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From interruptions to communication breakdowns, REM train service hits 1-year mark

Click to play video: 'REM suburban train celebrates 1st birthday with promises of lessons learnt, better service'
REM suburban train celebrates 1st birthday with promises of lessons learnt, better service
WATCH: It's been exactly one year since the REM launched its fully automated train service to the south shore of Montreal. It's been a steep learning curve with dozens of breakdowns and gaps in communication, but officials say they've made a lot of progress in recent months. Tim Sargeant reports – Jul 31, 2024

The all-electric and fully automated REM train service is celebrating its one-year anniversary.

The Réseau express métropolitainopened on July 31, 2023 on the South Shore line, serving five stations between Brossard and Central Station downtown.

But there have been plenty of issues, from service interruptions to communication breakdowns leaving thousands of people stranded.

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A spokesperson for the REM says there were 65 interruptions recorded in the first 12 months, most of them occurring last year and in the early spring of this year.

“Last fall it was quite a lot of service interruptions. In January also,” Michelle Lamarche, a spokesperson for the REM, told Global News.

Lamarche says they’re making improvements and getting ready for the future lines to the West Island and Deux Montagnes, now scheduled to open next year — already one year late.

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“We are disappointed. We are expecting it to be in service as soon as possible — hopefully early 2025,” Sarah Doyon of Trajectoire Québec told Global News.

Tests on those lines are scheduled to begin in the coming weeks.

 

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