It was a bad week for commuter trains

Several unrelated incidents wreaked havoc with the commuter train lines on the first four days of the week.

“It was a difficult week,” said Elaine Arsenault, a spokesperson for the Réseau transport métropolitain, which oversees operations of the region’s commuter trains.

The problems began on Monday morning when water from melting snow seeped into what Arsenault called propulsion boxes on four train cars serving the Deux-Montagnes line. As a result, several trains had to run with just eight out of 10 cars, seriously reducing capacity on the line.

She said that, in anticipation of the next major thaw, maintenance workers are checking to ensure propulsion systems are properly sealed.

The Deux-Montagnes line also saw electrical problems that affected several other cars on Thursday morning. Two cars could not connect to power and, without heat and the ability to open doors, they were taken out of service.

Electrical problems were also to blame for the cancellation of Train 932 toward Central Station at 9 a.m. Thursday. Arsenault said the train had no electrical current, so its engine could not start.

“It has been taken in for repairs, and cancelled. It will be put back into service later,” she said.

Arsenault said none of the problems seem to be related, but admitted the train authority appears to be suffering from bad luck.

“These are just normal breakdowns that can occur from time to time,” Arsenault said.

Other train lines were also affected this week.

The worst disruption appeared to be when a truck hit a barrier at the level crossing on Westminster Ave. in Montreal West during Tuesday morning’s rush hour.

Trains on the three train lines that use that track — StJérôme, Vaudreuil-Hudson and Candiac — were delayed for about a half-hour as crews had to wait for a repair crew to fix the barrier.