REM controls accessible to passengers on automated train to Montreal after vandalism

The owner of Montreal's new light-rail network says it is opening an investigation after a control panel cover on one of the trains was torn off, exposing all of the controls to operate the train.

The owner of Montreal's new light-rail network says it is opening an investigation after a control panel cover on one of the trains was torn off, exposing all of the controls to operate the train.

The act of vandalism happened around 5:30 a.m. Friday, on board a train that left the Brossard station heading to Montreal and gave quite the shock to early-morning commuters, including Suzanne Bellefleur.

"I went to sit down and we noticed right away that there was a piece of a panel sitting on the floor next to one of the upright poles that people hold onto. And then when I looked next to the seat where I was going to sit, I saw that the control panel was totally exposed with all the buttons to drive the train, to stop the train, the windshield wipers, the horn," Bellefleur said in an interview with Noovo Info.

The vandalized control panel exposed the transmission arm, the emergency stop and the door opening button, making them accessible to all passengers.

"It's a bit worrying because if someone wanted to commit mischief, all the controls were exposed ... Some passengers jokingly told me that we could go faster to get to work," Bellefleur said.

Unlike the underground Metro, there is no driver on board Montreal's new REM line. It is completely automated.