Pipeline demonstration halts service on Exo’s Candiac line in Montreal

Some commuters on Montreal’s South Shore will have trouble getting to and from downtown by rail on Monday.

Exo says it has been forced to suspend service on its Line 4 Candiac while a demonstration is held on the tracks.

READ MORE: B.C. pipeline protests continue to halt Ontario trains for 5th day in a row

The protest is in solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en First Nation in British Columbia, which has clashed with RCMP in recent days over the construction of the Coastal GasLink natural gas pipeline in the northwestern part of the province.

The Mohawk Council of Kahnawake added its support for Wet’suwet’en people and hereditary chiefs and condemned RCMP actions.

“We remind British Columbia, Canada and the RCMP that it must use restraint, patience and common sense when dealing with the complex issues relating to Indigenous peoples and territories,” Kahnawake Grand Chief Joe Norton said in a statement.

Exo says shuttle buses will run between the train stations along the Candiac line and the Mansfield bus terminal downtown near Gare Centrale.

A total of 30 buses were made available to transport commuters from the South Shore stations of Candiac, Delson, Saint-Constant and Sainte-Catherine to the downtown area. The journey was  expected to take between 25 to 55 minutes but Exo warned there could be further delays due to snowfall throughout the Montreal region Monday morning.

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Commuters at the on-island LaSalle and du Canal train stations were being asked by Exo to take Société de transport de Montréal (STM) buses and transfer to the Metro network. The Montreal West and Vendome stations will continue to be served by Exo’s Line 1 Vaudreuil-Hudson and Line 2 Saint-Jerome.

In a news release Monday afternoon, Exo said train service would be disrupted all day. A shuttle bus service will be offered from the Mansfield terminal, to the south shore stations of Sainte-Catherine, Saint-Constant, Delson and Candiac.

READ MORE: ‘We’re not giving up’ — Wet’suwet’en rally as RCMP move into main camp near pipeline worksite

Train tickets will be accepted on STM buses connecting at the LaSalle and Du Canal Stations, as well as the following Metro stations: Lucien-L’Allier, Bonaventure, Vendôme, Angrignon et Lionel-Groulx.

It is not immediately clear when train service will resume. Exo says it is in “constant communication with its partners to minimize the impact of the protests” on its clientele.

Trains are also stopped between Montreal and Toronto on Via Rail for a fifth day due to protests.

— With files from the Canadian Press