Montreal-area commuter train lines will be getting new double-decker train cars over the next several months, beginning with the Mont-Saint-Hilaire line.
The cars are made by Montreal transport giant Bombardier, and they have 142 seats as well as toilets and wheelchair access.
The Mont-Saint-Hilaire line will get one new car per month until next spring . The Dorion-Rigaud line will also get its next-generation cars in the spring.
The Blainville-Saint-Jerome line will get cars next summer and Delson-Candiac will be upgraded in the fall.
The electrified Deux-Montagnes line will also get double-decker cars along with new hybrid locomotives.
AMT president Joel Gauthier told a news conference Monday that the twin-level trains will boost the entire network's capacity by 70 per cent.
Taxpayers will pay $386 million for a total of 160 cars.
Winter upgrades
Gauthier repeated the AMT's pledge that there will be relief for commuters who dealt with major delays and cancellations last winter.
He says heated switches and other equipment should alleviate the transit headaches.
