Deux-Montagnes commuters frustrated over lack of info about train shutdown

Commuters who take the Deux-Montagnes train line to get to and from downtown Montreal say they still haven’t been given any information on what the alternative routes will be.

There’s about a year to go until part of the line between du Ruisseau and Central stations shuts down for two years for construction on the new Réseau Express Métropolitain (REM) system.

READ MORE: REM data shows construction at Edouard-Montpetit station exceeding noise regulations

WATCH BELOW: REM construction leads to disruptions in downtown Montreal

1:54 REM construction leads to disruptions in downtown Montreal

Last fall, transit authorities had promised that they would have answers for commuters by Christmas.

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READ MORE: Extending the yellow line on Montreal’s Metro?

“We’re panicking as well,” said Pierrefonds-Roxboro Mayor Jim Beis, who recently had a meeting with transit authorities.

“We’re really in the 11th hour, less than a year before the train stops, and there is no concrete plan.”

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In a statement to Global News, Simon Charbonneau, a spokesperson for the ARTM — the umbrella organization that manages transit in Montreal — said mitigating impacts of the REM work on train users “is a priority.”

WATCH BELOW: Construction for new REM McGill Station begins

1:38 Construction for new REM McGill Station begins

READ MORE: Free trains and holiday seemed to soften ‘disruptive’ Turcot closures

“As for pillars of the strategy such as rail shuttles, preferential measures for buses and Metro optimization, together, we are synchronizing with the municipal work sites during the attenuation period and confirming reserved lanes on the higher network.”

READ MORE: Montreal commuters grapple with REM construction in downtown core

He noted the strategy for the disruption, starting in 2020, was presented to elected officials in the fall and there are plans to release the information to the public “as soon as possible.”

“A final detailed plan with train schedule, bus routes and numbers will follow before the end of next summer,” Charbonneau said, adding that the process is in its final phase.

WATCH BELOW: Residents upset over REM construction noise

1:43 Residents upset over REM construction noise