REM Construction: Schedule Changes on March 25, 2019 on the exo6 Deux-Montagnes and exo5 Mascouche Train Lines

Montréal, February 21, 2019 – Due to the progress of the work on the Réseau express métropolitain  (REM) during 2019, exo is making scheduling changes effective March 25 for the exo6 Deux-Montagnes and exo5 Mascouche lines.

These schedule changes will allow activities to continue on these lines until early 2020 when the complete closure of the Mont-Royal Tunnel will result in service interruption between Du Ruisseau Station and Central Station. The mitigation strategy that will be deployed to maintain public transit during this important work phase will be announced in the next few days by all partners.

The schedule changes will also facilitate maintenance of regular service that can better adjust to unexpected circumstances. To achieve this, the schedules of several trains on the exo5 Mascouche and exo6 Deux-Montagnes lines will be changed in anticipation of the upcoming work.

Upcoming work in 2019

During the year, the complete transformation of the exo6 Deux-Montagnes train into a light and automated métro line will be accentuated:

• In the spring, in the Canora and Mont-Royal sectors, work will shift from the West side to the East side of the track to pursue construction of future stations in the sector.
  • This move will require the construction of a temporary shared platform that will replace the two stations in the sector. 
• In the summer, in the Mont-Royal Tunnel, work will intensify to initiate the link between the tunnel and the Édouard-Montpetit station to ensure the connection between the REM and the Montréal métro's Blue Line.
  • To allow this work, trains will operate on a single track over a longer segment within the Mont-Royal Tunnel.

Required schedule adjustments

In the context of this work, schedule adjustments are required for certain departures on the exo6 Deux-Montagnes and exo5 Mascouche lines:

exo6 Deux-Montagnes line

• Monday to Thursday: no change in the number of morning and evening rush hour departures
• Friday: no change in the number of morning rush hour departures
• Monday to Friday afternoon, there will be one less departure to Central Station.
• Friday evenings, there will be two fewer departures: one to Deux-Montagnes and one to Central Station. The last departure from Central Station to Deux-Montagnes will therefore leave at 7:17 p.m., and the last departure from Deux-Montagnes Station to Central Station will leave at 5:24 p.m.
• End-to-end trip times on the line will increase by an average of 5 minutes.
• Train departure times will vary from 0 to 37 minutes compared the current schedule.

exo5 Mascouche line

• No change in the number of departures
• End-to-end trip times on the line will increase by an average of 5 minutes.
• Train departure times will vary from 0 to 5 minutes compared to the current schedule.
• For example, the first morning departure to Montréal will be 5 minutes earlier.

These schedule changes will take effect on March 25. They coincide with the schedule change dates of the other public carriers (STL and STM) to ensure better synchronization of services. Note that the schedules of exo buses serving the Deux-Montagnes, Terrebonne and Repentigny stations have also been changed.

Creation of a shared platform for the Mont-Royal and Canora stations

Changes in the habits of users of Canora and Mount Royal stations will also be expected in the spring. The east and west platforms of these stations will be taken out of service until the REM is operational. A new temporary platform will be built between the two existing stations to maintain access to the trains on the Deux‑Montagnes and Mascouche lines during this period. This central platform will be located less than a 5-minute walk from the existing stations and two new accesses will be built to access it. This change is scheduled for the spring and deployment of the platform is currently being planned for the May long weekend, May 18-20. This date will be confirmed later based on the progress of the work.

Exo customers are encouraged to visit their website now to view the new schedules at exo.quebec/deux-montagnes, exo.quebec/mascouche and exo.quebec/avis#36294716.

Customers are also invited to visit the other carriers’ websites (STM and STL) and plan their trips with the Chrono application, which incorporates alternative transportation measures and the status of exo service in real time.

What steps are being taken to compensate for the cancelled departures?

To compensate for these cancellations, the schedule of the 400 line, an exo express bus route that connects Deux-Montagnes and Grand-Moulin stations to the Montmorency metro station, will be modified. The 5:20 p.m. departure toward Montmorency station will be adjusted to 4:25 p.m. Monday to Friday, and another departure toward Montmorency station will be added at 6:30 p.m. on Fridays.

Users at other stations will be able to use STM and STL bus services.

What are the reasons behind the use of only one platform between Canora and Mont-Royal stations?

The consortium working on the REM, NouvLR, must perform work at Canora and Mont-Royal stations to prepare for construction of the new network’s stations. The eastern and western platforms at Canora and Mont-Royal stations will be closed until the REM begins operation. Until then, a temporary platform will be constructed between the two existing stations to maintain access to the Deux-Montagnes and Mascouche lines. The decision was made to install a single platform between the two stations to maintain safe service during construction. Details regarding the construction of the single platform will be provided later.

Why was the decision made to adjust the schedule on March 25?

March 25 is the same date that the schedule changes for the STM, STL, and exo systems will take effect. By making our adjustments on that date as well, we are ensuring that the exo train system and the bus systems of Greater Montreal remain synchronized.

When will mitigation measures for the 2020 closure of the Mount Royal Tunnel be announced?

Implementing a transitional transportation network involving every transit company of Greater Montreal poses a significant challenge for all partners. High-level measures are currently being finalized by these partners and will be announced in the coming days.

About exo

Since June 1, 2017, exo has operated conventional public transit services by train and bus, as well as specialized transit for people with disabilities in the Montreal Metropolitain Community, which encompasses 82 municipalities, the community of Kahnawake, and the city of Saint-Jérôme. The exo network consists of six train lines, 62 stations, some 237 bus lines, 52 taxibus routes, and 71 parking lots offering 27,500 parking spaces and 3,500 bicycle spaces. Exo is the second-largest public-transit operator in Greater Montreal. In 2017, it provided almost 45 million trips: 20 million by train, 24 million by bus, and 675,000 by specialized transit. exo.quebec

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Media inquiries :

exo
Louis-André Bertrand
Conseiller – Relations médias
Tél. : 514 287-2464, poste 4057
medias@exo.quebec

Réseau express métropolitain
Jean-Vincent Lacroix
Directeur, Relations avec les médias
Tél. : 514 847-2896
jvlacroix@rem.info

Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain
Simon Charbonneau
Conseiller, Affaires publiques et relations médias
514 409-2786, poste 7408
scharbonneau@artm.quebec