Frustrated commuters held a noisy protest outside of the offices of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec on Wednesday.
Commuters who take the Deux-Montagnes line are furious by service interruptions caused by the construction of the new electric train line, which is owned by the Caisse.
Stefan Bracher has been using the line for years, and says it’s been plagued with delays, crowded trains and lapses in services for years. But now that work has started on the new REM light rail project, things have gotten worse.
“Now they have cancelled four additional rush hours trains, so the ones that are left are completely packed. So packed I’m actually trying to avoid it if I can,” said Bracher.
Exo, the transit authority running the Deux-Montagnes line recently warned users to expect delays due to the $2.7-billion light rail project.
Weekend service on the line was cut and between the Du Ruisseau station and Central station, both directions have to share one track.
In 2020, things will get worse for users — that’s when the Du Ruisseau station will completely close for construction until 2022.
Despite some financial compensation and the promise of alternate routes, users say they will continue similar protests until a viable solution is found.
WATCH: What can commuters expect on the Deux-Montagnes train line?