The Doney Spur

Old railroad spur that runs to the West Island below and parralell to highway #40. Currently the track goes as far west as Saint Jean’s road. There is a fascinating document produced in 2002 by the Transvert Group at the School Of Urban Planning at McGill University. In this document the authors outline a plan to convert the Donny Spur into a passenger rail line that would have a terminus at Fairview and hook up with the Deux- Montagnes line to get people downtown. Also, they propose a bicycle path run along Donny as well. Great ideas! But I have yet to find any follow up on this.

You can read the article here.

In June of 2006 I walked the Doney Spur from Saint Jean to Des Sources. Perhaps a bit tight in some spots, there is room to do these things there. Or at least, put a “greenbelt” concept of some kind through there.

There was a surprising number of backtracks indicating the line must have been very busy at one time.

The article mentions that the track bewtween St. Jean and St. Charles has been removed and it looks like they had started along here as well.

Here is an abandoned CN loading dock. May have been a distribution point for the West Island once upon a time.

More dock.

Some backtracks are almost completely covered.

Seeing trucks everywhere it s not hard to realise the line became obsolete.

Factories used to be built as close to the railroad as possible but in recent times they are much closer to the highway.

Nice arrangement!

Nature always returns.

I hope to walk the section from Des Sources into Ville Saint Laurent in the spring. Looking forward to crossing the 13!

Unused railroad spur becomes trail