First paying customers ride REM’s new West Island branch

After inauguration ceremonies held Friday and free rides during an open house on Saturday and Sunday, the REM’s newest branch began accepting its first paying customers on Monday.

The newest branch, dubbed A3 or Anse-à-l’Orme, has four stations that run parallel to Highway 40: Des Sources, Fairview–Pointe-Claire, Kirkland and Anse-à-l’Orme in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue. Although initially slated to begin service when the Deux-Montagnes, or A2, branch began in November, service on this branch was delayed so operators could conduct more tests on how to integrate two branches into the network.

Trains will run on the Anse-à-l’Orme line every 10 minutes during peak periods and every 15 minutes off-peak.

A REM train departs the Kirkland station on the new Anse-à-l’Orme branch on Monday. Dave Sidaway / Montreal Gazette

On Friday, the media got its first look at the new branch, with trips offered at the Des Sources station just before 9 a.m.

During the evening, politicians and other dignitaries inaugurated the line with a small ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Fairview–Pointe-Claire station.

On Saturday and Sunday, it was the public’s turn to experience the new train line, and thousands came out to ride for free between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. on both days. Access was free to anyone boarding at the new stations, while users on the rest of the network still had to pay during that period.

Thousands took the train during the weekend, and as a result, the parking lot around the Fairview–Pointe-Claire station was full. There was a steady stream of passengers on the walkway that links the REM station and the Fairview shopping mall.

Monday’s official opening was on a slower than normal day because of the Journée nationale des Patriotes holiday. The first real test for the new branch will come Tuesday morning, when it sees its first rush of commuters.

With the addition of the four stations, the REM is one of the largest automated light-rail networks in the world, spanning 62 kilometres and serving 23 stations.

As of Monday afternoon, there had not been any mechanical issues or delays. Since it entered service in 2023, the REM has been plagued with mechanical problems during cold weather.

A REM train pulls into the Anse-à-l’Orme station in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue on Monday. Dave Sidaway / Montreal Gazette

REM operators said Friday the trains have an on-time rate of 99 per cent. Ridership has been steadily increasing and averages 78,000 rides per day, with operators noting a peak of 108,000 in recent weeks.

“At 99 per cent, it sounds like it’s good, but we’re not satisfied yet,” Julien Hurel, vice-president of REM for owner CDPQ Infra, told reporters on Friday. “We want people not to have to think twice about taking the REM if they have an important appointment.”

CDPQ Infra has a daily ridership goal of 150,000, which operators believe they will achieve with the addition of the A3 and A2 lines. The latter will service Trudeau airport and the Technoparc in St-Laurent.

The airport station is still under construction and is expected to be completed next year. The REM will then have to put trains through several months of testing before it can accept its first passengers on the A2 line. The target for that branch to begin service is the end of 2027.

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Jason Magder

You'll often see Jason Magder donning a hard hat and florescent vest at a local construction site. As The Gazette's transportation reporter for more than a decade, he has seen the new Champlain Bridge built, the old one demolished and followed the ups and downs of the city's transit system. He has been covering news in Montreal for 25 years.

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