The AMT today announced that it is adding departures on four of its five commuter train lines starting Jan. 12. (The Blainville line is the one left out.)

Though the overcrowded Deux Montagnes line gets the most new service with 26 new departures a week, the big changes are on the St. Hilaire and Candiac lines, which used to be unidirectional rush-hour services. Both lines now have lunch-hour departures in both directions, and St. Hilaire gets evening departures in both directions.

Details of the schedule changes are below. I’ve omitted schedule shifts of less than 10 minutes.

Montreal-Deux Montagnes

• Weekdays: toward Montreal
  • New departure at 5:30am from Deux Montagnes becomes first train of the day (previous first departure was 5:50am, which stays the same)
  • 6:35am departure from Deux Montagnes is brought back to 6:20am
  • The 8am departure from Roxboro is replaced by a 7:50am departure from Deux-Montagnes (sorry, Pierrefonds residents used to their guaranteed seats)
  • A new departure is squeezed in from Deux Montagnes at 9:22am.
  • All but one morning inbound train (8:50am from Roxboro-Pierrefonds) now depart from Deux Montagnes. Train schedules between 8 and 10am in both directions are readjusted to let traffic through on the single track
  • A new departure is added at 10:25am, with subsequent departures pushed back by 30 minutes (11:25, 12:25, 1:25, 2:25)
  • Departures at 7:51, 8:51 and 9:51pm are made a half hour earlier (7:20, 8:25, 9:25)
  • An evening departure at 10:51 is removed
• Weekdays: Toward Deux Montagnes
  • A new departure from Central Station at 7:55am
  • A new departure from Central Station at 3pm
  • Departures at 7pm and 7:40pm become 7:05pm and 7:30pm. The rest of the afternoon rush hour schedule is untouched
  • Last train of the day is now 12:15am instead of 12:30am
• Saturdays: Toward Montreal
  • A new departure from Deux Montagnes at 8:55am means service every hour from 7-10am
  • A new departure from Deux Montagnes radically changes the afternoon/evening schedule: Departures at 3:55, 6:15 and 8:55 become 3:25, 4:25, 6:25 and 9:25
  • Last train of the day is at 11:25 instead of 11:40pm
• Saturdays: Toward Deux Montagnes
  • Two new departures from Central Station in the morning at 8am and 10am (11am departure moved to noon)
  • 3pm departure from Central Station moved to 4:30pm
  • 10:50 departure becomes 10:30
  • Last train of the day is now 12:15am instead of 12:30am
• Sundays: Toward Montreal
  • All departures from Deux Montagnes are now on the hour instead of five minutes before
  • New departure at 10am means two hours, not four, between inbound trains in the morning
• Sundays: Toward Deux Montagnes
  • 10am departure is replaced by departures at 9am and 11am
  • Last train of the day is now 12:15am instead of 12:30am

Montreal-Dorion/Rigaud

• Weekdays
  • New departure #114 from Vaudreuil to Lucien L’Allier at 6:40am (previous departures leave 5 minutes earlier)
  • New departure #121 from Lucien-L’Allier to Vaudreuil at 4:20pm (next departure is moved from 4:30 to 4:40)
• Saturdays/Sundays: No changes

Montreal-Mont St. Hilaire

• Weekdays: Toward Montreal (all departures from Mont St. Hilaire)
  • First ever inbound afternoon trains with new departures at 1:45 and 7pm from St. Hilaire
• Weekdays: Toward Mont St. Hilaire (all departures to Mont St. Hilaire)
  • New departure at 12:30pm (previously earliest departure was 4:30pm)
  • New departure at 9:15pm (previously latest departure was 6:25pm)

Montreal-Delson/Candiac

• Weekdays: Toward Montreal (all departures from Candiac)
  • 7am departure moves to 7:10*
  • New departure at 8am
  • 9am departure moves to 8:50
  • New departure at 1:20pm becomes first afternoon inbound train for this line
• Weekdays: Toward Delson/Candiac (all departures to Candiac)
  • New departure at 12:20pm (previously, first departure was 3:40pm)
  • New departure at 4:15pm

UPDATE (Dec. 12): A full week later, this news hits the newspaper.

*UPDATE (Dec. 27): And public protests have resulted in changes to the changes in the Delson line. The morning 7am departure stays, as does the evening 5:15 departure (which was to be moved back to 5:10).