REM Ridership Rises in Montreal During Stanley Cup Playoffs

Montreal’s transit system is seeing a measurable boost tied to the Stanley Cup playoffs, as the Montreal Canadiens’ push toward the championship has increased ridership on the Réseau express métropolitain, or REM, officials said.

The REM’s Bonaventure station, a key stop on the network, provides direct connections to the Canadiens’ home arena, the Bell Centre. Julien Hurel, vice-president for the REM project at the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, the public pension fund manager and owner of the light-rail system, said the playoffs have coincided with a rise in daily use across the network’s operational segments.

Hurel said transit officials have a long-term objective of increasing ridership to 150,000 daily rides by the time the network is completed in 2027. At present, he estimated combined ridership on the two other branches that are already in operation at about 78,000 daily passages. Since the start of the National Hockey League Stanley Cup playoffs, he said daily ridership has climbed to roughly 104,000 rides.

Speaking to reporters, Hurel attributed part of that increase to game days and the added travel demand created by high-profile matches. He said, “And thank...