Commuters on Montreal's South Shore worry about longer, costlier transit as REM opening draws near
'I kind of feel abandoned,' says commuter
Annick Beauchemin calls herself a "true believer in public transport," but by the end of month, her daily commute is about to get more complicated and more expensive, she says.
"I kind of feel abandoned, " said Beauchemin.
Right now, the Brossard resident takes an express bus from Montreal's South Shore to her workplace in Old Montreal, all in 34 minutes. The quick bus commute is one of the reasons she moved to the city just south of Montreal, she says.
However, as of July 31, when the long-awaited and delayed inauguration of the Réseau express métropolitain (REM) network is finally set to happen, her commute will nearly double, she said.
To top it off, she says her monthly transit fare of $108 will jump to $155 and she will have to use three different transit networks: a bus from the Réseau de transport de Longueuil (RTL), then a REM train to Central Station — overshooting the stop she currently gets off at — followed by a Société de transport de Montréal (STM) bus.
That's because with the opening of the REM and its non-competition clause that prevents buses from other transit networks from crossing the Champlain Bridge, there will no longer be shuttles bringing passengers from the South Shore into Montreal, and the REM station she should be disembarking at — Griffintown-Bernard Landry station — is still under construction until at least the end of 2024.
"It's not logical to me that they would just take away a service that we used to have, and that a lot of people use," she said.
Other commuters who travel to Montreal from the South Shore are also concerned about longer transit times now that express lines are set to be abolished.
Nishant Kinger and his wife, Kasturee Mulay, ride the bus from Brossard to get to work in Griffintown during the week, a 35-minute commute on a regular day.
The couple were initially excited when the REM plans were announced for the South Shore, but they say that fizzled a bit when they heard their bus lines would be discontinued at the end of the month.
Kinger says they will now have to take multiple buses instead of just one, an unwelcome change, especially during the winter months.
"We don't want to take the car out everyday for the two of us," said Mulay. "Parking is super expensive, so we can't really do that."
She hopes transit authorities will reduce the frequency of the 42 and 90 buses rather than do away with them altogether — at least while construction on the Griffintown station is still underway.
Maxime Laliberté, who is responsible for public affairs at the RTL, says he is confident the REM will allow most commuters to get to their destinations faster.
Eight different bus lines currently cross the Champlain Bridge, and out of those, the two express bus lines — the 90 and 45 lines — will get the axe on July 31.
While Laliberté says he understands some are worried about the demise of the express bus routes, he says that unlike buses, REM trains will not get snarled in traffic or slowed by road conditions.
In a statement, Emmanuelle Rouillard-Moreau, communications officer with REM builder CDPQ-Infra, told CBC the Griffintown station is being built in a "complex environment" where many other commuter and passenger railway tracks exist.
"We are currently conducting additional studies to establish optimal construction methods that are safe for workers," said Rouillard-Moreau.
"The results of these studies will be available at the end of the year."
WATCH | A sneak peek of the Brossard REM station:
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With files from Sharon Yonan-Renold