Fare hikes will greet transit riders in 2013

Cost increase will come with more train departures on two lines

The cost of riding commuter trains will rise by three per cent on Jan. 1, but users can also expect more train departures on two lines in 2013.

The Agence métropolitaine de transport, which operates five commuter lines, said it is hiking fares to keep up with the rising cost of goods and so it can increase service.

The AMT last raised fares on Jan. 1, 2012, when they went up by 3.25 per cent.

Train fares are based on eight zones — the farther passengers are from downtown, the more they pay. The most common pass is known as a TRAM, allowing unlimited travel on trains and Société de transport de Montréal buses and the métro.

A Zone 1 monthly TRAM will cost $87, up from $84.50. In Zone 2, the rate will be $102, up from $99. In Zones 3, 4 and 5, the cost of passes will rise by $4. In Zone 6, the hike amounts to $5. In Zone 7, the hike is $6 and in Zone 8 it’s $7.

The AMT plans to add six departures each to the Vaudreuil-Hudson line, which serves the West Island, and to the Blainville–St-Jérôme line, which has stops in Laval, spokeswoman Brigitte Léonard told The Gazette.

It’s unclear when in 2013 the new trains will be added.

Montreal bus and métro users will also face a three-per-cent fare hike on Jan. 1. The cost of a monthly Société de transport de Montréal pass will be $77.75, up from $75.50.