STM attempts to quell confusion about service times as maintenance workers strike enters second day
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Montreal's transit authority is offering clarifications to commuters after a hectic first day of a nine-day strike saw people locked out of métro stations and waiting for buses that didn't show up.
An STM worker circulated among waiting commuters early Tuesday morning at Rosemont métro station, showing them a scrap of paper on which she had written a timetable for that station's service. She said that while most people understood the schedules by Day 2 of the strike, some confusion was inevitable.
'It's very civil,' said Deli Fuentes, who was waiting for the first train out of the station. The strike was being handled with 'a lot of order,' she said, adding that she supported the maintenance workers' right to strike for a better contract.
Still, 'I don't like it,' she said. Fuentes said that on Monday she spent $50 on a taxi to return from a medical appointment after the métro had closed. Fuentes said she'd also met confused commuters who hadn't realized they had already missed the last métro.
On Monday, many found themselves stranded as the morning rush hour services came to a close. People could be seen venting their frustration to staff as others scrambled to make new plans.
The STM had announced that the métro would run from 6:30 a.m. to 9:38 a.m. before closing until the start of the evening rush hour service. But the transit authority has since clarified that 9:38 a.m. is when all service stops completely, not when the last train leaves each station.
'Métro stations close once the last train has made its final run — often before the end of (scheduled) essential services,' the STM said in a statement. 'It is strongly suggested to be at the métro station 10 minutes before the last train runs in order to ensure your trip.'
Both métros and buses will only depart if they can finish their route before the end of the strike. At Angrignon station, for example, the last morning train toward Honoré-Beaugrand departs at 8:55 a.m. Schedules for each line are posted on the STM's strike website.
The transit authority says commuters should use the customer information apps available to follow bus schedules in real time.
Some commuters may also have been perplexed by the sight of empty trains passing through stations after STM employees had told them to vacate. But the procedure is necessary to wind down service, the STM said.
The transit authority said that while it understands the 'serious impacts' the strike is having on commuters' lives, the public should show respect 'toward those employees present on the ground to ensure essential services.'
Bus and métro service on Tuesday will only run during morning and evening rush hours as well as at the end of the evening. The same level of service will be offered on Wednesday.
On Thursday and as Grand Prix weekend begins, full service will be offered during rush hour and at 50 per cent of its usual frequency during the rest of the day.
Regular service will be offered on Friday, Saturday and Sunday for the F1 event. The following Monday and Tuesday, rush hour service will be at full level but offered during the same schedules as Monday and Tuesday of this week. Service between rush hours on those two days next week will be maintained at 50 per cent.
Adapted transport is not affected. The STM's school bus service is also maintained, but no service is offered outside rush hours until Wednesday of next week.
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