The manager of the Réseau express métropolitain (REM) is launching a powerful communication campaign to educate users not to venture onto the rails, at a time when dynamic tests are about to be launched on the Deux-Montagnes section.
“To save 5 minutes, are you willing to spend 5 months in a coma? ”, we read on one of the signs that have been installed in bus shelters and other installations near the REM rails. Other slogans like “to cut your journey, would you have your legs cut off?” » or “to take on a challenge, would you be willing to never take it again? ”, will be used.
At CDPQ Infra, the subsidiary of the Caisse de dépôt which manages the light rail, the deputy director of media relations, Francis Labbé, says that between January 2023 and March 2024, his team counted 57 intrusions in total. “That includes entrances to be able to do graffiti or even someone who opened a fence to get to the other side more quickly,” he said.
The central message of the campaign “is that to transgress our installations means putting your life in danger,” adds Mr. Labbé, recalling that the risks of collision or electrocution on the rails are great.
By mid-June, trains will run at high speed on the Deux-Montagnes section, where dynamic tests preceding entry into service will be launched. Then, in August, the same tests will take place from Sainte-Dorothée to Du Ruisseau station, on the island of Montreal, as well as on the L’Anse-à-l’Orme section, which passes through the municipalities of Kirkland, Pointe-Claire and Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY CDPQ INFRA
This case is reminiscent of that in 2018, exo, responsible for commuter trains, closed three pedestrian crossings on the Deux-Montagnes line in order to “reduce the incidence of dangerous behavior”, a few weeks after the death of a teenager hit by a train at Bois-Franc station.
Increased surveillance
Recently, CDPQ Infra’s surveillance and patrol staff have been “reinforced” in preparation for triggering the tests, confirms Mr. Labbé. “We know that people are tempted to save time by taking a shortcut. We see it on our cameras, but we have not yet managed to intervene,” he notes.
According to Mr. Labbé, the fact is “that historically, the Deux-Montagnes line was not as secure as it is today.” “The trains also passed every 20 minutes, much less often than they will do now, in a frequency of between 3 and 7 minutes. We therefore want to raise awareness among these people who have become accustomed to taking a shortcut. It’s very risky,” insists the spokesperson.
This phenomenon of intrusion is also a concern everywhere in the public transport sector, and even on the road or public network. In April, The Press had revealed that drones are now patrolling the tunnels under construction of the REM since a young man in search of thrills entered one of them last summer.
The urban exploration enthusiast (“urbex”) published a video of his intrusion on social networks, highlighting a major security breach on the construction site.
Last week, The Montreal Journal had reported that the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) is carrying out checks on certain videos published on social networks where we can see urbex fans accessing a moving train operator’s box in the metro.