A lot of people decided to ride the REM on Saturday – more than were expected.
I went down to Central Station and got in line. The line snaked the full length of the station and then was directed into a maze. People arriving on regular trains were having trouble getting through the crowd with their baggage. It was marginally orderly but obvious that more people were piling in than they expected.
I’d been inching along with the line for close to an hour when an official came down calling out that we would be allowed to go to Brossard, but not to come back, because there were too many people lined up on the Brossard end.
Resisting panic at the horror of sudden exile to Brossard, I quickly pondered:
1. We’ve been told for months that the bus routes that used to cross the bridge from Brossard to Bonaventure would no longer exist, so I couldn’t get back that way.
2. There might be a bus from Panama to Longueuil metro, but it would be jam packed, if the vast horde pullulating through Central Station was any indication.
3. I would need an AB ticket for that trip and I only have A tickets on my Opus.
So I thought to hell with it, and left. I can go back some ordinary day and try it.
…Also, I hadn’t been to the train station in awhile and had forgotten the godawful kludge of passageways that you have to take to get to the station from the metro. Some of the escalators were down, and the wayfinding is confusing because it’s not in a uniform style. We can do better than this.
Thomas 17:33 on 2023-07-29 Permalink
True to my reputation, I woke up early to ride the first train at 9:00 this morning and it was glorious. An incredibly smooth and quiet ride for passengers as compared to the metro. Faster speeds as well.
I’m glad so many regular, non-public-transport-enthusiast people came out to ride it for themselves and see what it’s all about.
Tim S. 18:08 on 2023-07-29 Permalink
I guess it’s good that there’s at least passing interest in new public transit!
For the record, it looks like the 45 bus line is operating until Monday, so you would have been able to make it back. I made a point of taking my kids on it last week, because riding that bus has the best views over the river and down to upstate NY, in the right seat. The REM is in the middle of the span so you won’t be able to look right down into the water.
Apart from the 45, the to-be cancelled bus lines that people are complaining about don’t run on Saturdays anyways. There are several lines running from Panama to Longueuil, but most of them only run once an hour on weekends. One of the promises of the REM is that frequency on those lines will be increased, but checking the schedule for next Saturday, nope, still one an hour.
All of which to say, you would have been OK I think, if you’d been willing to wait (on both ends).
Faiz Imam 20:07 on 2023-07-29 Permalink
I got to Brossard station at 5pm. It was pretty empty and I was able to do a loop with my family. Was at gare centrale at 6 to 630 and the line wasn’t terrible.
Obviously they opened things up at some point in the afternoon.
I did note that security was making sure that the trains that left gare centrale were not packed to capacity. They were barely more than half full. So actual capacity is quite a bit more than we saw today.
But also this was a pretty crazy amount of people, especially a lot of families with strollers and kids out for a good time. Free is very enticing.
I suspect things will be much more normal when people are paying full price on Monday.
Robert H 20:16 on 2023-07-29 Permalink
Seeing and reading all the coverage, I wish I were in Montreal today. Though, even if I were, I’d probably wait like Kate until some of the enthusiasm wanes. Besides, the portion of the route that interests me the most has not yet opened. I still remember riding the blue line in the late eighties and thinking, as the train stopped at Édouard-Montpetit how it would make so much sense to connect it to the Deux-Montagne line, and wondering whether anyone else had thought about that too. Now I like to pretend I willed it into existence. Nevertheless, I know that, like many others, I’ll enjoy the view from the Champlain where Montreal makes its glamorous Hollywood entrance as one crosses Le Fleuve. It’s a shame Montreal’s primary commercial airport developed at Dorval instead of Saint-Hubert. Entering the city from the former, even on the REM, will still seem like entering a grand building via the loading dock.
Faiz Imam 20:23 on 2023-07-29 Permalink
There are plans to expand st Hubert airport, with a new dedicated terminal.
From there it’s a 15 mins shuttle to both Rem as well as Longueuil metro.
I expect more flights to use it in the years ahead.
Forgetful 20:34 on 2023-07-29 Permalink
They are not enforcing fare validation the first weeks, so it’s functionally free.
@Robert H. The STM (called CTCUM at the time I think) wanted to build a line 3 metro by overtaking the Deux-Montagnes line. The REM is that metro now, but the operator is not the STM.
Anton 05:44 on 2023-07-30 Permalink
“…Also, I hadn’t been to the train station in awhile and had forgotten the godawful kludge of passageways that you have to take to get to the station from the metro.“
Thats also because they didnt invest to minimize transfers. In Berlin, with the last subway project, they moved a station 180m to make a better transfer. Back in 2016, I tried to map what an improved gare centrale connection could look like:
https://twitter.com/ant6n/status/794239633899061254?s=61&t=NO8EcUtTe9wj7QjUlTAuag
MarcG 09:19 on 2023-07-30 Permalink
I wanted to remember what that walk is like and found this CBC video on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=10153967781726298
walkerp 12:18 on 2023-07-30 Permalink
I thought it was going to be a party. For those of you who got on the train, what was the atmosphere like?
Forgetful 13:01 on 2023-07-30 Permalink
@walkerp so I went to get a feel of the layout of the stations before using them this week for my actual commute, and people were really excited (which I don’t understand it’s literally just a new metro line). A lot of people exploring, doing some lives, taking pictures, kids running everywhere (the stations are surprisingly expansive, but I find the stairs widths to be lacking). What really got the people going was actually seeing the train pass cars in traffic and looking at the skyline and Saint Lawrence. I didn’t go to the celebration event at Place Ville Marie, but apparently it was pretty meh.
I’m guessing there’s so much enthusiasm because, comparatively to other metros, the STM lines are a bit dated and unusual in terms of features (100% underground, rubber tyres, low grade of automation, no platform screen doors) and that’s probably a big part of the novelty for most visitors this weekend. A lot of people who are obviously do not use the metro and don’t know to let people exit before entering the train and taking seats reserved for people with reduced mobility. Think there was a couple of police interventions, but didn’t witness anything myself. Hope that station attendants and security will remind those new metro users of good etiquette.
Also, the stations are clean and have a nice, albeit generic design, hoping the public art program can spruce it up (commissioned pieces haven’t been installed yet, I was really looking forward to see them).
Forgetful 13:06 on 2023-07-30 Permalink
@MarcG I think there’s some talks to facilitate transfers but it complicated because the STM and CDPQ don’t own those part of RESO. Some of it might even be owned by Parc Canada, and when it comes to federal agencies for that kind of request they’ll basically leave you on “read”.
walkerp 00:13 on 2023-07-31 Permalink
Thanks, Forgetful. I also think it’s just exciting that the city has actually completed a public-facing infrastructure project, for all its issues.
Anton 08:41 on 2023-07-31 Permalink
@walkerp
Not just public facing infrastructure, but a rapid mass transit project.