Candiac (also designated exo4, formerly known as Delson-Candiac) is a commuter railway line in

Greater Montreal Greater Montreal (french: Grand Montréal) is the most populous metropolitan area in Quebec and the second most populous in Canada after Greater Toronto. In 2015, Statistics Canada identified Montreal's Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) as with a ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

, Canada. It is operated by

Exo Exo ( ko, 엑소; stylized in all caps) is a South Korean-Chinese boy band based in Seoul formed by SM Entertainment in 2011 and debuted in 2012. The group consists of nine members: Xiumin, Suho, Lay, Baekhyun, Chen, Chanyeol, D.O., Kai ...

, the organization that operates

public transport Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typical ...

services across this region. The Candiac line was originally operated by the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...

(CPR) as part of its ''South-Eastern railway line'' between Windsor Station and

Farnham Farnham ( /ˈfɑːnəm/) is a market town and civil parish in Surrey, England, around southwest of London. It is in the Borough of Waverley, close to the county border with Hampshire. The town is on the north branch of the River Wey, a trib ...

from 1887 until 1980. The former AMT resumed passenger service on this line in 2001, while Exo assumed current service on June 1, 2017. There are nine inbound and nine outbound trains each weekday.

Overview

This line links the Lucien-L'Allier station in downtown Montreal with

Candiac Candiac is an off-island suburb of Montreal, in the Canadian province of Quebec; it is located on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River opposite Montreal near La Prairie. The population as of the Canada 2016 Census was 21,047. History ...

, on Montreal's South Shore. The line offers nine departures every weekday towards Montreal and nine return trips to Candiac every weekday. Most departures are during rush hour, but three are offered during off-peak hours in each direction.

History

AMT service

The former Agence Métropolitaine de Transport (AMT) started service on this line on September 4, 2001 with two round trips every day. One trainset was used for both departures. In September 2003, service was increased to four round trips per day and a second trainset was used. Service was extended to Candiac in 2005, at which point the line was renamed as the Delson-Candiac line. In 2009, two additional departures were added in each direction with leased trainsets being used until new locomotives and rolling stock is received. Service on the line was suspended from February 17, 2006 to March 9, 2006 after the

derailment In rail transport, a derailment occurs when a rail vehicle such as a train comes off its rails. Although many derailments are minor, all result in temporary disruption of the proper operation of the railway system and they are a potentially ...

of six

Canadian Pacific The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...

freight cars on February 17. The freight cars derailed on the

Saint-Laurent Railway Bridge The Saint-Laurent Railway Bridge is a Canadian Pacific railway bridge linking LaSalle to the Kahnawake Mohawk Reserve, just upstream of the Mercier Bridge. It is used by the RTM Candiac commuter train. History of the bridge Two bridges ha ...

used by the train service. This was one of the longest disruptions in train service for the AMT. High winds were a factor in that derailment. In September 2013 CP banned AMT's multilevel coaches from the bridge during high wind conditions (85 km/h or more), deeming them potentially unstable in such conditions. Since then AMT has used only its single-level 700 series coaches on this line. The line was renamed on July 1, 2010 from "Delson-Candiac" to simply "Candiac" to standardize formatting across the network. On January 16, 2017, a new station named Du Canal was opened on Saint-Joseph Boulevard in Lachine. This project was part of the MTQ's mitigation measures for the reconstruction of the

Turcot interchange The Turcot Interchange is a three-level four-way freeway interchange within the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Located southwest of downtown, the interchange links Autoroutes 15 (Décarie and Décarie South Expressways) and 20 (Remembrance H ...

RTM service

On June 1, 2017, the AMT was dissolved and replaced by two new governing bodies, the

Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain The Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain (ARTM; en, Metropolitan Regional Transportation Authority) is an umbrella organization that manages and integrates road transport and public transport in Greater Montreal in Quebec, Canada. The ...

(ARTM) and the

Réseau de transport métropolitain Exo, officially known as Réseau de transport métropolitain (RTM; en, Metropolitan Transportation Network), is a public transport system in Greater Montreal, including the Island of Montreal, Laval (Île Jésus), and communities along both t ...

(RTM). The RTM took over all former AMT services, including this line. In May 2018, the RTM rebranded itself as Exo, and in that process updated all line names with a number each and updated their line colours. The Candiac line became Exo 4, and its line colour was updated to a lighter pastel shade of green.

Future projects

To improve service and attract new users on the Candiac line, the ARTM will carry out two major projects:AMT PTI 2012-1013-2014 * Improve railway infrastructure on the Adirondack/Lacolle subdivision. The $20-million project includes improving signaling, adding a siding for freight trains, refurbishing switches and improving pedestrian crossings. Work was scheduled to be completed by 2014. * Build a new layover facility (overnight service and storage yard) at the end of the line. Construction is linked to the railway improvement project above. The possibility of extending the Candiac Line another 20 kilometres beyond the new layover facility to

Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu () is a city in eastern Montérégie in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec, about southeast of Montreal. It is situated on the west bank of the Richelieu River at the northernmost naviga ...

and

Saint-Philippe Saint-Philippe () is a communes of France, commune in the France, French overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department of Réunion. It is located in southeastern Reunion. Geography Saint-Philippe is on the highest point on the ...

was also examined by the Quebec Government in 2014. In 2016, the study's final report rejected that option, citing longer travel times by train for people in the area.

List of stations

These stations are on the Candiac line: The commuter line operates over these Canadian Pacific Railway lines: Note: South Junction is not a passenger stop.

References

External links

Official RTM website
{{RTM rail system Exo commuter rail lines Transport in Montérégie Railway lines opened in 2001 Railway lines opened in 1887 Rail transport in Roussillon Regional County Municipality