MONTREAL – The company behind the trains running on Montreal’s light-rail network is promising to implement solutions after acknowledging its trains have not been reliable since a new branch of the REM opened last November.
“As the train supplier, Alstom acknowledges that the REM has not yet delivered the level of reliability that passengers have a right to expect,” the company said in a statement on Thursday.
Alstom Canada said it has identified defective electronic components on certain trains as the source of many of the recent disruptions that have plagued the network, the Réseau express métropolitain — or REM.
The issue, the company said in a statement on Thursday, is “primarily related to the sealing of electronic elements, which are the cause of the vast majority of service interruptions.”
The rail company said it expected to complete repairs in the coming days.
Pulsar, the operator of the REM, said during one stoppage earlier this month that snow infiltration on wheel components were triggering a protective system measure and causing the trains to shutter.
The company admits the service has fallen below expectations with frequent delays, particularly on the 30-kilometre extension of the REM that opened on Nov. 17.
The new line travels northwest from Central Station, through a tunnel under Mount Royal linking the campuses of McGill University and Université de Montréal. It continues along the north end of the island before going to Laval, just north of Montreal, ending at the Deux-Montagnes station, northwest of the city.
The first five stations linking Brossard to Central Station opened in 2023.
Alstom notes the current problems are different than the ones experienced in the previous winter, when the first branch on the REM also experienced delays. Experts believe the new issues will be easier to resolve.
Alstom is working with Pulsar to improve the service on the new stretch “that is experiencing isolated operational challenges.”
“The top priority for Alstom and Pulsar, the REM operator, is to provide reliable, frequent, and efficient service to users as quickly as possible,” the company said.
Retired Université de Montréal urbanism professor Paul Lewis told The Canadian Press this week that reliability issues are common for new transport networks. For example, he noted how Ottawa’s light-rail service had numerous breakdowns in its early days after opening in 2019.
“Changes need to be made, for example, in the maintenance of certain equipment or in protection against the elements, rain, snow, things like that,” Lewis said. “It’s somewhat normal to encounter implementation problems. I think we’ll manage to resolve them, but it could take time.”
Trajectoire Quebec, a local public transit lobby group, said it has observed how REM’s operator has started doing more to inform the public about what has caused disruptions.
The group also says it is encouraged to see how local transit officials are improving their plans to deploy backup buses to deal with possible breakdowns.
“Public transit users need efficient, fast, frequent, and reliable public transit,” the group said in a statement on Friday. “With improved reliability, the REM has the potential to positively revolutionize how people get around in the Greater Montreal area.”
Quebec Transport Minister Jonatan Julien said Friday that the current situation is unacceptable. The minister spoke with CDPQ Infra, the owner of the light rail, Pulsar, and Alstom on Thursday to relay that message.
“I expect an improvement in reliability of the service for users,” Julien said, given that Alstom has identified the issue.
Two branches are yet to be opened. One branch to Montreal’s West Island suburbs is expected by spring, while a branch to Montréal Trudeau International Airport is expected at some point in 2027.
Once complete, the network will have 26 stations across 67 kilometres.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 30, 2026.
— with files from Morgan Lowrie in Montreal.
