RTM tells its commuter train customers to be patient, no refunds

Some commuters who ride the train every day say they should be compensated by the Réseau de transport métropolitain (RTM) for the bad service and late trains they've had to deal with over the last few weeks.

"It's been fairly frustrating," said Chad Ghalamzan, a Pointe-Claire resident who uses the RTM's Vaudreuil-Hudson line.

"Something should considered for the extra time it's been taking passengers. I wouldn't say a full refund but definitely some consideration for the time lost and extra frustration we experience."

Commuters who ride the Candiac, Vaudreuil-Hudson, and Saint-Jérôme lines had delays anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes Tuesday morning.

The Deux-Montagnes line wasn't spared either; two cars on a train had to be removed because their brakes were frozen.

There were also some complications removing snow from rail tracks, and at the entrance to the Lucien-L'Allier downtown station, the switcher was frozen.

"It used to be that people would ask for more services, and now we're just asking them to deliver the schedule as it is," said Ghalamzan.

'Be patient,' RTM pleads

The RTM says it understands that commuters are frustrated, and it's doing the best it can to resolve the problems. It adds that the weather has been extreme, making for a "difficult beginning of the year. "

"We have teams working days and nights, and we're trying to find solutions, and we're working hard with our partners and all the teams that can be of use on that, but of course the weather is difficult," said RTM spokesperson Caroline Julie Fortin.

The RTM says commuters will not be compensated and that money collected from the fares will go toward improving the network.

It's asking riders to take an earlier train than their usual one, and follow the alerts issued by the RTM.