Tunnels interconnected
RAMESH SETH
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An achievement in urban planning, the underground city is a tourist attraction.
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ALL UNDERGROUND: Shops, cinema halls and more.
On a visit to Montreal, Canada, in late November I visited the underground city. It is a vast subterranean city located below the grounds of Christ Church Cathedral. In a predominantly Catholic city, the Anglican Church found itself in a financial crunch. The solution appeared in leasing out the underground. And so this wonderful underground city was born. It is a set of interconnected complexes (both above and below ground) in and around downtown Montreal. It is also known as the indoor city and is the largest underground complex in the world.
New name
In 2004, the downtown segments of the underground city were rebranded and named RÉSO. The name RÉSO is a homonym of the French word réseau, or network (as in a network of tunnels). With over 32 km of tunnels spread over an area of 12 square km it houses more than 1600 shops and boutiques and over 2900 eateries. There are also several cinema halls, shops and commercial complexes. It also has 60 residential complexes.
Some 5,00,000 people use the underground city every day, especially to escape the traffic and/or Montreal's harsh winter or hot summer.
The underground city is promoted as an important tourist attraction by most Montreal travel guidebooks, and as an urban planning achievement it is impressive.
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