There will be no “third postponement” in the commissioning of the Metropolitan Express Network (REM) on the South Shore of Montreal, scheduled by the end of spring, assures one of its senior officials. Several simulations are also underway between Brossard and downtown Montreal to prepare the light rail for all eventualities, including fires and electrical problems.
“Today, we have a whole infrastructure that is installed. The station is built, the terminus is built, the maintenance center is built, the office building is built. We are ready,” said Friday the vice-president of operations and responsible for the operating phase of the REM, Denis Andlauer, as part of a visit to the facilities of the Brossard light rail station.
Many REM trains were also running empty on the South Shore of Montreal on Friday, as part of a “blank run” exercise aimed at operating the light rail at the same frequency as when it will be officially in operation, “but without customers,” Andlauer explained. At the same time, various simulations are taking place to prepare REM employees for various eventualities, such as elevator breakdowns, screens that fail and power supply problems in a train car. The simulation of a fire in a train will also take place next Monday.
“There are still a whole series of tests to be done on board” in order to ensure that we have a “reliable system” from the first day of operation of the light train, noted the manager. “That’s why for us it’s difficult to give you a date today, because if the reliability is not there, we won’t open,” he continued. . “When we open, we want it to stay open. »
Can we therefore expect further delays in the entry into service of the REM on the South Shore? “There will be no third postponement,” assured the REM’s vice-president of operations. The entry into service of the light rail on the South Shore of Montreal should therefore take place by the end of spring, June 21, if all goes as planned. “The objective is to drive as soon as possible”, assured Denis Andlauer.
Last year, the entry into service of the REM, initially scheduled for the summer of 2022, was postponed twice, to finally be in the spring of 2023.
Simulate breakdowns
Once the REM welcomes its first customers, “a running-in period” will take place during which the REM will have to adjust its operations to the arrival of customers in its network, since breakdowns could then be caused, in particular by train doors. light held open by users. By adjusting its service according to these expected “small breakdowns”, the REM will be able to ensure that it is ready to operate with a minimum of unforeseen events “for the start of the school year”, foresees the person in charge of the operation of the light train. .
The REM frequency will also evolve gradually. Thus, the trains will run every 3.5 minutes during peak hours on day 1 of their start-up, before reaching a passage to 90 seconds in the long term. “Our objective is to adapt the frequency to demand. The more customers there are, the more we will increase the frequency, explained Denis Andlauer. We won’t run empty trains for nothing. »
The light rail will cover the distance between Brossard and Central Station in downtown Montreal in less than 18 minutes, while its top speed will reach 100 km/h on the Samuel-De Champlain Bridge. “It’s impossible to do by car,” Andlauer noted.
250 employees
Unlike the Montreal metro, the REM light rail operates without a driver. However, the supervision of car movements, network maintenance and customer service will initially mobilize some 250 employees, all of whom have already been recruited. A number that will continue to increase with the entry into service of other REM lines in the coming years.
Thus, the automation of the REM will not have made it possible to reduce the number of employees mobilized to ensure its operation and maintenance, Denis Andlauer indicated on Friday. “The big difference is having people driving the trains, you have people doing customer service,” he said. “So it’s not a question of personnel savings, but of safety and reliability,” Andlauer continued. “Because humans are fallible, but automated systems are not. »
The REM line linking Brossard to Central Station includes five bright, glazed stations built using a similar model. Eventually, the REM will also connect the west of the city and Montréal-Trudeau airport to downtown Montréal, in addition to including a branch that will replace the old Deux-Montagnes commuter train line.