REM service to halt on the weekend between Montreal and South Shore

A REM station at Gare Centrale/Central Station in Montreal, Thursday, November 14, 2024. (Graham Hughes / The Canadian Press)

Service on the REM light rail line between Montreal and the South Shore will not run on the weekend.

The Réseau express métropolitain posted on social media that starting Friday at 11 p.m. service will halt between Gare Centrale and Panama stations for maintenance work, which should be finished by Monday.

There will be shuttle buses available throughout the weekend.

Until the closure, REM trips may take a bit longer.

"During a routine inspection, our teams noticed a repair that needed to be done before the frost arrives," the REM wrote on X. "As a preventive measure, until the start of the work on the night of November 22 to 23, we have reduced the speed of cars driving in this area."

Spokesperson Fancis Labbe said teams noticed that a "targetted repair" was needed on a concrete component of the railway portion of the structure. 

"This repair, located near Île-des-Soeurs, does not concern the load-bearing portion of the structure; there is no safety issue," he said. "However, the repair must be done before more frequent frost periods occur."

He added that the REM will operate between Broassard and Panama stations on the South Shore.