The Réseau express métropolitain’s (REM) new Deux-Montagnes branch is now officially open, and riders can try it for free all weekend.
In fact, riders can enjoy free rides on the entire light-rail network without any charges during the launch weekend.
On Friday, REM’s Deux-Montagnes line was inaugurated in a high-profile ceremony — with Prime Minister Mark Carney, Premier François Legault and Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada in attendance.
Riders who got to try the line Saturday say it comes as a welcome addition, especially after the opening was delayed by nearly five years.
“This is amazing,” says Carolina Pardo, “We’re actually expecting it for a long time, so this is really cool.”
Giovanni DeVito said he hasn’t been to downtown Montreal in years as the trip with buses and metro could take up to an hour, but the REM could change that.
“Now that it just took 15 minutes, I think I’ll come more often,” DeVito said.
Others think the new REM line could help office goers and students.
“For our youngest residents who go to university, who go to Montreal, who cross the river, or who cross Montreal from one end to the other, it will be a real plus,” Gerard Bélanger.
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Commuter Lucas Delannoy said, “I think it’s so cool because it took me 40 minutes to go to work and now it’s only like 10 to 15 so it’s way better.”
As riders enjoyed the free weekend, some 40 REM employees responsible for building maintenance held a protest in front of the Deux-Montagnes station. They decry working conditions and labour practices of the operator of the light-rail network, Pulsar.
The extension adds 14 stations between downtown Montreal and the North Shore, with service running Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. between Deux-Montagnes and Gare Centrale. Regular service continues between Gare Centrale and Brossard.
The REM’s full 67-kilometre network will eventually feature 26 stations and is scheduled to cost $9.4 billion. The final leg, linking Montreal-Trudeau International Airport, is expected in 2027.
The Deux-Montagnes line opens to paying riders Monday at 5:30 a.m.
