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As Montreal's new light rail or LRT system is set to open its first branch of service this summer, researchers at TRAM, a transportation research group at ³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ, have released an overview of how Montrealers say they plan to use (or not use) the new system, based on surveys conducted between 2019 to 2022. The surveys form a part of the multiyear project titled "Impacts of the new Réseau Express Métropolitain (REM) on mobility, health and equity: A pre-post intervention study," funded by Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Some of the key points from their recent ¾±²Ô³¦±ô³Ü»å±ð:ÌýÌýÌý

• Perceptions of the REM were largely positive across the three waves, especially regarding environmental and regional benefits.ÌýÌý

• Respondents’ intentions to use the REM decreased from 54% to 47% between 2019 and 2022. More than 70% of those living within walking distance (1200 m) from a station stated that they are likely to use the REM.ÌýÌý

• More than 60% of the respondents intend to use the REM for leisure and going to the airport (when this branch opens), while more than a third of participants plan use the REM to commute to work.ÌýÌý

• Across the three waves of data collection, women were consistently found to be less likely to use the REM than men.ÌýÌýÌý

• Perceptions regarding construction impacts remained mostly stable across the three waves, while the percentage of respondents reporting that they felt well informed about transport alternatives increased overtime.ÌýÌý

• Those reporting that they were negatively impacted by construction were found to be the least likely to use the REM in the future.ÌýÌýÌý

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