Montreal’s REM light-rail train marking one year of service
Posted July 31, 2024 12:15 pm.
Last Updated July 31, 2024 6:54 pm.
Wednesday marks one year since the first section of the REM (Réseau express métropolitain) light-rail network opened to the public on July 31, connecting Brossard on the South Shore to downtown Montreal’s Central Station.
A year ago, thousands of curious prospective passengers were drawn to the REM for its opening weekend.
Though the REM was initially plagued by service breakdowns that left some passengers stranded and forced to walk to the next station, officials say that things have greatly improved since then.
“We had quite a few outages but since March, we have progressed,” said CDPQ Infra Director of Media and Digital Content Michelle Lamarche. “When we identified the problems, we had to find the solutions and that’s what we tried to do all year long.”
Public transit users around the city say they find the REM convenient.
“In the beginning when it first started working, it did have some troubles but now I would say it works very well,” said one REM user.
Noise complaints in certain areas like Griffintown were also challenges to overcome, as noise mitigation solutions had to be found.
Last September, CDPQ Infra implemented two measures to reduce the noise pollution in the area: acoustic grinding, which reduces rail roughness and dynamic absorbers, which reduces vibration levels.
However, Montreal resident Monelle Carama moved one block away from her old condo because the noise became too disruptive.
“We packed up and moved. We’ve been here for a month now and as you can see, there’s no noise,” said Carama. “There were two things that made us absolutely insane, and that’s being woken up every morning at 6 a.m. We are retired. We have no reason to be up that early. And the fact that we could not be outside on our balcony, we couldn’t enjoy our summer.”
Five stations are currently open on the segment connecting downtown Montreal with Brossard.
Officials say the REM trip between Montreal and Brossard takes 18 minutes – 20 to 30 minutes faster than the rush-hour drive.
It’s the first phase of a total of 26 stations planned to link downtown Montreal, the South Shore, the West Island, the North Shore, and Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport over a distance of 67 kilometers.
“It’s on time. I never had any problems. It’s clean. I can’t wait for the line to be a longer distance, like to the airport,” explained one resident.
Stations in the north and west of the island are not expected be operational until 2025 as engineering challenges that could created delays remain.
