Impacts of the new Réseau Express Métropolitain (REM) on mobility, health and equity: A pre-post intervention study

2016年，魁北克省储蓄和安置银行（CDPQ）宣布计划建造Réseau Express Metropolitain（REM），这是一个最先进的，耗资63亿美元的公共交通项目，将通过频繁的铁路服务连接众多的城市和机场到蒙特利尔市中心。预计这项工作将以各种规模和方式影响蒙特利尔大都市区的所有居民。该研究项目将集中于测量这种重大基础设施项目在施工之前、期间和之后对所有蒙特利尔居民的健康、社会、环境、经济、身体和心理健康的影响。这是一个前所未有的机会来研究加拿大这种规模的大型公共交通项目。上一次如此规模的大型公共交通项目是在20世纪70年代建造的。它将教给我们的教训是特别及时的。甚至在REM完成之前，地区和省级官员就已经在讨论扩张了。与此同时，联邦政府承诺支持加拿大各地的类似项目，作为其改善公平和应对气候危机努力的一部分。据我们所知，目前还没有计划进行全面的研究，以全面评估快速眼动对旅行行为和公众健康可能产生的深远影响。REM的几个部分已经在建设中，计划于2021年开放。其他方面的建设还在开始，这给了我们一个简短的窗口来进行研究，以衡量REM的影响在不同的发展和运作阶段是如何感受到的。最后，这项研究将帮助政策制定者和规划者在改善加拿大人健康和福利的重大公共投资方面做出更明智的决定。

In 2016, the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) announced plans to build theRéseau express métropolitain (REM), a state-of-the-art, $6.3 billion public transport projectthat will link numerous suburbsand the airportto downtown Montreal with frequent railservice. The undertaking is expected to impact all residents of the Montreal metropolitanregion at various scales and in various ways. This research project will concentrate onmeasuring the impacts of such major infrastructure project on the health, social,environmental, economic, physical, and psychological wellbeing of all Montreal residents,before, during and after the construction. This is an unprecedented opportunity to study amajor public transport project of this scale in the Canadian context. The last time a majorpublic transport project of this size was built in the 1970s. The lessons it will teach areparticularly timely. Even before the REM's completion, regional and provincial officials arealready discussing expansions. At the same time, the federal government is pledging tosupport similar projects across Canada as part of its efforts to improve equity and combat theclimate crisis. To our knowledge, no comprehensive study has been planned to fully assessthe REM's possibly profound impacts on travel behaviour and public health. Several sectionsof the REM are already under construction and slated to open in 2021. Construction on othershas yet to begin, giving us a brief window to conduct research to measure how the REM'simpact is felt at various stages of development and operation. In the end, the research willhelp policymakers and planners make better-informed decisions about major publicinvestments to improve Canadians health and welfare.