Commuters on Montreal's South Shore worry about longer, costlier transit as REM opening draws near

Annick Beauchemin calls herself a "true believer in public transport," but by the end of month, her daily commute is about to get more complicated and more expensive, she says.

"I kind of feel abandoned, " said Beauchemin.

Right now, the Brossardresident takes an express bus from Montreal's South Shore to her workplace in Old Montreal, all in 34 minutes. The quick bus commute is one of the reasons she moved to the city just south of Montreal, she says.

However, as of July 31, when the long-awaited and delayed inauguration of the Rseau express mtropolitain (REM) network is finally set to happen, her commute will nearly double, she said.

To top it off, she says her monthly transit fare of $108 will jump to $155 and she will have to use three different transit networks: a bus from the Rseau de transport de Longueuil (RTL), then a REM train to Central Station overshooting the stop she currently gets off at followed by a Socit de transport de Montral (STM) bus.

That's because with the opening of the REM and its non-competition clause that preventsbuses from other transit networks from crossingthe Champlain Bridge, there will no longer be shuttlesbringing passengers from the South Shore into Montreal, and the REM station she should be disembarking at Griffintown-Bernard Landry station is still under construction until at least the end of 2024.

"It's not logical to me that they would just take away a service that we used to have, and that a lot of people use," she said.

Other commuters who travel to Montreal from the South Shore are also concernedabout longer transit times now that express lines are set to be abolished.

Nishant Kinger and his wife,Kasturee Mulay, ride the bus from Brossard to get to work in Griffintown during the week, a 35-minute commute on a regular day.

The couple were initially excited when the REM plans were announced for the South Shore, but theysay that fizzled a bit when they heardtheir bus lines would be discontinued at the end of the month.

Kinger says they will now have to take multiple buses instead of just one, an unwelcome change, especially during the winter months.

"We don't want to take the car out everyday for the two of us," said Mulay. "Parking is super expensive, so we can't really do that."

She hopes transit authorities will reduce the frequency of the 42 and 90 busesrather than do away with them altogether at least while construction on the Griffintown station is still underway.

Maxime Lalibert, who is responsible for public affairs at the RTL, says he is confident the REM will allow most commuters to get to their destinationsfaster.

Eight different bus lines currently cross the Champlain Bridge, and out of those, the two express bus lines the 90 and 45 lines will get the axe on July 31.

While Lalibert says he understands some are worried about the demise of the express bus routes, he says that unlike buses, REM trains will not get snarled in traffic or slowed by road conditions.

In a statement, Emmanuelle Rouillard-Moreau, communications officer withREMbuilderCDPQ-Infra, told CBC the Griffintown station is being built in a "complex environment" where many other commuter and passenger railway tracksexist.

"We are currently conducting additional studies to establish optimal construction methods that are safe for workers," said Rouillard-Moreau.

"The results of these studies will be available at the end of the year."

WATCH| A sneak peek ofthe Brossard REM station:

Here's a sneak peek at the Brossard REM station on Montreal's South Shore

1 year ago

Duration 2:31

CBC Montreal's Kwabena Oduro got a chance to tour the Brossard REM station.