REM button does nothing in emergency
A pregnant woman fainted on the REM, but when other passengers pushed the emergency button, nothing happened. Eventually someone called 911. Pulsar’s spokesman says this was an “isolated case.”
Given that there’s no driver, where would an emergency button sound? There must be a manned central somewhere in the system. Had the operator stepped out for a smoke?
James 09:25 on 2026-04-15 Permalink
Pressing the emergency button on the train will cause a group of telephones to ring in the control centre in Brossard. The operator in the control centre can then talk to the passenger and even call up the corresponding CCTV camera to see what is happening inside the car.
This is what is supposed to happen. Obviously something went wrong in the chain of communication from the on-board intercom to the control centre telephone.
Kate 09:38 on 2026-04-15 Permalink
Thank you for the explanation, James.
Ian 14:21 on 2026-04-15 Permalink
Oh somebody needs to be on the other end for an emergency call to work. How were they to know?
What a clown show.
James 15:29 on 2026-04-15 Permalink
It works the same way as a 911 call Ian. Someone on the other end picks up the phone. Just be glad it isn’t AI or a call centre far away.
Ian 16:33 on 2026-04-15 Permalink
If nobody answers, the underlying functonality is moot, James.
JP 22:40 on 2026-04-15 Permalink
I wasn’t on a train itself but I’ve had to use the Help button twice at the REM. Once to report a situation in the parking lot and once because I was having an issue with my Opus card. In both those relatively minor instances, it was fine. I hope they figure out what happened here.
I have wondered if REM stations have any staff at all. Like is there even 1 person behind the scenes. Just curious.
James 09:28 on 2026-04-16 Permalink
JP: Generally in the stations there is nobody behind the scenes (except at Gare Centrale where there is a customer service desk).
There are however staff that move around the network (either on the train itself or in vehicles) to fix problems and to help people in need. They are trained to be able to drive the train if necessary.
In most of the parking lots you may have noticed that there is a dedicated “REM” parking spot just for these rapid intervention situations.