‘Game-changer’: Montrealers share excitement after riding REM for 1st time
Posted July 30, 2023 4:09 pm.
Last Updated July 30, 2023 6:41 pm.
While some were disappointed when the city’s new light-rail train network reached a capacity limit on its opening day, those who got to ride the REM were nothing but smiles.
Thousands of Montrealers showed up to ride the Réseau express metropolitain over the weekend, which offered riders the chance to experience it for free before its official inauguration Monday.
Five stations are open on the initial segment, which connects downtown Montreal with Brossard. There will eventually be 26 stations across a 67-kilometre network.
“It’s very convenient in my opinion, and the fact that it’s going to go to the airport in 2027, is going to be a game-changer for Montreal,” said 14-year-old Kristin Ciampini.
“I’ve been obsessed with the REM for a long time. When we’re on the 40 in the West Island, we always pass by the REM; there’s a station near my school, near my house. So it’s always been very intriguing to me, and I was very excited.”
RELATED:
- IN PHOTOS: REM inauguration
- Some Montrealers turned away as REM reaches capacity limit during opening weekend
- Montreal’s new light rail train network inaugurated, will open for free over weekend
- After pandemic delays and price tag revisions, Montreal’s REM about to become reality
Officials say the REM trip between Montreal and Brossard takes 18 minutes – 20 to 30 minutes faster than the rush-hour drive.
“I’m speechless,” said André Drouin. “It’s spacious, not as long as the metro and you get a good view. It’s fully autonomous, there’s no drivers, and you can just sit in the front and watch the view. It’s really nice.”
Riders who arrived early Saturday were able to avoid long line ups, but others arriving later were faced with wait times of several hours.
“People of course are patient because there’s a lot of waiting, but when they come to the REM, we see they’re positive and happy to live this historic moment,” said REM spokesperson Jean-Vincent Lacroix.
Dernière journée des portes ouvertes! Nous nous attendons à un fort achalandage aujourd’hui encore. Soyez patients et n’oubliez pas que vous pourrez visiter le REM dès lundi pour la mise en service officielle #REMmtl
— REM – Réseau express métropolitain (@REMgrandmtl) July 30, 2023
The kick-off weekend wasn’t without its hiccups. By 1 p.m. Saturday the network announced it would no longer take new passengers for the day – an estimated 60,000 Montrealers rode the train on the first day.
“There’s a lot of people because everyone’s excited,” said Kristin Ciampini.
“It’s really a fantastic thing for Montreal,” added her father Rick Ciampini. “I’m very, very excited.”
James Alloul, an 18-year-old CEGEP student, was among the thousands excited to be part of the experience.
“We’ve been waiting to do this since it’s been announced,” Alloul told CityNews. “In 2018 I think it was announced? We’ve just been so excited because it’s really not something that happens every day in Montreal. It’s 50 years in the making and we’re just so happy to be here.”
Alloul took in his first REM ride alongside his grandfather.
“We have a history of travelling together since he could walk,” said 80-year-old Michael Worsoff. “And our thing was to take the metro and stop at every station, look at the art. He loved doing this ever since he was a kid and I accompanied him.
“And we decided that the minute the REM was built we were going to be the first ones on the train.”
Montreal’s REM project hasn’t come without criticism. Many residents in Pointe-Saint-Charles, Griffintown and Nuns’ Island have complained about the noise.
The REM says its is actively working on solutions such as installing barriers and “sound absorbers” along the tracks.
REM riders will get to travel from Brossard to downtown and back as of Monday – ticket fares start at $3.75. There will be a two-week tolerance period for those unable to purchase tickets on time.
