Dorion-Rigaud Line (AMT)

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Dorion-Rigaud Line
Operating Since	1887 as a CP Service
Transferred to STCUM	1982
Refurbished	1982–1990
Transferred to AMT	1996
Length	64.4 kilometres
Number of Stations	19
Ridership (2007, Weekdays)	15,380[1]
Daily Departures	12 Inbound, 13 Outbound
Operated by	CP

Dorion-Rigaud Line
Legend Lucien-L'Allier Lucien-L'Allier metro Vendôme Vendôme metro Autoroute 15 Montréal-Ouest to Delson-Candiac Line to Blainville-Saint-Jérôme Line Autoroute 13 Lachine Autoroute 520 Dorval Pine Beach Valois Pointe-Claire Cedar Park Beaconsfield Beaurepaire Baie-d'Urfé Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue Île-Perrot Pincourt/Terrasse-Vaudreuil Dorion Vaudreuil Hudson Rigaud

The Dorion-Rigaud line is a commuter rail line operated in the Greater Montreal, Quebec, Canada area, by the Agence métropolitaine de transport, or AMT, (in English, the "Metropolitan transportation agency"), the umbrella organization that plans, integrates, and coordinates public transportation services across this region.

[edit] Overview

This line links the Lucien-L'Allier station in downtown Montreal with Rigaud to the west of the Island of Montreal. With the completion of a new Intermodal station in Vaudreuil, all trains that used to end in Dorion, now end in Vaudreuil. The name of the line is unchanged.

The line offers frequent service during rush hours (roughly every 30 minutes). Outside rush hours and on weekends service is every two to four hours. There is only one departure from Rigaud on the weekday mornings and one departure to Rigaud every weekday evening. This is the only line in Montreal to offer semi-express service: Reverse peak trains don't stop at certain smaller stations.^[2]

The trains are owned and managed by the Agence métropolitaine de transport, and operated by Canadian Pacific. Because it is operated by CPR, station names are given in both French and English. This is unique in Montreal.

[edit] History

Service on this line started in 1887. Service began with local stops between Montreal and Rigaud being added to trains running between Montreal and Ottawa. Over time, as the population of the western part of the Island of Montreal increased, Canadian Pacific established a dedicated commuter service with several stops on the Island of Montreal and off the western tip of the Island. Over the past 50 years, service patterns on the line have not changed all that much. The average number of weekday round trips has hovered around 12, with weekend and holiday service averaging about 2-6 trips depending on whether the day is Saturday or Sunday.

The commuter line was owned and operated by Canadian Pacific until October 1, 1982. On that date, management and ownership of the commuter trains was transferred to the publicly owned Montreal Urban Community Transit Commission (MUCTC). The MUCTC set fares and schedules, and assumed ownership of the equipment (passenger cars and locomotives) that Canadian Pacific had used to operate the service. Canadian Pacific continued to provide the tracks, stations, storage, maintenance, and train crews needed to keep the line running. For Montreal commuters, the transfer of ownership was positive because the trains were integrated into the bus and metro system. Over time, the commuter line was upgraded with the purchase of new equipment and renovated stations.

[edit] List of stations

The following stations are on the Dorion-Rigaud line:

The commuter line operates over the following Canadian Pacific Railway subdivisions:

• Westmount Subdivision (between Lucien L'Allier [0.1] and Montreal West [4.6]
• Vaudreuil Subdivision (between Montreal-West [0.0] and Dorion [18.9]
• M&O Subdivision (between Dorion [0.0] and Rigaud [16.5]

[edit] See also

• Deux-Montagnes Line
• Blainville-Saint-Jerome Line
• Mont-Saint-Hilaire Line
• Delson-Candiac Line
• Repentigny-Mascouche Line

[edit] References

1. ^ Ridership up on suburban trains. Montreal Gazette (2007). Retrieved on 2007-10-04.
2. ^ Horaire Montreal/Dorion-Rigaud. AMT (2006). Retrieved on 2006-12-26.
3. ^ Plan du Reseau STM 2007. STM (2007). Retrieved on 2007-05-15.
4. ^ Plan du Reseau de Nuit STM 2006. STM (2006). Retrieved on 2006-12-26.
5. ^ ^{a b} CIT La Presqu'île. CIT La Presqu'île (2006). Retrieved on 2006-12-26.
6. ^ Shuttle buses should ease Hudson residents' travel woes. Montreal Gazette (2007). Retrieved on 2007-01-25.

[edit] External links

• Official AMT website (In French)