Major works planned at Lucien-L'Allier station will finally start on 1R Next April. The sprawling project will close the terminals of three major commuter rail lines in downtown Montreal for 6 to 12 months.
Exo, the carrier responsible for the commuter rail network in Greater Montreal, confirmed this on Wednesday, saying it was aware of the uptick in user habits.
The project, estimated at $69 million in Exo's most recent budget, aims to redevelop four floors of the station that have reached the end of their useful lives. We are planning to add a canopy with skylights on the platforms to protect customers from rain and inclement weather. Finally, emergency exits will also be installed to improve campus safety.
“We are bringing the station to 21e century It's really worthwhile work,” says Eric Edstrom, a spokesman for the organization.
With the last major renovations to the platforms of Lucien-l'Allier station 50 years ago during the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games, the time has come to intervene. Their deterioration today is “major” with “frequent” repairs hampering quality of service, the organization says.
Major impacts
Who say they work, say they influence the service. The construction site will actually lead to several “phased” closures through the spring of 2025, forcing route changes for users.
First, users of Line 11-Vaudreuil-Hudson – the busiest on the network – will not be able to get off or get on at Lucien-L'Allier station for 1 to about six months.R April. For lines 12-Saint-Jérôme and 14-Candiac, the closure will be extended for a whole year.
Briefly, trains on lines 11 and 14 will stop at Vendôme station, from where users can connect to Vendôme station on the Orange Line of the Montreal Metro. As for line 12, it specifically stops at the Park station, where it can be connected to the metro station of the same name located on the blue line.
However, the carrier notes that “some trains on line 12-Saint-Jérôme will continue their journey to Montreal-Ouest station to ensure continued access to students and workers in the sector.” No metro connections are available from this station.
Exo's general director, Sylvain Yelle, says they have chosen a scenario that “limits impacts to local residents and users as much as possible, while ensuring sound management of public funds”.
More users in metro
Agents will be on the ground in the coming weeks to prepare users for the changes. “We discussed with the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) because we know that a certain number of additional users will take the metro,” said Mr. Edstrom assures.
7,000 users normally travel to Lucien-L'Allier station every day. exo has not ruled out using other mitigation measures, such as shuttles, if the situation warrants. “We will continue to evaluate the situation and see if changes need to be made, but for now, we rely on existing infrastructure. We also know that teleworking habits have changed, but we will monitor it closely,” the spokesperson concludes.
He affirms that his team “prefers to carry out the works for more than a year, rather than closing at night, which would lead to a very long construction site and cause significant inconvenience to local residents”.
The ticket office at Lucien-L'Allier station will be closed for the duration of the work, but the ticket machines will still be accessible. However, to get the service in person, you have to go to Parc or Vendôme stations. Finally, access to the Bell Center will be possible throughout the project.
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