The 29 train bound for Vaudreuil-Dorion broke down and was cancelled Wednesday night, leaving passengers walking back to the Lucien-l’Allier station on the railroad tracks in the dark.
“Even the Titanic had a better contingency plan,” said Larry Verkade, who was on the train Wednesday.
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Verkade said the train pulled out around 6:30 p.m. and then abruptly stopped afterward due to a mechanical failure.
Workers tried to get the train restarted and failed to back it up before evacuating, according to the RTM, the agency that manages the commuter rail agency.
RTM officials said they regret the inconvenience, but said the agency offered riders a shuttle that left from Côte-Vertu Metro to the Dorion Station.
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However, commuter Oliver Martier said passengers weren’t informed that such a shuttle was operating after the breakdown.
The trains were back to running normally on the Vaudreuil-Hudson line Thursday morning.
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Verkade said the RTM needs to improve its evacuation plans.
“If this had stalled between Montreal West and Lachine, there’s nothing,” he said.
“We would have been walking miles to nowhere.”
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