The Expo Express was a rapid transit system consisting of five stations and a 5.7-kilometre (3.5 mi) route, running from Cité du Havre to La Ronde in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
[2] The train remained in limited service for Man and His World for six additional years, however, on a shortened route from 1969-onwards when tracks were cut back to Saint Helen's Island.
The conductor had pressed the button to close the doors and proceed, but his train had already sensed an oncoming express from Notre Dame Island and automatically delayed the go command to let it roll in.
It crossed the bridge over the Le Moyne Channel, proceeded along the seaway, and came to a smooth stop at Notre Dame Island station where an Expo official was waiting.
It headed north, where a half-mile down was the Habitat '67 station (eliminated early on, due to low use) after which it turned east and crossed over the Saint Lawrence river by means of the Concordia Bridge.
From there, the line turned north and traveled alongside the Saint Lawrence seaway until crossing the Moyne Channel again, via a westwards train bridge to La Ronde station–the terminus at the fairground entrance.
Shortly after Expo opened, due to unexpected visitor congestion, the Cité du Havre line was changed to double-track to accelerate passenger movement.
In 1969, the Cite du Havre line was permanently closed and the starting point was cut back to Place des Nations on Saint Helen's Island (initially single-tracked).
[5] That same year, the Societe des Transports Rapides Incorporated made a bid to modify the cars for a monorail system running from Laval to Montreal, but that plan also fell through.
[6] In the end, the Montreal Transit Commission (now the STM) purchased the cars for $1.8 million and took over operation of the train–simply renamed The Express, and kept its rolling stock, route and stations unmodified throughout 1968.
[8] In 1984, unable to resale the trains, and concerns about returns on the investment, they were sold to Pemik Enterprises and the cars were moved from Point St-Charles to an outdoor field storage facility in Les Cèdres.