| Vaudreuil–Hudson Line | |
|---|---|
| Operating Since | 1887 as a CP Service |
| Transferred to STCUM | October 1, 1982 |
| Refurbished | 1982–1990 |
| Transferred to AMT | January 1, 1996 |
| Length | 64.4 kilometres |
| Number of Stations | 19 |
| Ridership (2007, Weekdays) | 14,700[1] |
| Weekday Departures | 13 Inbound, 14 Outbound |
| Operated by | CP |
The Vaudreuil-Hudson line (formerly 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.
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This line links the Lucien-L'Allier station in downtown Montreal with Hudson 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 line offers frequent peak-hour service (roughly every 20 minutes) to or from Vaudreuil. Outside of rush hours and on weekends, service is every two to four hours. There is only one weekday round trip from the Hudson terminus. This is the only line in Montreal to offer semi-express service; reverse peak trains do not stop at certain smaller stations.[2]
The trains are owned and managed by the Agence métropolitaine de transport, and operated by Canadian Pacific.
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 3 or 4 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 (STCUM). The STCUM 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. The line was transferred to the newly formed AMT on January 1, 1996.
On July 1, 2010, service to Rigaud was discontinued, as the town of Rigaud was unable to justify a $300,000.00 annual fee, almost double the previous annual fee of $160,000.00 required by the AMT to maintain train service for a handful of users.[3] The line now ends at Hudson. At this time the line was renamed: "Dorion" was replaced by "Vaudreuil" in reference to the terminus for most runs, and "Rigaud" was replaced by "Hudson" in reference to the terminus for the extended service.[4]
To ease over-crowding and attract new users the AMT, Aéroports de Montréal (ADM), Transport Canada and Via Rail have jointly developed a wide-ranging proposal that includes the enhancement of commuter train and inter-city train service between Downtown Montreal and the West Island of Montreal. The proposed rail shuttle between Trudeau airport and downtown Montreal would make the trip in under 20 minutes and have departures every 20 minutes. This 20 km (12 mi) long route would be built in a right of way reserved for passenger trains, which will accelerate access to the airport from the downtown core. The choice of final downtown destination (either Lucien L'Allier train station or Gare Central) has yet to be made. The expected end date for the entire project is between 2013 and 2015.[5]
| Station | Location | Connections |
|---|---|---|
| Lucien-L'Allier | Ville-Marie, Montreal | Lucien-L'Allier metro station, Downtown Terminus (Terminus RTL), Société de transport de Montréal (STM) 36 (On rue Saint-Antoine),150, 358, 410, 430, 535 (On René Lévesque Boulevard), 935 Trainbus Blainville / Centreville (one block away at the corner of René Lévesque Boulevard and Peel Street). |
| Vendôme | Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Montreal | (connection to Vendôme metro station) STM 17 (north bound at the corner of Decarie Boulevard and De Maisonneuve Boulevard, south bound at the corner of rue Girouard and chemin Upper Lachine),37, 90, 102, 104, 105, 124, 371 (same corners as 17) & 24, 63, 356 (these last three one block north on Sherbrooke Street west[6][7]). |
| Montréal-Ouest | Montreal West | STM 51, 90 (250 metres south on rue Saint-Jacques),105 ,123, 162, 356. |
| Lachine | Lachine | STM 195 (400 metres south on Sherbrooke Street). |
| Dorval | Dorval | Via Rail, PET Airport, STM 173(Metro Bus),191, 195, 202, 203, 204(To and from PET Airport), 209, 211, 221(MB), 354, 356, 378 (Eastbound only), 460. |
| Pine Beach | STM 204, 211, 221(MB), 354, 356. | |
| Valois | Pointe-Claire | STM 203, 204, 356. |
| Pointe-Claire | STM 203, 211, 221(MB), 354. | |
| Cedar Park | STM 201 (North only), 202, 211, 221(MB), 354. | |
| Beaconsfield | Beaconsfield | STM 200, 201, 211 (500 metres south on Beaconsfield Blvd.),217, 221(MB), 261(Train Bus), 354, 382. |
| Beaurepaire | STM 221(MB), 354. | |
| Baie-d'Urfé | Baie-D'Urfé | STM 219 (300 metres north on Avenue Clark Graham),221(MB), 354. |
| Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue | Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue | STM 251, 290 (Collective Taxi), 291 (CT), 354. CIT La Presqu'Île[8] 21, 33, 44. |
| Île-Perrot | Île-Perrot | CIT La Presqu'Île: 41, 42, 43, 44. |
| Pincourt | Pincourt / Terrasse-Vaudreuil | CIT La Presqu'île: 31, 32, 33, 44. |
| Dorion | Vaudreuil-Dorion | CIT La Presqu'île: 3, 5, 15. |
| Vaudreuil | CIT La Presqu'île: 1, 2, 3, 4, 16, 40. CIT du Sud-Ouest[9]: 2. | |
| Hudson | Hudson | CIT La Presqu'île: 21. |
The commuter line operates over the following Canadian Pacific Railway subdivisions:
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