A failure of the control system forces the shutdown of the Réseau express métropolitain (REM) in both directions, for an “indefinite” period.
This was indicated early in the afternoon by CDPQ Infra, the subsidiary of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec which manages light rail.
The organization first announced a slowdown in service due to an emergency brake which had been activated at the end of the morning, before confirming a total interruption of service.
Bus shuttles have been set up to connect Brossard and Montreal Central Station, as required by protocol.
For the REM, this is a second technical glitch to occur on the same day. As soon as it opened, around 5:30 a.m., an as yet unidentified technical problem had already caused a slowdown in service towards Brossard. The problem was resolved and service restarted shortly after 6 a.m.
In service for almost a year, the South Shore section of the Réseau express métropolitain (REM) is now completing its running-in phase, CDPQ Infra admitted earlier this week in an interview with La Presse.
The operator believes it has made significant progress in management and communication since the inauguration. For example, if just a few months ago, restarting light rail after a breakdown lasted an hour on average, today they take around 20 minutes.
Furthermore, the system “updates” that the REM has had to carry out almost every weekend for several months, forcing the train to close at the start of the day, should fade away by the end of the summer. In the short term, however, we are still planning these updates for the next three weekends.
