THE CANADIAN NATIONAL TRAIN STATION

The first railway line in Canada, the Champlain & St-Laurent Co., links La Prairie to Saint-lean. The train station, initially made of wood, was replaced by the existing building in 1891, according to a plan by railway engineers. Because of its good condition, its neoroman style and the detail in the brick work and in the arched openings, it is a public building of great interest.

The railway, which was inaugurated on July 21, 1836, spread over 25.6 kilometers. It was designed to supplement river navigation, linking the Saint-Laurent and Richelieu rivers, thus allowing the transportation of goods from the port of Montréal, which was then booming, to the United-States.

Built in England and affectionately called "kitten" because of its jerky running, the Dorchester engine, first one in service, ran on wood rails lined with metal strips to case the passage of the railroad cars. Originally, the train included four cars accomodating eight passengers each, followed by about twenty freight cars, each having a ten-ton capacity. Seasonal as sea road traffic, the train only ran in summer, thus allowing day travellers from Montréal to visit outlying areas.

Canadian National train station

With the extension of the line to Rouses's Point, at the border of the State of New York, Saint-Jean's role as a transhipment location lessened. Following the completion, in 1853, of the Portland (Maine) line, directly linking Montréal to a seaport, and of another line, in 1870, linking Montréal to New York, the importance of the old railway then decreased.