What will the REM era look like?
I missed this weekend piece on the REM: Henri Ouellette‑Vézina considers what the REM era will look like. The launch date has still not been announced and there’s a surprising amount of concern from the people cited that if service is not reliable, people will stay away in droves.
Josh 14:32 on 2023-03-14 Permalink
Is there even a target date? Or like, 2023 Q2? Anything remotely like that?
Kate 14:43 on 2023-03-14 Permalink
Target dates are shown in the map illustration in the article. The branch from Central Station to Brossard is supposed to open this spring.
Josh 16:35 on 2023-03-14 Permalink
Ah, thank you.
John B 22:30 on 2023-03-14 Permalink
I’ve had to cross the Champlain bridge at least weekly for the past several weeks, and for the past 3 weeks or so a lot of trains have been running. They’ve gone from single-unit, (2 cars), trains, to double unit, (4 cars), and seem to be running quite close together. I’m not sure what the operational goals are of the testing, but from the highway it looks like they’re working.
Robert H 12:00 on 2023-03-15 Permalink
Controversy aside, I hope the REM at least succeeds in attracting enough riders to spur the momentum to improve and add even more to the public transport infrastructure that already exists in Montreal. The city has a good foundation in that regard relative to most places on this continent. It should continue to build on that.