2018. The REM station will be commissioned in 2022.

https://rem.info/en/news/secrets-mount-royal-tunnel

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