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The Lucien-L’Allier train station will be closed to all three of the train lines it serves starting on April 1, Exo announced on Wednesday.
The work will affect the Vaudreuil-Hudson, Candiac and St-Jérôme lines for six to 12 months.
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The Vaudreuil-Hudson line’s trains will return to Lucien-L’Allier by the fall, while the other two lines won’t be back before the spring of 2025, Exo said.
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Exo has known about the need to rebuild the station for several months, but spokesperson Eric Edström said the corporation didn’t know until recently that it couldn’t keep at least part of the station open for the duration of the project, which is estimated to cost $31 million, according to Exo’s 2024 budget.
“We looked at different scenarios to make sure we had the least impact on the people living nearby and the commuters,” Edström said Wednesday. “The way to do it the most effectively is to close completely and then bring back the busiest line which is Vaudreuil-Hudson after six months, and the other two lines after 12 months.”
Roughly 7,000 trips are taken to or from the Lucien-L’Allier station every day, Edström said.
As of April 1, users of Vaudreuil-Hudson and Candiac lines will have their last stop at the Vendôme intermodal station, forcing them to use the métro’s Orange Line to get to their final destination. Most of the trains on the St-Jérôme line will end at the Montreal West station for students who are using it to get to school. However, departures 180 and 187 will end at the Parc station. Commuters on this line are being advised to get off at a station that links to the métro, and the Parc station which links to the Blue Line is preferable. Commuters can also get off at De La Concorde, but Exo says that option is less ideal because of the potential for heavy traffic on the east branch of the métro’s Orange Line.
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No shuttle buses will be provided at any of these new final destinations. Edström said Exo has judged that using the métro is far more efficient for users than being taken to their final destinations by a bus.
The project will consist of:
Rebuilding the station’s four platforms, as they have reached the end of their lifeBringing the systems and infrastructures up to standardAdding a canopy to improve client comfortAdding two emergency exits at Argyle Ave. and De la Montagne St.Extending Track 6 to improve traffic flow and flexibility at the site
When the work is completed, the Lucien l’Allier station will be outfitted with mechanized platforms that will allow wheelchairs to board the trains. However, the other stations on the other train lines leaving from Lucien l’Allier are not universally accessible. Exo is now embarking a long-term project to make all its stations and trains accessible to people in wheelchairs.
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