Starting Sunday, Réseau express métropolitain (REM) trains that run between Brossard and Central Station in Montreal will be shorter and will have two cars instead of four on weekends and public holidays.
This strategy aims to reduce energy consumption and normal wear and tear on cars, but will not affect train frequency, CDPQ Infra assured Thursday. Four-car trains will be maintained on weekdays and during large-scale events.
The subsidiary of the Caisse de dépôt de placement du Québec maintains that the use of shorter trains during off-peak hours has always been part of the plans and that the automated train allows this flexibility without harming service.
According to CDPQ Infra, this should not be seen as the effect of insufficient ridership for the REM which entered service last July. “We are satisfied with the traffic on the network. On the 17 kilometer section in operation, we record an average of 24,000 passages per day,” explained Michelle Lamarche, director of media relations at CDPQ Infra. She also underlines that the number of days which record peaks of 36,000 passages is increasing.
The ridership forecasts established by CDPQ Infra during project planning applied to the entire REM network which, ultimately, must extend to the west of the island of Montreal and Deux-Montreal. Mountains with an antenna towards the Montreal-Trudeau airport. These forecasts were for 150,000 passages per day for the 67 kilometer network. “We expect an increase of more than 50% in traffic to and from the South Shore compared to this year once the network is fully opened,” said M.me Lamarche.
When the short trains are in service, a certain adaptation will be necessary for users since when boarding, they will have to position themselves at the six platform doors located at the head of the train. The other six platform doors will not open when the train stops at the station. REM agents will be deployed on the ground to guide users, promises CDPQ Infra. “We have already planned signs that will be placed on the platforms. There are going to be more customer service agents on the ground. Everyone is trained to answer questions. It should be done quite simply,” says M.me Lamarche.
In the longer term, the operator plans to opt for short two-car trains during off-peak periods on weekdays.
The arrival of shorter trains does not worry Axel Fournier, spokesperson for the South Shore Association for Collective Transport. “We like that better than cutting the frequency,” he said. Having taken the REM on weekends and certain weekday evenings, sometimes the trains are almost empty because there are fewer trips. »
However, he believes that when the other sections of the REM come into service, CDPQ Infra will have to show flexibility and readjust its strategy if ridership justifies it.
According to the CDPQ Infra schedule, the sections of the REM towards the west of the island of Montreal and the North Shore should enter service at the end of 2024. Users will, however, have to wait until 2027 to get to the REM to Montreal-Trudeau airport.