Excitement, optimism as hundreds line up to ride Montreal's new light-rail train line
CTV
Lines wrapped through Montreal's central station on Saturday as hundreds of people waited to board the metro area's new light-rail train system, many of them showing up just to marvel at the new transit service, even if they don't expect to take it often.
Lineups wound through Montreal's central transit station on Saturday as hundreds of people waited to board the metro area's new light-rail train system, with many showing up just to marvel at the new service even if they don't expect to take it often.
The first section of the driverless, electric train system known as the Reseau express metropolitain, or REM, is free to ride this weekend ahead of its official launch on Monday.
More than 20,000 people took advantage of the offer on Saturday, the network reported on social media. It said it stopped accepting new passengers just before 1 p.m. to ensure those who had already embarked would be able to return to their points of departure.
Five stations are now open on the REM segment connecting downtown Montreal with the suburb of Brossard, Que. to the southeast across the Saint Lawrence River.
It's the first part of what will eventually become a 26-station network spanning 67 kilometres, representing Montreal's biggest transit expansion since the construction of the metro in the 1960s.
The opening of the REM was a particularly monumental occasion for Jean-Pierre Nadeau, who said he remembers taking part in the inauguration of the metro system in 1967 when he was 15 years old.
"It's wonderful," he said of the REM as he waited with family for a train at central station. Nadeau, a retiree, said he doesn't plan to use the light-rail system frequently but still looks forward to its completion.
