REM West Island line opens, transforming commutes

The long-awaited West Island branch of the REM rapid transit system opened Friday to the public, spanning 14 kilometres across four stations between Pointe-Claire and Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue. The line promises to cut travel time to downtown's McGill station to 33 minutes from Anse-à-l'Orme and 22 minutes from Des Sources. Operating 20 hours daily with trains departing every few minutes, the extension is expected to be a major traffic reliever for the region. REM operations director Carl Corbel called it "a real game-changer for the people of the West Island."