The “running-in period” of the Réseau express métropolitain (REM), mentioned to justify the service stoppages and failures of the light metro in the days following its launch at the end of July, is stretching out, deplore experts and users . A situation evidenced by the increase in complaints targeting the REM in recent months.
A veritable waltz of passengers entering and leaving the REM took place Thursday morning at Montreal Central station during the passage of the Duty. As no interruption of service occurred, users were able to get to work on time, without any hassles, with a coffee in hand, after taking advantage of a modern light rail system with frequent passages.
However, the service has flaws which have not failed to be criticized by its users since its launch. In three months, between August and October, REM users filed 563 complaints, show data provided to the Duty by CDPQ Infra.
In comparison, the transport organization Exo, which manages five commuter train lines, recorded 428 complaints during the same period, it said by email. “The proper functioning of sales and collection equipment is the main reason for complaints,” notes Exo spokesperson Jean-Maxime St-Hilaire.
The Société de transport de Montréal (STM) for its part received 184 complaints concerning its metro with 68 stations spread over 71 km during the months of August and September. All this even if the network is not equipped with landing doors which would reduce service interruptions linked to users, unlike the REM, mentions Isabelle Tremblay, public affairs advisor for the STM. She notes in passing that the two modes of transport are “completely different”, therefore difficult to compare.
A checkered start
Among the complaints received by the REM operator, 255 concern the multiple interruptions and service slowdowns that have occurred since the five-station line between Brossard and downtown Montreal has been in service.
They were mainly formulated on the sidelines of the first days of operation of the light metro, as well as in October, a month during which 154 complaints were filed by users, in particular due to a lack of communication during breakdowns, which had also been criticized by the Minister of Transport, Geneviève Guilbault.
“I feel like there are no details. We are not told what time a bus will show up when a service stop occurs,” laments Asmae Amrani, a REM user met at Central Station on Thursday morning. “It seems like they are not organized,” says Sylvie Robichaud, a resident of Brossard who has bad memories of the service interruptions.
The data also shows a monthly increase in complaints relating to “communication to travelers”. The number of criticisms also increases monthly regarding the lack of parking around the stations and the failure of equipment — ticket vending machines and elevators, among others, have often been broken down in recent weeks.
A situation which shows that the “running-in period” of the REM is not over almost four months after its commissioning, estimates Florence Junca-Adenot, professor of urban studies at the University of Quebec in Montreal. “Normally, we should reach a period of stabilization of complaints,” continues the mobility expert. Otherwise, users could become discouraged. “It’s clear that at some point we have to reach a cruising speed where there is as little disruption as possible, because otherwise, it’s an incentive to take the car. »
Complaints taken seriously
In writing, Emmanuelle Rouillard-Moreau, media relations advisor at CDPQ Infra, indicates for her part that 22 service interruptions of more than 20 minutes, which total 20 hours out of a total of 1,860 hours of activity, had occurred on the network of the REM dated October 31. The service therefore benefits from 99% reliability, she emphasizes. CDPQ Infra also ensures that it works with its partners to improve communication with users.
Several REM users interviewed by The duty Thursday want the measures put in place during the outages to also be improved, in particular to prevent workers in downtown Montreal from having to make a detour through Longueuil and then board a crowded bus to Brossard.
REM service interruptions “hurt more” than those that occur in the STM underground network, “because in the case of the metro, in general, it does not last very long, and as soon as there is a feeling that it will last longer, there are always “alternative” measures which are proposed very quickly,” notes Mme Junca-Adenot. On the REM side, conversely, “the “alternative” measures are not well established,” continues the expert.
“People feel less unprepared when there is a breakdown in the metro because there are several alternative options,” also supports the general director of Trajectoire Québec, Sarah V. Doyon, who proposes better coordination between the various transport companies in the region and the REM to improve the options offered during light rail breakdowns.
“There are follow-ups that are done. We are in communication with all of our transport partners on the recovery plan” so that the options offered to users during service interruptions are revised, indicates for her part Emmanuelle Rouillard-Moreau, who specifies that the REM teams are hard at work preparing for the arrival of winter, in particular. “Our ultimate goal is to offer quality service to people. »