REM promises to improve communication after snowy weather brings service delays

The company that manages Montreal's new light-rail network says it's going to better communicate with users after a bumpy start to its first week of service during snowy weather.

Service on the Réseau express métropolitain (REM) was interrupted at 9 a.m. Friday for 45 minutes to allow Samuel de Champlain Bridge workers to clear the snow from the structure's pylons.

Users were told about the break in service at 7:36 a.m. via X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

"It was communicated to us too late so that we could give enough notice to users," said CDPQ Infra's president and CEO, Jean-Marc Arbaud, at a press conference later that morning.

He says he's asked that maintenance work be done outside of peak commuting hours. CDPQ Infra also plans to incorporate a text feature for commuters in the coming weeks.

The company has received 563 complaints between the REM's inauguration at the end of July and Oct. 31, CBC learned through an access to information request. The majority of those complaints were related to shutdowns, poor communication and infrastructure issues such as elevators and ticket distribution. 

On Oct. 31, dozens of passengers were stuck on the train, some for up to two hours, after service broke down with little insight into what was happening from REM authorities.