CANADA: On May 25 Joël Gauthier, President & CEO of the Agence Métropolitaine de Transport in Montréal, was joined by Québec officials to witness the start of double-deck commuter services on Montréal’s Dorion-Rigaud Line. Two more trainsets are due to arrive in the next few months.

AMT placed a C$386m order for 160 double-deck commuter coaches with Bombardier in December 2007. With 142 seats in each car, they will increase total capacity on the route by 40%, and on the five-line network by 70% once all 160 vehicles are delivered.

The first trainset composed of double-deck cars made its inaugural trip on Montréal's Mont-Saint-Hilaire line on November 23 last year. Further double-deckers will gradually be deployed on the Blainville-Saint-Jérôme line this summer and on the Delson-Candiac line in the autumn. Last to be equipped will be the electrified Deux-Montagnes line, once a fleet of 20 Bombardier electro-diesel locomotives arrive in 2012.

‘With 3·5 million annual passengers, the Dorion-Rigaud line is in great need of this new rolling stock’, said Gauthier. ‘We are convinced that the users of this line will appreciate the improvement as much as Mont-Saint-Hilaire users have.’