MONTREAL -- Thinking of hopping onto Exo's Vaudreuil–Hudson line when service gets disrupted on the Deux-Montagnes train starting next month? Think again – unless you're willing to walk a few blocks from your car to the train station.
Starting March 9, only residents of Pointe-Claire with the correct permits will be allowed to park their vehicles on the streets closest to the Cedar Park, Pointe-Claire and Valois train stations between the hours of 7 a.m. and 10 a.m.
"With the Deux-Montagnes line closing down, those 18,000 people who use that train line every day are going to have to find another source of transportation," said John Belvedere, Pointe-Claire mayor. "We respect the fact that people want to use public transit, but if all those cars come down to Pointe-Claire, it [could] create havoc for people."
Residents who live nearest to the stations will get one free parking permit, while anyone else living in Pointe-Claire will be able to buy one for $20.
Though the light rail is offering a shuttle bus service to bring commuters to-and-from downtown, Belvedere says he's not convinced West Islanders will cheerfully go for that option.
The two-year-long service disruptions on the Deux-Montagnes train line are to make way for work on the new Réseau express métropolitain (REM).
About 30,000 trips are made on the Deux-Montagnes train line every day.
