REM brings back all-day shuttle buses after latest rush-hour outage

Montreal's light-rail train network suffered yet another service breakdown during Tuesday morning rush-hour, just a day after it ended its offer of free rides to commuters.

As a result, the all-day shuttle bus service that had been in place for three weeks to give users a backup plan in case of a REM outage is back. 

Tuesday's outage was announced just after 7 a.m.

According to a social media post from the REM account on X, "a technical issue" was to blame for the service interruption between the Gare Centrale station in downtown Montreal and the Panama station, which is the last stop on the South Shore before Montreal-bound riders get on the island.

At the time, the REM said the service resumption time was "undetermined" and that shuttle buses would be deployed. 

In an update about 30 minutes later, the REM said the technical issue was causing "a service modification."

Essentially, service resumed between the South Shore stations and the Île-des-Soeurs station. But once riders got to Île-des-Soeurs, they needed to get off to continue their trip towards downtown Montreal.

Service resumed at around 10:15 a.m., according to a REM info service update on X. That means it took more than two hours for normal service across the entire line to be established.

WATCH | Another rush-hour REM outage: 

3-hour service outage on Montreal’s REM light-rail system blamed on rail switches

2 months ago

Duration 1:58

A month after the Quebec government called an emergency meeting to address service disruptions on the REM, the system’s operators continue to insist that improvements are being made to boost reliability.

In a statement Tuesday, the Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain (ARTM), which is the regional transit planning agency for the Montreal area, announced that all-day shuttle bus service was going to be deployed as of Wednesday.

"It's essential to ensure predictability for the clientele in a context where slowdowns and unplanned interruptions remain an issue," the statement reads.

For three weeks, riders did not need to pay to get on the REM — although the service hours were limited to morning and afternoon rush hours during that time.

This week, Montreal's light-rail train network ended its offer of free rides to commuters.

The service is now scheduled to run Monday to Friday between 5:30 a.m. and about 8:40 p.m. The shuttle bus service will be offered during that time for riders heading toward downtown Montreal.