Shortage of conductors forces commuter train cancellations

The Réseau de transport métropolitain has cancelled commuter train departures from Monday to Wednesday because of operational issues related to the recent takeover of operations by Bombardier Transportation.

The Deux-Montagnes line is the most affected, with three cancellations Monday and two more each of Tuesday and Wednesday.

The RTM will offer a shuttle bus service for the Deux-Montagnes, Grand-Moulin and Ste-Dorothée stations only for one of the cancelled trains on Monday. For other stations, and all other cancelled trains, the RTM suggests that passengers use their local public transit systems.

The Mascouche line is also affected, with two cancellations each of the three days.

Caroline Julie Fortin, spokesperson for the RTM — the successor to the Agence métropolitaine de transport — explained the cancellations are because of the recent takeover of operations by Bombardier, which went into effect Saturday.

The commuter train lines used to be managed by Canadian National and Canadian Pacific.

She explained that as a result, there is a temporary shortage of train conductors — due in part to vacations — which forced them to cancel the trains. By Thursday, Fortin said service is expected to return to normal.

Marc-André Lefebvre, spokesperson for Bombardier Transportation, explained that because of some delays in the new agreement, they only learned last week that some employees who will continue working on the commuter trains already had set vacation time.

Above all, Fortin recommends, however, that train users “carefully plan their commute to take the train before or after” the cancelled one.

* The RTM will offer a shuttle bus in place of the 9 a.m. train from Deux-Montagnes on Monday. The bus stop at Deux-Montagnes, Grand-Moulin and Ste-Dorothée stations before dropping passengers off at Montmorency métro station. (That métro station will accept train-only fares from 9 to 11 a.m.)