Implementation of the temporary public transportation network

Montréal Published on September 9, 2019

Montréal, September 9, 2019 — The Minister for Transport and Minister Responsible for the Metropolis and the Montréal Region, Chantal Rouleau, the Chief Executive Officer of the Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain (ARTM), Paul Côté, and the Executive Director — Corporate Affairs and Development of CDPQ Infra, Harout Chitilian, presented the detailed mitigation measures for the work on the Réseau express métropolitain (REM). This major project, which will cause the closure of the Mont-Royal tunnel in January 2020, will have significant impacts on the route used by the Deux-Montagnes and Mascouche train users, as it will increase the travel time and number of transfers between different modes of transportation.

Over the last few months, the ministère des Transports, the ARTM, the public transit corporations, exo, CDPQ Infra, and the municipalities and boroughs involved worked together to develop mitigation measures for each affected area. The objective of these measures was to implement effective and competitive alternatives to solo car use, as well as offer several route options to public transit users.

This temporary network will include:

a rail shuttle between Deux-Montagnes and Bois-Franc;
a route bypassing mont-Royal for three departures during morning and evening rush hours on the Mascouche line to maintain direct access to the Central Station;
bus shuttles toward the orange, green and blue lines of the Montréal metro, as well as a shuttle off-peak and on weekends between Deux-Montagnes and downtown;
construction of platforms and terminals;
preferential measures for buses (transit priority signals, reserved lanes, use of freeway shoulders), along with redesigned schedules and routes;
improvement of the bus service on certain STM, STL and exo lines;
additional park-and-ride lots at the Bois-de-Boulogne station on the Saint-Jérôme train line.

Fare measures are also planned for the users of the affected lines. The rail shuttle between Deux-Montagnes and Bois-Franc as well as bus shuttles between the Bois-Franc station and the Côte-Vertu metro station will be free for the users of the Deux-Montagnes line. Additionally, for current users, the first four months are free with a yearly subscription to public transportation services on the island of Montréal as of January 2020. Afterwards, the monthly fare will be $86.50. A discount of up to 30% will also apply to transit fares for users of the Mascouche line.

Quotes:

“The hard work carried out in the last 12 months by about 20 organizations, including the municipalities of the metropolitan region, enables us to present a varied transportation offer that will remain competitive with solo car use despite longer travel times. I requested that we give particular importance to communications with commuters to help them choose their routes and transportation modes throughout the various phases of REM construction. We have to keep in mind that, when this major work is completed, the REM will provide a high-quality service, equivalent to that of a metro, to the population of the metropolitan region.”

Chantal Rouleau, Minister for Transport and Minister Responsible for the Metropolis and the Montréal Region

“The ARTM was at the heart of a continued mobilization, which was conducive to an unprecedented cooperation in the metropolitan region, as it coordinated measure planning and assisted the numerous partners involved. Everyone is dedicated to the project. With the closure of the tunnel under mont Royal, an adjustment period will be needed for users affected by this major metropolitan project. We can assure them that the partners will make every effort to guide them and will continue to work tirelessly for them every day until the most important public transit project of the metropolitan region in the last 50 years is completed.”

Paul Côté, Chief Executive Officer of the Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain

“Over the next few months, we will close the Mont-Royal tunnel to modernize this century-old structure and continue the construction of the REM. No effort was spared to optimize construction methods and the schedule. However, we are aware that work of this scale has consequences on users of the Deux-Montagnes and Mascouche lines. We are confident that, once completed, the REM will have a positive impact on users daily life with significantly shorter travel times, an enhanced service offer and new destinations.”

Harout Chitilian, Executive Director — Corporate Affairs and Development of CDPQ Infra

Highlights:

The temporary public transportation network represents $192 million in investments from the gouvernement du Québec and CDPQ Infra.

Fares that take the impacts on users into account:
- Line exo6 Deux-Montagnes:
  - the rail shuttle and STM shuttle 964 – trainbus Bois-Franc/Côte-Vertu are free;
  - for current users, the first four months are free with a yearly subscription to public transportation services on the island of Montréal as of January 2020. Afterwards, the monthly fare will be $86.50.
- Line exo5 Mascouche: up to 30% discount on monthly TRAIN and TRAM fares, with a minimum price of $86.50.
Implementation of shuttles to facilitate trips toward downtown:
- exo rail shuttle between Deux-Montagnes and Bois-Franc;
- exo shuttle 404 – Deux-Montagnes/Mansfield terminal (downtown) off-peak and on weekends;
- STM shuttle 964 – trainbus Bois-Franc/Côte-Vertu, between the Bois-Franc Station and the Côte-Vertu metro station: synchronized with train arrivals and departures;
- STM shuttle 968 – trainbus Roxboro/Côte-Vertu, between the Roxboro-Pierrefonds and Sunnybrooke stations and the Côte-Vertu metro station;
- STM shuttle 919 – trainbus Acadie/Mont-Royal/Namur.
Route bypassing mont-Royal on CN railways for three trains of the Mascouche line to maintain access to the Central Station during the morning and evening rush hours: service starting in 2020.

Service improvements on STM, STL and exo bus lines:
- STM: 92, 121, 165 and 470;
- STL: 26, 144, 151, 902 and 903;
- Exo:
  - Laurentides area: 8, 9 and 59;
  - Terrebonne-Mascouche area: 30 and 140;
  - L’Assomption area: 100, 300 and 400.

Construction of new temporary platforms at the Radisson station for users of the Mascouche line and at the Bois-Franc station for users of the Deux-Montagnes line.

Addition of a park-and-ride facility at the Bois-de-Boulogne station of line exo2 Saint-Jérôme.

Creation of a field crew to inform and guide public transportation users in stations, metros and bus terminals.

Creation of new information platform on mitigation measures at quebec.ca/mobilitymontreal, and availability of the Chrono application as a route planning tool.

The first phase of STM’s Movement orange, which has been implemented on August 26, 2019, aims to reduce congestion on the orange line between the Beaubien and Berri-UQAM stations. Although the Mouvement orange is not a mitigation measure for the REM, it will have a positive impact on this strategic metro axis. The initiative includes:

the creation of line 445 – Express Papineau, which uses a reserved lane;
the creation of line 480 – Express du Parc, with a route located on reserved lanes and departures at the Parc station synchronized with the Saint-Jérôme train, and;
service improvements on the orange metro line with the addition of two metro trains during morning rush hours from the Henri-Bourassa station.

Traffic on weekdays — data: