The Greater Montreal Transportation Network (RTM), is going to offer a discount to commuters as compensation for poor train service this winter.

The commuter trains were frequently delayed or cancelled, especially on the coldest and snowiest days of the winter.

The RTM announced Wednesday that passengers will be able to get a 30 percent discount on their next monthly pass, or will receive six free train tickets. The exact details will be presented in the next few weeks.

Meanwhile the transit agency is investing $450 million on maintenance, trains, and other necessities with the goal of improving service.

Even though the Deux-Montagnes train line will be replaced by the REM by 2022, the agency is devoting a good portion of its investment on that line.

Extra heaters will be installed on the Deux-Montagne line's switching systems in the hope preventing snow and frost buildup. The agency blamed the frozen switches for many of the delays it experienced in the past few months.

In addition the RTM is going to repair bridges so that trains on the Deux-Montagnes line no longer need to slow down to cross water.

The agency is also adding 20 double-decker train cars to the line, and it's going to refurbish the brakes and electrical systems on the existing train cars. Once the REM takes over, those trains will be diverted to other commuter train lines.

Across the network as a whole, the RTM is going to build a new maintenance centre for trains that use the Mascouche line (which will likely be forced to stop north of the mountain once the REM starts running) and will update its Lachine maintenance centre.