A failure of the control system forced the shutdown of the Réseau express métropolitain (REM) in both directions on Thursday afternoon, for an “indefinite” period.
This was indicated by CDPQ Infra, the subsidiary of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec which manages the light train, on the social network an emergency brake activated at the end of the morning, before confirming a total interruption of the service.
Bus shuttles have been set up to connect Montreal Central Station and Panama Station. Train service nevertheless remained available between Panama and Brossard stations.
For the REM, this is a second technical glitch to occur on the same day. As soon as it opened, around 5:30 a.m., an as yet unidentified technical problem had already caused a slowdown in service towards Brossard. The problem was resolved and the service restarted shortly after 6 a.m.
In service for almost a year, the South Shore section of the Réseau express métropolitain (REM) is now completing its running-in phase, CDPQ Infra admitted earlier this week in an interview with The Press.
The operator believes it has made significant progress in management and communication since the inauguration. For example, if just a few months ago, restarting light rail after a breakdown lasted an hour on average, today they take around 20 minutes.
Furthermore, the system “updates” that the REM has had to perform almost every weekend for the past few months, forcing the train to close at the start of the day, should fade away by the end of the summer. In the short term, however, these updates are still planned for the next three weekends.