Otis (NYSE: OTIS), the world’s leading elevator and escalator manufacturing, installation and service company, has completed a landmark installation at the Réseau Express Métropolitain (REM) light metro transit in Montréal. This transformative project was designed to connect communities across Greater Montréal and offer safe, reliable and accessible transportation across the city.
What is the REM project?
The REM is a fully electric light metro network spanning 67 kilometers and 26 stations, linking the South Shore, North Shore, West Island, downtown Montréal, and later Montréal-Trudeau International Airport. It is designed to facilitate mobility across the Greater Montréal Region and is the largest mass transit project in Québec Province in the last 50 years. Once complete, the new metro network will accommodate up to 150,000 daily passages, and help create energy savings and greenhouse gas emissions reductions, according to its developers.
How many elevators and escalators did the company install?
Otis provided 22 escalators and 57 custom elevators, including Gen2® elevators, engineered to meet the unique requirements of each station.
Otis Public Escalators are designed to meet the extreme and varied demands of public spaces such as airports, metros and busy transport hubs.
Otis Gen2 elevators revolutionized the elevator industry with patented steel-coated belts and a space-saving design, quiet ride and energy-efficient operation. The REM elevators feature glass elevator cabs framed in precision-engineered steel, delivering a sleek, modern look while offering durability and safety for high-traffic environments.
Aligned with REM’s sustainability goals, energy-saving features include Otis ReGen drives on the elevators and escalators, which feed energy back into the grid.
The company also secured a 5-year Service contract for the elevators and escalators, with maintenance and testing performed outside regular business hours by resident mechanics and increased support during peak times to maximize performance and limit inconvenience to passengers.
How did Otis customize the elevators and escalators?
For real-time monitoring and automated passenger evacuation during emergencies, Otis engineered a customized solution to integrate seamlessly with REM’s centralized command and communications network. This included adapting the company’s systems to work with SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition), an industrial control system that monitors and manages infrastructure in real time and supports the driverless light metro transit system.
“This project was all about delivering custom solutions that met REM’s vision for this ambitious one-of-a-kind transit,” said Leo Pizzi, Otis New Equipment Manager in Montréal. “Through close collaboration and unwavering commitment, we ensured every milestone was met with the quality our customers expect.”
How does Otis support accessibility and safety?
Otis elevators and escalators are designed for barrier-free access, with wide doors and spacious cabins to accommodate wheelchairs, strollers and passengers with reduced mobility. Bilingual displays and screens provide real-time status updates, enhancing safety, convenience and a smooth journey for French- and English-speaking passengers. The system’s advanced logic enables remote supervision, so system administrators can receive alerts and monitor elevator and escalator performance in real time to address potential issues and limit disruption times.
What is the mobility impact of Otis’ work on REM?
Beyond accessibility, the project aimed to shorten commute times and improve the overall passenger experience. By integrating these solutions into station design, Otis helped create a seamless and safe environment, moving passengers to their destinations.
To learn more about Otis’s solutions for transit infrastructure, visit the Airports, Railways, Metros and Subways page.
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