Montreal commuters found themselves waiting in extended queues at the Édouard‑Montpetit station on September 3, 2026, as the city’s back‑to‑school period began. The surge of students and staff traveling to schools across the island converged on the REM stop, leading to noticeable congestion at the station’s entry points.
Located roughly 70 metres below street level, Édouard‑Montpetit ranks among the deepest rail stations in Canada. The station’s design relies exclusively on five elevators to move passengers between the platforms and the surface. No escalators or stairways connect the underground platforms directly to the exit, a configuration that has drawn attention during peak travel times.
Because the elevators are the sole means of vertical transport, the sudden influx of riders created bottlenecks as each lift accommodated a limited number of passengers per trip. Commuters reported waiting several minutes before gaining access to an elevator, and lines formed at the ticket gates and platform access points. The situation highlighted how the station’s infrastructure struggles to cope with sudden spikes in demand.
Transportation officials note that the station’s depth and reliance on elevators are intentional elements of its construction, intended to meet engineering and urban‑planning requirements. However, the back‑to‑school rush demonstrated that the absence of alternative routes such as escalators or stairs can lead to crowding when passenger volumes rise sharply. The experience at Édouard‑Montpetit underscores the challenges faced by deep‑level stations that depend on a limited number of vertical conveyances, especially during periods of heightened travel activity.