REM light-rail line celebrates a year of connecting Montreal to the South Shore
Wednesday will mark one year since the first branch of the REM (Réseau express métropolitain) light-rail network opened, connecting Brossard on the South Shore to downtown Montreal.
Though there were some bumps to start with, the REM was plagued by service breakdowns, leaving some passengers stranded and forced to walk to the next station.
"One time I got stuck and we had to wait a couple of hours," said user Serena Mirzada. "Other than that, it's great. It even has Wi-Fi."
As complaints of poor communications mounted, REM officials pledged to do better.
CDPQ (Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec) Infra manages the REM and said service interruptions of 20 minutes or longer have dropped significantly.
"We see, beginning in March, a great improvement," said CDPQ Infra director of communications Michelle Lamarche.
While many in Brossard say the REM has improved their commute to the city, some are still waiting for the rest of the network to open.
Stations in the north and west of the island won't be operational until 2025 though the REM won't commit to an exact date, as engineering challenges in the tunnel through Mount Royal remain.
"We'll need to do the dynamic testing everywhere," said Lamarche. "We'll need to go in the tunnel, and then we'll have a better idea and we'll be able to communicate with the everyone."
NouvLR workers inspect walls in the Mount Royal tunnel as construction progresses for the Reseau express metropolitain (REM) electric light rail system in Montreal, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (Christinne Muschi, The Canadian Press)
In Saint-Laurent, borough mayor Alan DeSousa hopes the REM will iron out any issues before it gets to his community.
"If there are lessons to be learned from the deployment of the REM on the South Shore to downtown, well, that's learn from that," he said.
One such lesson is noise.
Faced with complaints from Montreal's southwest neighbourhoods, the REM added additional noise mitigation measures.
The REM plans to carry out those measures on the remaining network.
"We are able, if we see problems, to put corrections in place like we did on the South Shore," said Lamarche.
DeSousa would like to see a plan.
"The REM is going to be very close to homes," he said. "So we would like the REM to recognize up front, these issues should be addressed and should be addressed in the most proactive way, with the maximum of measures, as opposed to a 'Let's wait and see' attitude."
For DeSousa, the hope is that the next REM chapter will start off smoother and quieter than the first.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Bloc Quebecois ready to extract gains for Quebec in exchange for supporting Liberals
The Bloc Québécois says its ready to wheel and deal with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's party for support during confidence votes now that the Liberal government's confidence and supply agreement with the NDP has ended.
Over 200 firearms seized in Waterloo weapons investigation
According to police, during a traffic stop officers noticed firearms and ammunition inside the vehicle.
'It's morally wrong': A rural Alberta town reacts to homeless shelter closure
At the end of a side street in Slave Lake, Alta., Lynn Bowes looks at a grey job-site trailer with boarded-up windows and doors that once operated as her town's only homeless shelter.
Timeline: The rise and fall of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's political fortunes
In the wake of the NDP withdrawing its automatic support of the minority Liberal government, here is a timeline of key events charting the arc of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's fortunes in federal politics.
The controversial plan to turn a desert green
Ties van der Hoeven's ambitions are nothing if not grand. The Dutch engineer wants to transform a huge stretch of inhospitable desert into green, fertile land teeming with wildlife.
Military surplus store in Calgary, destination of celebrity shoppers, closing doors
Cher, Anthony Hopkins, Heath Ledger, Alec Baldwin and Tom Hardy are just a few of the celebrities John Cumming met while growing up in his family's military surplus store.
Trump threatens to jail adversaries in escalating rhetoric ahead of pivotal debate
With just days to go before his first and likely only debate against U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, former U.S. president Donald Trump posted a warning on his social media site threatening to jail those “involved in unscrupulous behavior” this election, which he said would be under intense scrutiny.
Mother of Georgia shooting suspect called school to warn of emergency, aunt says
The mother of the 14-year-old who has been charged with murder over the fatal shooting of four people at his Georgia high school called the school before the killings, warning staff of an 'extreme emergency' involving her son, a relative said.
Canadian drivers enjoying unusual low gas prices for time of year
Drivers across the country are keeping more money in their pockets after filling up a tank of gas.