Montreal’s new REM West Island line opened to strong fanfare, with driverless electric trains now running from Anse-à-l’Orme to downtown Montreal and connecting to the broader light-rail network. The service promises frequent departures, convenient access to the city centre, and a modern alternative for students, workers, shoppers, and fans traveling across the region. For many riders, the new line represents a major upgrade in speed, comfort, and reliability compared with older transit options.
But the debut has also exposed a major flaw: the REM is not being introduced as a simple addition to the existing system. Instead, transit agencies have cut or reworked dozens of bus routes to feed passengers into the new rail line, creating longer, more complicated trips for many suburban and off-island riders. Routes that once offered direct service to key destinations have been eliminated or altered, forcing passengers to transfer multiple times just to complete routine commutes.
A columnist’s first trip on the new system from Hudson to the Montreal Gazette newsroom took two hours, despite the REM ride itself lasting only 39 minutes. The rest of the journey was consumed by waiting, transfers, and indirect bus routing. Two buses were needed to reach the REM station, including a slow route through residential streets before joining the highway and crossing the Île-aux-Tourtes Bridge. The experience highlighted how a shiny new rail line can still fail to deliver faster door-to-door travel when the surrounding bus network is weakened.
Critics say the problem is especially severe for students and commuters who relied on direct express buses. One example is Bus 40, which had provided a direct link from the Vaudreuil transit hub to Côte-Vertu métro, and Bus 91, which served CEGEP Gérald-Godin. Both were suspended or rerouted so passengers would transfer to the REM instead. After local protests from mayors, students, and parents, some of those services were temporarily restored for the academic year, but their long-term future remains uncertain.
The article argues that the REM may work well for riders already close to its stations, but it is not yet a practical solution for many people living in smaller communities and farther suburbs. Alternatives such as driving to a station or getting dropped off may save time, but they are not realistic for everyone and can create new problems. The writer says that if public transit is meant to persuade more people to leave their cars at home, the current setup is not achieving that goal.
More broadly, the piece warns that Quebec has underinvested in transit expansion beyond the REM. Other long-promised projects, such as métro extensions and tramway plans, remain delayed, sidelined, or unfinished. Without stronger funding and a more balanced network, the REM could end up replacing useful service rather than improving mobility. The columnist concludes that, despite its technological appeal, the REM is not the transformational project Montreal needed.
