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The Société de transport de Montréal will kill its popular express airport bus for all but four hours during the day once the new Réseau express métropolitain electric train comes online.

That will probably mean a longer and costlier trip to the airport for thousands who currently board the 747 bus that makes 11 stops between the Berri-UQÀM métro and bus terminal and the airport.

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Once completed, the REM will extend from Deux-Montagnes to Brossard, serve the West Island and central Montreal and have 26 stations over 67 kilometres. Service is to begin in 2021, though service to the airport is to start only in 2023. The $6.3-billiondriverless light-rail project is overseen by the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, the province’s largest pension fund manager.

Because of a non-compete agreement reached between the Caisse and the regional transport authority — the Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain — the STM will be allowed to operate the 747 shuttle only during the hours the REM won’t be running, roughly from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m.