3 commuter train lines in greater Montreal might shut down in cost-savings plan

Thousands of residents of greater Montreal could have to say goodbye to their commuter train, according to a document obtained by Radio-Canada.

The document from the region's transit authority, the Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain (ARTM), presents removing Exo train lines as the "only option" to significantly reduce costs.

The commuter train network underwent an assessment in June, according to the ARTM report titled Evaluation of Optimization Measures for Commuter Train Services. Three Radio-Canada sources confirmed the possibility of shutting down train lines was discussed at the last board meeting, although a decision has yet to be made.

The report, dated Aug. 29, estimates that the "complete closure of lines" would save between $15 and $21 million per year.

The three least busy lines to Montreal — Mascouche, Candiac and Mont-Saint-Hilaire — are at risk of closure. The ARTM is also considering no longer serving some stations on the Vaudreuil-Hudson and Saint-Jérôme lines.

Passengers of the Candiac line would be redirected by bus to Brossard and those of the Mascouche line, to the Radisson Metro station.

Inflationary pressure and changes in commuter behaviour since the COVID-19 pandemic played important roles in the need to cut costs, the report says. And it notes that closing the Deux-Montagnes line, the busiest Exo line which will be replaced by the Réseau express métropolitain (REM), had a significant impact on its budget.

As of March, Mascouche was at 20 per cent of its 2020 ridership, whereas Mont-Saint-Hilaire stood at 35 per cent and Candiac at 53 per cent.

'We are doing our homework': ARTM

ARTM spokesperson Simon Charbonneau said in an email Wednesday that no stones will be left unturned as the performance of public transit services is being assessed.

"We want to continue to develop the service throughout the territory, but we have limited financial resources," he said. "We are doing our homework and all scenarios are being studied."

Charbonneau said the options being discussed are "preliminary" and no decision has been made.

"It is important to have an overview and that is what we are doing right now," he said, noting that the ARTM is particularly sensitive to the needs of the north and south shores of Montreal.

The idea of cutting train lines will likely cause a stir in Quebec City, as suburban mayors headed to the National Assembly Wednesday to protest the lack of public transit.

Not only will they be fighting for more services, but now, they may also have to fight to keep existing ones.

Mont-Saint-Hilaire Mayor Marc-André Guertin said Wednesday the idea to close train lines when Quebec should be adopting sustainable transport is "unbelievable" and likened the potential savings suggested by the ARTM to penny-pinching.

"There are very few cities in the world that are closing train lines. On the contrary, they're trying to multiply them," he said. "Right now, there aren't reserved lanes everywhere so more buses in traffic is nonsense."

Guertin said the news points to a "deeper problem within the ARTM" — an agency, he said, in which municipal interests are underrepresented. 

"It highlights the uneasiness we have toward the ARTM, an uneasiness that is growing," he said. "Inducing change is an art and clearly not a skill that the ARTM has mastered."