As winter approaches, managers of the Réseau express métropolitain (REM) promise to improve communication with users by sending them text messages when service interruptions occur. The light rail operator also promises to reduce service interruptions which have been the subject of hundreds of complaints in recent months, in order to improve its reliability rate and the “confidence” of its users.
“We are aware that we have work to do, but we have the resources to bring the network to an appropriate state,” declared Friday Marc Boucher, senior vice-president of major projects within the engineering services of AtkinsRéalis, one of the partners of the firm CDPQ Infra in the REM operation, at a press conference in Montreal on Friday. He then recognized that the REM must work to improve users’ “confidence” in its service.
Since its entry into service at the end of July between Brossard and Central Station, in downtown Montreal, the REM has been the subject of hundreds of complaints from users criticizing in particular the slowdowns and interruptions of service as well as communication problems with users, reported The duty End of november.
Since then, the REM experienced new problems on Monday in the context of the first snowfall of the season, during which service slowdowns occurred due to problems with the light rail brakes.
Then, Friday morning, a 45-minute service interruption took place due to a request from the Samuel-De Champlain Bridge teams, to allow them to clear snow from the bridge pylons.
[Interruption exceptionnelle] The service is currently interrupted, at the request of the Samuel-De Champlain Bridge teams to allow them to clear snow from the bridge pylons. We will then carry out an inspection of the track. Scheduled pick-up time: 9:45 a.m.
— Réseau Express Métropolitain (@REM_infoservice) December 8, 2023
Thus, the REM punctuality rate currently stands at 98%, a rate slightly lower than that which prevailed on average during the first three months of operation of the service, according to information obtained by The duty.
Text messages to users
In order to reduce this punctuality rate to 99% and limit the effects of winter on the light rail service offering, the REM operator intends in particular to adapt on a daily basis to the extreme variations in temperature to come in the coming months by adjusting in real time its maintenance of the rails and trains, which were “designed for extreme conditions”, mentioned the head of services and operations at urban platforms for Alstom, Jennifer Guillette.
CDPQ Infra also recognizes that it must improve its communication with users when service interruptions occur. Currently, this information is only offered online on the social network X and on the REM website.
The light rail operator, however, plans to allow service users to receive text messages when service interruptions occur. For the first three months of operation of the service, the REM had recorded 22 service interruptions of more than 20 minutes, a number which has continued to rise since.
The REM operator also expects its employees, particularly at its control center, to gain experience over the coming months, which should help improve the assistance offered to users when service interruptions occur. .
“What we are doing is learning. We are in the process of gaining maturity, gaining experience,” noted Marc Boucher, who is confident that the REM teams will be able to effectively tackle the “ glitches communication” and “evacuation times”, which have been criticized in recent weeks. “We are in the process of continuously improving our operations,” he continued.