Users of two Exo-subway services — one linking Saint-Jérôme to Montreal and the other Metropolis to Vaudreuil — lost a total of four departures during morning and evening rush hours.
Posted at 5:00 am
Louise Leduc The press
Unlike subways, commuter trains are rare, and not all pre-pandemic rush hours have been postponed.
For example, in Vaudreuil, a user who misses the 8:18 train has to wait 30 minutes for the next one. Ditto for all stations on this downtown connection, such as Dorval, Lachine, Pointe-Claire, Beaconsfield, etc.
On the evening of the train departing from Montreal’s Lucien-L’Allier station, the 4:40 p.m. departure was withdrawn. If you can’t catch the 4:20 p.m., you have to wait 40 minutes later at 5 p.m. for the next one.
Two exits in the Montréal–Saint-Jérôme corridor were also removed in the morning and evening hours.
Jean-Maxime St-Hilaire, media relations consultant at exo, confirms this and says these service cuts are linked to the drop in passenger numbers on commuter trains since COVID-19.
An alleged lack of attendance
“It is exo’s wish to reintroduce all pre-pandemic departures to the timetable for the exo1-Vaudreuil-Hudson and exo2-Saint-Jérôme train lines, when traffic warrants it,” he explains.
This decision, adds Mr St-Hilaire, is being made in conjunction with the Regional Metropolitan Transport Authority (ARTM), which is responsible for funding public transport in the metropolitan area.
How much does a train cost on one line or the other? Compared to some buses for example? Mr. St-Hilaire replied that exo could not provide that number, particularly because of the difficulty in separating fixed costs from variable costs.
Marc Doret, Mayor of Dorval, stresses that before the pandemic the service was already “very limited during the week and almost non-existent at weekends”, regretting and stressing that young people are particularly penalized. “exo’s services are primarily used by residents of Dorval to travel downtown and students attending schools in Montreal West and Montreal,” he says.
PHOTO FROM CITY OF MONTREAL WEBSITE
Marc Doret, Mayor of Dorval
Cutting key services like the Exo train is counterintuitive and makes no sense as people will resort to the car as their first choice to get to Montreal.
Marc Doret, Mayor of Dorval
He adds: “Our fear at Dorval has always been that once the REM is in circulation, there will be pressure from the ARTM to reduce Exo services even further, or even to end Exo service on the Montreal line altogether. – Vaudreuil, which would be extremely problematic for those who live near Highway 20 from Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue to Lachine. »
“It is crucial for our administration to be able to rely on an efficient and reliable transport network that meets the needs of users. If we want the population to use public transport, it is essential that journeys are offered during rush hours in order to contribute to mobility and reduce greenhouse gases. We are committed to helping our industry partners find solutions to current planning challenges,” the office of Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante told us.