No refunds for stranded commuters, RTM says
Issues not linked to transfer of operating contracts, explains RTM spokesperson
Frozen track switches and mechanical glitches caused delays once again on Montreal’s suburban train lines Tuesday, but commuters shouldn’t expect any reimbursements, transit authorities said.
“It’s not anticipated for now, given that it’s really an exceptional situation” caused mainly by extreme temperature swings followed quickly by heavy snowfalls, said Élaine Arsenault, spokesperson for the Réseau de transport métropolitain (RTM).
The agency that oversees commuter rail service for the Montreal metropolitan region will be putting more resources instead into extra crews and increased maintenance and testing on trains and train lines.
“We are working day and night to improve the service over the next few weeks, the meteorological conditions are coming back to seasonal norms, we are forecasting a thaw and less cold conditions, so I think that will help us,” Arsenault said. “But it’s not anticipated that we will reimburse users.”
For the second time in as many days, a track-switching problem at the Lucien L’Allier station led to more problems for commuter train passengers on Tuesday morning. The heating system designed to melt snow and ice from switches that are the property of the CP rail company malfunctioned near the station, stranding trains before they could arrive. Train crews had to be dispatched to break the frozen switches, a process that takes 15 to 20 minutes.
The RTM tweeted at 8:30 a.m. that trains on the Vaudreuil, StJérôme and Candiac lines were ending their routes at the Vendome métro, where commuters were told their train tickets would allow access to the subway.
Those who chose to stay on the trains experienced delays of roughly 20 minutes, Arsenault said.
The detour comes a day after track-switching problems at the same station created delays on the RTM network, which has been plagued with technical problems since the beginning of the year.
At the same time, trains on the Deux-Montagnes line suffered frozen valves that stopped brake lines from working, while condensation caused electrical problems that disabled wagons. The problems are not linked to the transfer last July of the operating contracts for the Montreal region’s six commuter rail lines to Bombardier Transport in a $362-million, eight-year deal, Arsenault said.
Previously, CN and CP were responsible for train operations on the train tracks, which remain their property. Some commuters have questioned whether the switch to Bombardier played a role in recent events. Many are also demanding compensation for inadequate service. The Deux-Montagnes line, by far the most used with an average of 30,700 users daily in 2016, has long been overcrowded. But there are no immediate plans to increase capacity on that line because the RTM is already using all of its rolling stock, Arsenault said. Twenty-four double-decker wagons have been ordered, but will probably not be put into service until 2020.
In 2010, commuters filed a class-action lawsuit against the regional train authority over repeated delays, overcrowding and service disruptions that plagued the Deux-Montagnes and Dorion-Rigaud lines in January and February 2009. Riders spoke about doors frozen shut, repeated problems with switches, broken-down locomotives and rundown cars.
The Agence métropolitaine de transport settled with users in October 2014, a month before the case was scheduled to be heard in court.
The settlement was reported to be worth between $27 and $49 per user, depending on the number of claimants.
The AMT had already offered users a discount on monthly passes, but Pincourt resident Yves Boyer, who launched the lawsuit, argued only 63 per cent of affected users were able to apply for it because it was offered for a limited time and only at a few stations.